Separation of magnetic particles in channel flows by BEM

In-line separation of suspensions can become difficult in case of particles with comparable values of densities. For flows in micro devices in such cases gravitational settling is inefficient, and other separation techniques must be applied. In case of magneto active particles, the action of Kelvin magnetic force in a non-uniform magnetic field could be used in order to achieve a higher degree of particles separation. The contribution therefore deals with Euler-Lagrangian formulation of dilute two-phase flows. The Boundary element based computational algorithm solves the incompressible Navier-Stokes equations written in velocity-vorticity formulation. The non-uniform magnetic field is defined analytically for the case of a set of long thin wires. The particle trajectories are computed by applying the 4th order Runge-Kutta method. The computed test case consists of a narrow channel with laminar flow of suspension under Re = 1 − 10. Particle trajectories under the influence of a non-uniform magnetic field are computed for the case of magnetite and aluminium particles suspended in water. The efficiency of separation on basis of particle trajectories for different values of Re number and magnetic field strength is performed, clearly indicating superior separation of magneto active particles. (© 2012 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Conservation theorems for magnetic field and vorticity in two-dimensional conducting fluid flows

The classical conservation theorems for magnetic force lines, magnetic flux through a fluid surface, and intensity of magnetic vector tubes are generalized to plane flows of a finitely conducting fluid in an orthogonal magnetic field. The Helmholtz and Kelvin vorticity conservation theorems are generalized for plane motion of a viscous conducting fluid in an orthogonal magnetic field and the Bernoulli integral is derived. The Bernoulli integral is also generalized for plane motion of viscous ideally conducting fluid in a longitudinal magnetic field. Translated from Nelineinye Dinamicheskie Sistemy: Kachestvennyi Analiz i Upravlenie — Sbornik Trudov, No. 2, pp. 46–49, 1994.     

Laminar magnetohydrodynamic duct flow in the presence of a magnetic dipole

We study magnetohydrodynamic flow of a liquid metal in a straight duct. The magnetic field is produced by an exterior magnetic dipole. This basic configuration is of fundamental interest for Lorentz force velocimetry (LFV), where the Lorentz force opposing the relative motion of conducting medium and magnetic field is measured to determine the flow velocity. The Lorentz force acts in equal strength but opposite direction on the flow as well as on the dipole. We are interested in the dependence of the velocity on the flow rate and on strength of the magnetic field as well as on geometric parameters such as distance and position of the dipole relative to the duct. To this end, we perform numerical simulations with an accurate finite-difference method in the limit of small magnetic Reynolds number, whereby the induced magnetic field is assumed to be small compared with the external applied field. The hydrodynamic Reynolds number is also assumed to be small so that the flow remains laminar. The simulations allow us to quantify the magnetic obstacle effect as a potential complication for local flow measurement with LFV. (© 2011 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Strong solutions to the equations of electrically conductive magnetic fluids

We study the equations of flow of an electrically conductive magnetic fluid, when the fluid is subjected to the action of an external applied magnetic field. The system is formed by the incompressible Navier–Stokes equations, the magnetization relaxation equation of Bloch type and the magnetic induction equation. The system takes into account the Kelvin and Lorentz force densities. We prove the local-in-time existence of the unique strong solution to the system equipped with initial and boundary conditions. We also establish a blow-up criterion for the local strong solution.     

A numerical model for magnetic chromatography

In this paper, we present details of a mathematical model for magnetic chromatography (MC) systems where strong distorted magnetic fields are used to separate particles from a colloidal mixture. The model simulates the effect of magnetic field gradients on particle motion, and includes calculation of the fluid flow, magnetic field, and particle concentration field. It is based on the finite-volume method (FVM) and uses an expanding-grid technique to handle domains with large aspect ratios. The model has been validated against the results from an analytical model. The numerical model has been used to simulate the performance of a real MC system under various operating conditions.     

Mixed initial–boundary value problem for equations of motion of Kelvin–Voigt fluids

The initial–boundary value problem for equations of motion of Kelvin–Voigt fluids with mixed boundary conditions is studied. The no-slip condition is used on some portion of the boundary, while the impermeability condition and the tangential component of the surface force field are specified on the rest of the boundary. The global-in-time existence of a weak solution is proved. It is shown that the solution is unique and depends continuously on the field of external forces, the field of surface forces, and initial data.     

Flow engendered by the time-varying motion of a porous plate in the presence of a magnetic field

The problem of flow of an electrically conducting viscous liquid due to the time-varying motion of an infinite porous plate has been studied. There is a uniform magnetic field imposed transversely to the plate and the magnetic lines of force are taken to be fixed relative to the fluid. Exact solutions for the velocity field and the skin-friction have been obtained and some particular cases have been discussed. The effect of suction parameter and magnetic field strength on the flow characteristics have been depicted through several graphs and tables.     

Thermomagnetic convection in magnetic fluids influenced by a time-modulated magnetic field

Material– and flow properties of magnetic fluids can be influenced by applying an external magnetic field. In this work we will particularly consider the onset of convection in magnetic fluids which is influenced by a magnetic force. In a horizontal magnetic fluid layer the force arises if a temperature gradient and an external magnetic field is applied. The behaviour of the onset of convection is investigated for a static and a time–modulated magnetic field. For the case of a static magnetic field the onset of convection depends on the strength of the field and for a time–modulated magnetic field an additional dependence on the frequency of magnetic field variation is found. The experimental results presented here confirm in principle the theoretical predictions about the influence of static and time–modulated magnetic forces on the onset of convection. (© 2008 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Modeling the Sedimentation of Red Blood Cells in Flow under Strong External Magnetic Body Force Using a Lattice Boltzmann Fictitious Domain Method

Experimental observations show that a strong magnetic field has a dramatic influence on the sedimentation of RBCs, which motivates us to model the sedimentation of red blood cell (RBC) under strong external magnetic body force. To model the sedimentation of a RBC in a square duct and a circular pipe, a recently developed technique derived from the lattice Boltzmann and the distributed Lagrange multiplier/fictitious domain methods (LBM-DLM/FD) is extended to employ the mesoscopic network model for simulations of the sedimentation of a RBC in flow. The flow is simulated by the LBM with a strong magnetic body force, while the network model is used for modeling RBC deformation. The fluid-RBC interactions are enforced by the Lagrange multiplier. The sedimentation of RBC in a square duct and a circular pipe is simulated, which demonstrates the developed method's capability to model the sedimentation of RBCs in various flows. Numerical results illustrate that the terminal settling velocity increases incrementally with the exerted body force. The deformation of RBC has a significant effect on the terminal settling velocity due to the change in the frontal area. The larger the exerted force, the smaller the frontal area and the larger the RBC deformation become. Additionally, the wall effect on the motion and deformation of RBC is also investigated.     

Long-Time Accuracy for Approximate Slow Manifolds in a Finite-Dimensional Model of Balance

We study the slow singular limit for planar anharmonic oscillatory motion of a charged particle under the influence of a perpendicular magnetic field when the mass of the particle goes to zero. This model has been used by the authors as a toy model for exploring variational high-order approximations to the slow dynamics in rotating fluids. In this paper, we address the long time validity of the slow limit equations in the simplest nontrivial case. We show that the first-order reduced model remains O(ε) accurate over a long 1/ε timescale. The proof is elementary, but involves subtle estimates on the nonautonomous linearized dynamics.     

Allowed regions in the problem concerning dynamics of a charged particle in a superposition of dipole and uniform magnetic fields

The motion of charged particles in the Earth’s magnetic field has been of interest to mathematicians and physicists in connection with the study of the polar aurora and cosmic rays. In 1907, Norwegian mathematician Stromer gave the mathematical formulation of this problem. It became the problem of great importance with the discovery of the Van Allen radiation. As is known, the Earth’s magnetic field can be considered approximately as a superposition of dipole and uniform magnetic fields, and the dipole’s magnetic moment is either parallel or antiparallel to the induction of the uniform field. Thus, the problem concerning the dynamics of the charged particle in the magnetic field of the Earth is reduced to that of charged particle dynamics in the composed field. The paper is devoted to the construction and investigation of the allowed regions in a superposition of dipole and uniform magnetic fields for positive values of Stormer’s constant γ and the same orientation of magnetic moment and uniform field.     

Electromagnetic interaction of moving conductors with magnets: kinematic solutions for infinitely long square and cylindrical geometries

The electromagnetic drag force on a point dipole near a moving conductor caused by the induced electric currents is investigated by numerical and analytical computations. Our focus is on prototypical configurations for Lorentz force velocimetry, i.e. velocity measurement from the electromagnetic drag force on the dipole. We examine the particular cases of conducting infinite bars of square or round cross-section, which are moving with constant velocity in the field of arbitrary oriented magnetic dipole. In addition, we study the laminar liquid-metal flow in a square duct. The motion of the conductor is prescribed. (© 2011 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

A general theoretical model for the magnetohydrodynamic flow of micropolar magnetic fluids. Application to Stokes flow

Many practical applications, which have an inherent interest of physical and mathematical nature, involve the hydrodynamic flow in the presence of a magnetic field. Magnetic fluids comprise a novel class of engineering materials, where the coexistence of liquid and magnetic properties provides us with the opportunity to solve problems with high mathematical and technical complexity. Here, our purpose is to examine the micropolar magnetohydrodynamic flow of magnetic fluids by considering a colloidal suspension of ferromagnetic material (usually non‐conductive) in a carrier magnetic liquid, which is in general electrically conductive. In this case, the ferromagnetic particles behave as rigid magnetic dipoles. Thus, the application of an external magnetic field, apart from the creation of an induced magnetic field of minor significance, will prevent the rotation of each particle, increasing the effective viscosity of the fluid and will cause the appearance of an additional magnetic pressure. Despite the fact that the general consideration consists of rigid particles of arbitrary shape, the assumption of spherical geometry is a very good approximation as a consequence of their small size. Our goal is to develop a general three‐dimensional theoretical model that conforms to physical reality and at the same time permits the analytical investigation of the partial differential equations, which govern the micropolar hydrodynamic flow in such magnetic liquids. Furthermore, in the aim of establishing the consistency of our proposed model with the principles of both ferrohydrodynamics and magnetohydrodynamics, we take into account both magnetization and electrical conductivity of the fluid, respectively. Under this consideration, we perform an analytical treatment of these equations in order to obtain the three‐dimensional effective viscosity and total pressure in terms of the velocity field, the total (applied and induced) magnetic field and the hydrodynamic and magnetic properties of the fluid, independently of the geometry of the flow. Moreover, we demonstrate the usefulness of our analytical approach by assuming a degenerate case of the aforementioned method, which is based on the reduction of the partial differential equations to a simpler shape that is similar to Stokes flow for the creeping motion of magnetic fluids. In view of this aim, we use the potential representation theory to construct a new complete and unique differential representation of magnetic Stokes flow, valid for non‐axisymmetric geometries, which provides the velocity and total pressure fields in terms of easy‐to‐find potentials, via an analytical fashion. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Open-surface MHD flow over a curved wall in the 3-D thin-shear-layer approximation

3-D thin-shear-layer equations for flows of conducting fluids in a magnetic field have been derived in orthogonal body-oriented coordinates and then applied to the analysis of MHD open-surface flows over a curved wall. Unlike the classic boundary-layer-type equations, present ones permit information to be propagated upstream through the induced magnetic field. Another departure from the classic theory is that the normal momentum equation keeps the balance between the pressure gradient term, and those related to gravity, centrifugal forces, and Lorentz force. Thus, the normal pressure variations are allowed. The model describes basic 3-D effects due to the wall curvature and spatial variations of the applied magnetic field. As a particular case, equations for flows with rotational symmetry have been derived. Numerical calculations were performed for open-surface flows over a body of revolution under conditions relevant to a fusion reactor (Hartmann number is 8500). Some specific flow patterns, such as flow thickening and spiral-type flows, have been observed and discussed. A special attention has been paid to the analysis of the magnetic propulsion as a tool for the active flow control by applying an electric current. It has been shown that depending on the applied current, the axial pressure gradient can act as an adverse pressure gradient or propulsion force.     

Theory of electromagnetic stirring by AC fields

Electromagnetic fields are often used industrially to controlthe flow of liquid metal, and in particular this review is concernedwth applications of alternating fields. An alternating fieldinduces eddy currents in liquid metal which interact with thefield to give a Lorentz body force which is generally rotationaland which must therefore drive fluid motion. We derive generalexpressions for the Lorentz force, showing that it consistsof both steady and oscillatory components. The flow in a circularcylinder due to a rotating field is discussed in detail, sincethis problem is simple to analyse and illustrates several importantgeneral principles. In the high-frequency limit, the field isconfined to a narrow layer on the surface of the conductor,and we derive approximate methods for calculating the surfacemagnetic pressure andthe induced flow. We also examine the otherextreme of slowly alternating fields. As each problem is studied,we discuss practical applications.     

Locomotion based on the control of the shape of magnetic fluid surfaces and of magnetizable media

The realization of locomotion based on the deformation of a free surface of a magnetic fluid layer in a traveling magnetic field is studied. A plane flow of an incompressible viscous magnetic fluid layer on a horizontal surface in a nonuniform magnetic field and a plane two-layers flow of incompressible viscous magnetic fluids between two parallel solid planes in a magnetic field is considered. Also the flow of an incompressible viscous magnetic fluid layer on a cylinder in a nonuniform magnetic field is an object of investigation. The deformation and the motion of a body made by a magnetizable polymer in an alternating magnetic field are experimentally studied. The cylindrical body (worm) which is located in a cylindrical tube is analyzed. These effects can be used in designing autonomous mobile robots without a hard cover. Such robots can be employed in clinical practice and biological investigations. (© 2008 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Magnetohydrodynamic flow of a rarefied gas near an accelerated porous plate

An investigation is made of the flow of an electrically conducting rarefied gas due to the time-varying motion of an infinite porous plate, the gas being permeated by a transverse magnetic field. The suction is taken to be a constant and the magnetic lines of force are taken to be fixed relative to the fluid. The effects of magnetic field, rarefaction parameter, suction parameter are shown by means of some tables. The expressions of the skin friction for the two particular cases have also been obtained.     

Influence of radiation on MHD free convection from a vertical flat plate embedded in porous media with thermophoretic deposition of particles

Magneto-hydrodynamics and thermal radiation effects on heat and mass transfer in steady laminar boundary layer flow of a Newtonian, viscous fluid over a vertical flat plate embedded in a fluid saturated porous media in the presence of the thermophoresis particle deposition effect is studied in this paper. The governing equations are transformed by special transformations. Brownian motion of particles and thermophoretic transport are considered in the flow equations. The magnetic field is considered to be applied. Rosseland approximation is used to describe the radiative heat flux in the energy equation. The resulting similarity equations are solved numerically by the fourth-order Runge–Kutta method with shooting technique. Many results are obtained and representative set is displayed graphically to illustrate the influence of the various parameters on the wall thermophoretic deposition velocity, concentration, temperature and velocity profiles.     

Phase space of a model of magnetohydrodynamics of nonzero order

We describe the phase space of the first initial–boundary value problem for a system of partial differential equations modeling the motion of an incompressible viscoelastic Kelvin–Voigt fluid of nonzero order in the Earth magnetic field. In the framework of the theory of semilinear equations of Sobolev type, we prove the existence and uniqueness of a solution that is a quasistationary semitrajectory.     

Electromagnetic interaction of a conducting cylinder with a magnetic dipole caused by steady rotation

The motion of a conductor in a magnetic field induces eddy currents whose interaction with the field produces Lorentz forces opposing the motion. One can determine the velocity of the conductor from the force on the magnet system since the latter is equal but opposite to the Lorentz force on the conductor. This contactless method is known as Lorentz force velocimetry (LFV). We study an idealized configuration of LFV, i.e. a rotating solid cylinder interacting with a point dipole. The understanding of parameter influences in this setup can be helpful for more realistic configurations. We use a purely kinematic approach appropriate for low magnetic Reynolds numbers. Numerical results for small and large distances between dipole and cylinder have been obtained with the commercial software COMSOL Multiphysics. (© 2012 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)