Features of the electric current and field distributions in flows with narrow layers of highly conductive gas

A solution obtained by Fourier's method provides the basis for analyzing the influence of a narrow gas layer, of higher conductivity than the rest of the flow, on the Joule dissipation and current distribution in the terminal zone of a plane magnetohydrodynamic channel with nonconducting walls. The MHD interaction parameter, Reynolds magnetic number, and Hall parameter are assumed small. It is shown that a narrow, highly conductive layer can on occasions be replaced by a surface of discontinuity, on which well-defined relations between the electric quantities are satisfied. The presence of such a layer leads to an increase in the Joule dissipation and a reduction in the lengths of the current lines. A hopeful arrangement for a magnetohydrodynamic energy converter is one in which an inhomogeneous flow is used, consisting of a continuous series of alternating very hot and less hot zones [1,2]. For this arrangement, it is worth examining the influence of the stratified conductivity distribution of the working body on the Joule dissipation and the electric currents in the channel. Numerous papers have discussed the case of inhomogeneous conductivity in the context of MHD system electrical characteristics. A general solution was obtained in [3] for the stationary problem on the electric field in a plane MHD channel with nonconducting walls when the magnetic field and conductivity are arbitrary functions of the longitudinal coordinate. In [4], where the braking of undeformed conducting clusters was investigated, the Joule dissipation, linked with the appearance of closed eddy currents in the cluster as it enters and leaves the magnetic field, was evaluated. The relationships between the electrical quantities, on moving through a narrow layer of low-conductivity liquid, were considered in [5].Translated from Zhurnal Prikladnoi Mekhaniki i Tekhnicheskoi Fiziki, Vol. 9, No. 1, pp. 39–43, January–February, 1970.In conclusion, the author thanks A. B. Vatazhin for valuable advice and discussion.     

Investigation of basic characteristics of the MHD bearing

The load-carrying capacity and the friction torque of a magnetohydrodynamic bearing are calculated. The calculation is made for specified boundaries of the lubricating layer (0, ) with a small magnitude of the radial gap. It is shown that the presence of an external magnetic field directed along the axis of the bearing and a radial electric field leads to a considerable increase of the load-carrying capacity of the electrically conductive lubricating layer. The condition for which the friction torque on the journal of an MHD bearing vanishes is found.     

Inductive acceleration of an electrically conductive particle in a viscous liquid

The characteristics of the motion of a particle in an electrically conducting liquid with constant crossed electric and magnetic fields present have been investigated in connection with the problem of MHD-separation in many papers (for example, see the bibliography in [1]). The separation of electrically conducting particles contained in a dielectric liquid, which can be accomplished with the help of a variable magnetic field [2], is also of practical interest. The ponderomotive force acting on a spherical conducting particle near a straight conductor through which the discharge current of a capacitor bank is flowing is found in this paper, and the motion of a particle in a viscous liquid under the action of this force is investigated.Translated from Zhurnal Prikladnoi Mekhaniki i Tekhnicheskoi Fiziki, No. 6, pp. 31–34, November–December, 1984.     

The effect of induced magnetic fields on convective stability of a conductive liquid carrying a current

The stability of equilibrium in a plane layer of an electrically conductive liquid located in electric and magnetic fields is considered. The effect of an unperturbed induced magnetic field and its perturbations on stability of this type is considered. The stability is analyzed nonlinearly.Translated from Izvestiya Akademii Nauk SSSR, Mekhanika Zhidkosti i Gaza, No. 1, pp. 102–110, January–February, 1974.     

Joule loss due to compressibility of gas in a channel of variable section

It is known that closed electric currents arise in a conducting medium moving in a non-uniform magnetic field. These currents lead to additional energy loss and adversely affect the characteristics of magnetohydrodynamic channels. (The numerous investigations of these effects are dealt with in the review [2, 3].) Eddy electric currents are also formed, however, when a medium flows in a uniform magnetic field perpendicular to the to the plane of motion if the channel has a variable cross section and the medium is compressible [1], This paper is devoted to an investigation of some features of these flows. It is assumed in the analysis that the gas flows in channels whose geometry varies slightly.Translated from Zhurnal Prikladnoi Mekhaniki i Tekhnicheskoi Fiziki, Vol. 9, No. 4, pp. 3–9, July–August, 1968.     

Diffusion to a particle at large péclet numbers and small Reynolds and Hartmann numbers

A study is made of the influence of a homogeneous magnetic field on the mass transfer for a spherical solid particle and a liquid drop in a flow of a viscous electrically conducting fluid. The previously obtained [1] velocity field of the fluid is used to calculate the concentration distribution in the diffusion boundary layer, the density of the diffusion flux, and the Nusselt number, which characterizes the mass transfer between the particle and the surrounding medium.Translated from Izvestiya Akademii Nauk SSSR, Mekhanika Zhidkosti i Gaza, No. 1, pp. 189–192, January–February, 1980.     

Solution of the direct problem of the mixed flow of a conducting gas in a laval nozzle with a meridional magnetic field

We consider the direct problem in the theory of the axisymmetric Laval nozzle (including sonic transition) for the steady flow of an inviscid and nonheat-conducting gas of finite electrical conductivity. The problem is solved by numerical integration of the equations of unsteady gas flow using an explicit difference scheme that was proposed by Godunov [1,2], and was used to calculate steady and unsteady flows of a nonconducting gas in nozzles by Ivanov and Kraiko [3]. The subsonic and the supersonic flows of a conducting gas in an axisymmetric channel when there is no external electric field, the magnetic field is meridional, and the magnetic Reynolds numbers are small have previously been completely investigated. Thus, Kheins, Ioller and Élers [4] investigated experimentally and theoretically the flow of a conducting gas in a cylindrical pipe when there is interaction between the flow and the magnetic field of a loop current that is coaxial with the pipe. Two different approaches were used in the theoretical analysis in [4]: linearization with respect to the parameter S of the magnetogasdynamic interaction and numerical calculation by the method of characteristics. The first approach was used for weakly perturbed subsonic and supersonic flows and the solutions obtained in analytic form hold only for small S. This is the approach used by Bam-Zelikovich [5] to investigate subsonic and supersonic jet flows through a current loop. The numerical calculations of supersonic flows in a cylindrical pipe in [4] were restricted to comparatively small values of S since, as S increases, shock waves and subsonic waves appear in the flow. Katskova and Chushkin [6] used the method of characteristics to calculate the flow of the type in the supersonic part of an axisymmetric nozzle with a point of inflection. The flow at the entrance to the section of the nozzle under consideration was supersonic and uniform, while the magnetic field was assumed to be constant and parallel to the axis of symmetry. The plane case was also studied in [6]. The solution of the direct problem is the subject of a paper by Brushlinskii, Gerlakh, and Morozov [7], who considered the flow of an electrically conducting gas between two coaxial electrodes of given shape. There was no applied magnetic field, and the induced magnetic field was in the direction perpendicular to the meridional plane. The problem was solved numerically in [7] using a standard process. However, the boundary conditions adopted, which were chosen largely to simplify the calculations, and the accuracy achieved only allowed the authors [7] to make reliable judgments about the qualitative features of the flow. Recently, in addition to [7], several papers have been published [8–10] in which the authors used a similar approach to solve the direct problem in the theory of the Laval nozzle (in the case of a nonconducting gas).Translated from Izvestiya Akademiya Nauk SSSR, Mekhanika Zhidkosti i Gaza., No. 5, pp. 14–20, September–October, 1971.In conclusion the author wishes to thank M. Ya. Ivanov, who kindly made available his program for calculating the flow of a conducting gas, and also A. B. Vatazhin and A. N. Kraiko for useful advice.     

Electrosolenoidal flows in a cylindrical cavity

The main difficulties in investigating three-dimensional magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) flows with vorticity arise, first, because it is necessary to solve an independent boundary-value problem in order to find the field of the electromagnetic forces and, second, because the regimes of these flows are strongly nonlinear for the majority of high-power technological MHD processes and a number of natural phenomena. Particular importance attaches to MHD flows generated by the interaction of an electric current applied to the fluid with the magnetic self-field. This class of MHD flows has become known as electrosolenoidal flows [1]. The presence of a definite symmetry in the distribution of the electromagnetic forces and the geometry of the region of the liquid conductor makes it possible to find a solution in self-similar form. The present paper is devoted to exact solutions of the nonlinear equations for axisymmetric electrosolenoidal flows of a conducting incompressible fluid in infinite cylindrical cavities.Translated from Izvestiya Akademii Nauk SSSR, Mekhanika Zhidkosti i Gaza, No. 3, pp. 48–53, May–June, 1991.     

Instability of a thermally inhomogeneous layer of weakly conducting liquid in an electric field

We give the results of a theoretical investigation of the hydrostatic stability of a plane horizontal layer of weakly conducting liquid for different constant temperatures and potentials on the thermally and electrically conducting capacitor plates bounding the layer. We found that the onset of electrothermal convection is of an oscillatory nature. The critical conditions for loss of stability were found.Translated from Izvestiya Akademii Nauk SSSR, Mekhanika Zhidkosti i Gaza, No. 6, pp. 133–138, November–December, 1974.     

Motion of a magnetizable liquid in a rotating magnetic field

Moskowitz and Rosensweig [1] describe the drag of a magnetic liquid — a colloidal suspension of ferromagnetic single-domain particles in a liquid carrier — by a rotating magnetic field. Various hydrodynamic models have been proposed [2, 3] to describe the macroscopic behavior of magnetic suspensions. In the model constructed in [2] it was assumed that the intensity of magnetization is always directed along the field so that the body torque is zero. Therefore, this model cannot account for the phenomenon under consideration. We make a number of simplifying assumptions to discuss the steady laminar flow of an incompressible viscous magnetizable liquid with internal rotation of particles moving in an infinitely long cylindrical container in a rotating magnetic field. The physical mechanism setting the liquid in motion is discussed. The importance of unsymmetric stresses and the phenomenon of relaxation of magnetization are emphasized. The solution obtained below is also a solution of the problem of the rotation of a polarizable liquid in a rotating electric field according to the model in [3].Translated from Zhurnal Prikladnoi Mekhaniki i Tekhnicheskoi Fiziki, No. 4, pp. 40–43, July–August, 1970.     

Occurrence of periodic regimes in steady supersonic mid flows due to loss of electrical conductivity of medium

A study is made of the features of supersonic magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) flows due to the vanishing of the electrical conductivity of the gas as a result of its cooling. The study is based on the example of the exhausting from an expanding nozzle of gas into which a magnetic field (Re_m 1) perpendicular to the plane of the flow is initially frozen. It is demonstrated analytically on the basis of a qualitative model [1] and by numerical experiment that besides the steady flow there is also a periodic regime in which a layer of heated gas of electric arc type periodically separates from the conducting region in the upper part of the nozzle. A gas-dynamic flow zone with homogeneous magnetic field different from that at the exit from the nozzle forms between this layer and the conducting gas in the initial section. After the layer has left the nozzle, the process is repeated. It is established that the occurrence of such layers is due to the development of overheating instability in the regions with low electrical conductivity, in which the temperature is approximately constant due to the competition of the processes of Joule heating and cooling as a result of expansion. The periodic regimes occur for magnetic fields at the exit from the nozzle both greater and smaller than the initial field when the above-mentioned Isothermal zones exist in the steady flow. The formation of periodic regimes in steady MHD flows in a Laval nozzle when the conductivity of the gas grows from a small quantity at the entrance due to Joule heating has been observed in numerical experiments [2, 3]. It appears that the oscillations which occur here are due to the boundary condition. The occurrence of narrow highly-conductive layers of plasma due to an initial perturbation of the temperature in the nonconducting gas has previously been observed in numerical studies of one-dimensional flows in a pulsed accelerator [4–6].Translated from Izvestiya Akademii Nauk SSSR, Mekhanika Zhidkosti i Gaza, No. 4, pp. 138–149, July–August, 1985.     

Some problems in the theory of plane jets of conducting fluid

Using the boundary-layer equations as a basis, the author considers the propagation of plane jets of conducting fluid in a transverse magnetic field (noninductive approximation).The propagation of plane jets of conducting fluid is considered in several studies [1–12]. In the first few studies jet flow in a nonuniform magnetic field is considered; here the field strength distribution along the jet axis was chosen in order to obtain self-similar solutions. The solution to such a problem given a constant conductivity of the medium is given in [1–3] for a free jet and in [4] for a semibounded jet; reference [5] contains a solution to the problem of a free jet allowing for the dependence of conductivity on temperature. References [6–8] attempt an exact solution to the problem of jet propagation in any magnetic field. An approximate solution to problems of this type can be obtained by using the integral method. References [9–10] contain the solution obtained by this method for a free jet propagating in a uniform magnetic field.The last study [10] also gives a comparison of the exact solution obtained in [3] with the solution obtained by the integral method using as an example the propagation of a jet in a nonuniform magnetic field. It is shown that for scale values of the jet velocity and thickness the integral method yields almost-exact values. In this study [10], the propagation of a free jet is considered allowing for conduction anisotropy. The solution to the problem of a free jet within the asymptotic boundary layer is obtained in [1] by applying the expansion method to the small magnetic-interaction parameter. With this method, the problem of a turbulent jet is considered in terms of the Prandtl scheme. The Boussinesq formula for the turbulent-viscosity coefficient is used in [12].This study considers the dynamic and thermal problems involved with a laminar free and semibounded jet within the asymptotic boundary layer, propagating in a magnetic field with any distribution. A system of ordinary differential equations and the integral condition are obtained from the initial partial differential equations. The solution of the derived equations is illustrated by the example of jet propagation in a uniform magnetic field. A similar solution is obtained for a turbulent free jet with the turbulent-exchange coefficient defined by the Prandtl scheme.     

Theory of a gas bearing with spiral grooves,taking account of the effects of slip and of local compressibility

The theory of a spiral bearing with a quasi-incompressible lubricant, proposed by Whipple [1], and expanded in [2–4], deviates from experimental investigations, particularly with large values of the compressibility parameter and intermediate values of the Knudsen numbers. Investigations carried out in simplified models of a spiral bearing [6, 7] have shown that the compressibility of a gas layer lowers its bearing capacity. This effect manifests itself even more strongly with intermediate values of the Knudsen number. Therefore, attempts to take account of the effect of slip within the framework of the theory of a quasi-incompressible layer [8] do not achieve their purpose. The proposed theory of a spiral bearing takes account of the combined influence of both effects, and is in agreement with experiment.Translated from Izvestiya Akademii Nauk SSSR, Mekhanika Zhidkosti i Gaza, No. 5, pp. 84–93, September–October, 1971.The authors thank V. Idel'son, who carried out the required calculations at the Computational Center of the Siberian Branch of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR.     

Regular reflection of a magnetohydrodynamic shock wave from a conducting wall

In two-dimensional supersonic gasdynamics, one of the classical steady-state problems, which include shock waves and other discontinuities, is the problem concerning the oblique reflection of a shock wave from a plane wall. It is well known [1–3] that two types of reflection are possible: regular and Mach. The problem concerning the regular reflection of a magnetohydrodynamic shock wave from an infinitely conducting plane wall is considered here within the scope of ideal magnetohydrodynamics [4]. It is supposed that the magnetic field, normal to the wall, is not equal to zero. The solution of the problem is constructed for incident waves of different types (fast and slow). It is found that, depending on the initial data, the solution can have a qualitatively different nature. In contrast from gasdynamics, the incident wave is reflected in the form of two waves, which can be centered rarefaction waves. A similar problem for the special case of the magnetic field parallel to the flow was considered earlier in [5, 6]. The normal component of the magnetic field at the wall was equated to zero, the solution was constructed only for the case of incidence of a fast shock wave, and the flow pattern is similar in form to that of gasdynamics. The solution of the problem concerning the reflection of a shock wave constructed in this paper is necessary for the interpretation of experiments in shock tubes [7–10].Translated from Izvestiya Akademii Nauk SSSR, Mekhanika Zhidkosti i Gaza, No. 3, pp. 102–109, May–June, 1977.The author thanks A. A. Barmin, A. G. Kulikovskii, and G. A. Lyubimov for useful discussion of the results obtained.     

Breakaway self-similar flows in a laminar magnetohydrodynamic boundary layer with blowing and suction

A study was made of self-similar flows in a magnetohydrodynamic boundary layer in the presence of a pressure gradient and with the blowing and suction of a conducting liquid. The region of the existence of self-similar solutions for breakaway flow conditions, characterized by a friction at the wall equal to zero, was determined. The regions of a change in the determining parameters, with which nonbreakaway flows are established at impermeable and permeable surfaces, are indicated. It is noted that under diffusion flow conditions the self-similar equation of a magnetohydrodynamic boundary layer with fixed boundary conditions at the wall and at infinity permits an innumerable set of solutions. The article proposes a method for selecting a solution and indicates a calculating method for determining it. It demonstrates the possibility of a considerable broadening of the region of flows without breakaway with the imposition of electric and magnetic fields.Moscow. Translated from Izvestiya Akademii Nauk SSSR, Mekhanika Zhidkosti i Gaza, No. 3, pp. 38–46, May–June, 1972.     

Nonstationary conducting free flow in a transverse magnetic field

In magnetohydrodynamic flow the viscous friction at the walls can be substantial. The role of viscous friction can be considerably reduced by using a free or a semirestricted flow of the conducting fluid. Nonstationary phenomena in one-dimensional motion of a free plane incompressible fluid flow in a transverse magnetic field are examined. The narrow sides of the flow come into contact with the sectional electrodes connected through external circuits with an active-inductive load. The magnetic Reynolds number and the magnetody-dynamic interaction parameter are assumed to be large. When the electric field due to electromagnetic induction in the channel is much smaller than the field due to the external circuits, the problem can be reduced to the characteristic Cauchy problem for a quasilinear hyperbolic system of first-order equations which can be solved by the method of characteristics using a computer.Translated from Zhurnal Prikladnoi Mekhaniki i Tekhnicheskoi Fiziki, No. 4, pp. 34–39, July–August, 1970.     

Influence of magnetic reynolds number on the current distribution in a magnetohydrodynamic channel with allowance for the Hall effect

Stationary plane flow of a conducting gas across a magnetic field in a magnetohydrodynamic channel of constant cross section made up of electrodes of finite length and insulators is considered in the linear approximation. It is assumed that the electromagnetic forces are small. It is shown that the current density increases near the exit from the interelectrode gap with increasing magnetic Reynolds number. The mutual influence of the Hall parameter and of the magnetic Reynolds number on the distribution of the currents in the channel is investigated.Translated from Izvestiya Akademii Nauk SSSR, Mekhanika Zhidkosti i Gaza, No. 3, pp. 148–152, May–June, 1971.     

Charging of disperse particles in two-phase media with unipolar charge

Charging of disperse particles with good conduction in two-phase media with unipolar charge is considered in the case when the volume concentration of the particles is low. For this, in the framework of electrohydro-dynamics [1, 2], a study is made of the charge of one perfectly conducting liquid particle in a gas (or liquid) with unipolar charge in a fairly strong electric field. The influence of the inertial and electric forces on the motion of the gas is ignored, and the velocities are found by solving the Hadamard—Rybczynski problem. We consider the axisymmetric case when the gas velocity and electric field intensity far from the particle are parallel to a straight line. The analogous problem for a solid spherical particle was solved in [3–6] (in [3], the relative motion of the gas was ignored, while in [4–6] Stokes flow around the particle was considered). The two-dimensional problem of the charge of a solid circular, perfectly conducting cylinder in an irrotational flow of gas with unipolar charge was studied in [7].Translated from Izvestiya Akademii Nauk SSSR, Mekhanika Zhidkosti i Gaza, No. 6, pp. 108–115, November–December, 1980.We thank L. I. Sedov and V. V. Gogosov for a helpful discussion of the present work.     

Interaction between slip and the high-frequency vibrations of a shaped surface in the working gap of a gas-lubricated bearing with inclined grooves

The article discusses a flat bearing with a gas lubricant, one of whose surfaces is shaped by inclined grooves and vibrates in accordance with a given harmonic law with a high frequency. The reaction of a thin layer of viscous compressible gas is formed as a result of interaction between the effects of slip and high-frequency vibrations. Asymptotic methods are used in the investigation of the reactions of the gaseous layer; the thermodynamic process in the lubricating layer is assumed to be isothermal, and in the equation of motion of the gas the effect of inertial and mass forces is not taken into consideration.Translated from Izvestiya Akademii Nauk SSSR, Mekhanika Zhidkosti i Gaza, No. 2, pp. 43–50, March–April, 1976.     

Inertia effects in hydromagnetic lubrication

Summary A theoretical investigation of inertia effects in a squeeze film bearing with an electrically conducting lubricant in the presence of a uniform transverse magnetic field is presented. The two cases of infinitely long rectangular plates and circular plates as bearing surfaces are considered. It is shown that the load supporting capacity of the bearing increases and the squeeze decreases if the lubricant inertia effects are taken into account. However, the inertia effect becomes smaller when the strength of the magnetic field increases.