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.     

The influence of the hall effect on the current structure in a plasma flow with a spatially periodic magnetic field

The structure of the electric fields and current is studied for stationary plasma flow in an axially symmetric, spatially periodic magnetic field. The problem is solved in the magnetohydrodynamic approximation with allowance for the Hall term in the generalized Ohm's law equation. It is assumed that the magnetic Reynolds number and the interaction parameter are small.Translated from Zhurnal Prikladnoi Mekhaniki i Tekhnicheskoi Fiziki, No. 5, pp. 11–16, September–October, 1972.The author thanks N. A. Khizhnyak and A. A. Kalmykov for useful discussions.     

Electric field in the transverse cross section of the channel of an MHD generator

During the motion of a partially ionized gas in magnetohydrodynamic channels the distribution of the electrical conductivity is usually inhomogeneous due to the cooling of the plasma near the electrode walls. In Hall-type MHD generators with electrodes short-circuited in the transverse cross section of the channel the development of inhomogeneities results in a decrease of the efficiency of the MHD converter [1]. A two-dimensional electric field develops in the transverse section. Numerical computations of this effect for channels of rectangular cross section have been done in [2, 3], At the same time it is advisable to construct analytic solutions of model problems on the potential distribution in Hall channels, which would permit a qualitative analysis of the effect of the inhomogeneous conductivity on local and integral characteristics of the generators. In the present work an exact solution of the transverse two-dimensional problem is given for the case of a channel with elliptical cross section stretched along the magnetic field. The parametric model of the distribution of the electrical conductivity of boundary layer type has been used for obtaining the solution. The dependences of the electric field and the current and also of the integral electrical characteristics of the generator on the inhomogeneity parameters are analyzed.Translated from Zhurnal Prikladnoi Mekhaniki i Tekhnicheskoi Fiziki, No. 1, pp. 3–10, January–February, 1973.     

Estimate of the amplitudes of the fields created by an unsteady gamma source

It is known [1–4] that an unsteady gamma source gives rise to an electromagnetic field in the surrounding space. Most of the studies of the characteristics of such fields have been performed in the approximation which is linear in the field [1–3]. An exception is [4] in which the slowing down of Compton electrons by the electric field is taken into account. It follows from [1, 2] that the characteristic scale of the fields created close to the source is of the order of 3 · 10⁴ V/m. Although this value is appreciably lower than the value of breakdown fields in air, electric discharges are observed [5] in the vicinity of a gamma source, indicating the presence of substantially larger fields. One effect not taken into account in the latter approximation which could lead to an increase in the field is the increase in electron termperature due to the electric field [6]. On the one hand, this decreases the electron mobility and consequently also the conductivity of the system, On the other hand, it is known that the electron attachment coefficient for electronegative molecules strongly affects the characteristics of electric fields and depends on the electron energy. Therefore, the electron balance equation must take account of the dependence of on the electric field through the electron energy, and this leads to a further change in conductivity. We take account of these effects on the shaping of electric fields in air in the vicinity of the source. It is assumed that electron lifetimes are determined solely by their attachment to molecules. This is a good approximation for air pressures near normal [1–3].Translated from Zhurnal Prikladnoi Mekhaniki i Tekhnicheskoi Fiziki, No. 4, pp. 163–170, July–August, 1976.     

Methods of calculation and numerical analysis of conducting-gas flow in high-current electric arcs

The mechanism of conducting-gas acceleration in an electric arc by intrinsic magnetic field was first investigated in [1]. Further theoretical study of this question was associated with the numerical calculation of arcs [2–7]. A more general approach to the solution of the problem was realized in [4], where the finite-difference method was used. Integral calculational models were developed in [5–7]. The present work proposes a modified version of the difference method [4] and a series of integral methods for the calculation of the conducting-gas flow in a high-current electric arc. The development of integral methods is of interest in that they are usually associated with adequate accuracy in determining integral values and values averaged over the cross section by a relatively simple calculation, and also allow the solution of the problem to be obtained in a number of situations when the realization of a difference method is complicated. The results of different calculation methods are compared. The effect of conditions in the initial cross section of the calculation region of the arc on its characteristics is investigated and a numerical analysis of the heating and acceleration of conducting gas is carried out.Translated from Izvestiya Akademiya Nauk SSSR, Mekhanika Zhidkosti i Gaza, No. 5, pp. 103–110, September–October, 1978.     

Magnetohydrodynamic lubrication theory for a cylindrical bearing

Liquid metal, which is a conductor of electric current, may be used as a lubricant at high temperatures. In recent years considerable attention has been devoted to various problems on the motion of an electrically conducting liquid lubricant in magnetic and electric fields (magnetohydrodynamic theory of lubrication), Thus, for example, references [1–3] study the flow of a conducting lubricating fluid between two plane walls located in a magnetic field. An electrically conducting lubricating layer in a magnetohydrodynamic bearing with cylindrical surfaces is considered in [4–8] and elsewhere.The present work is concerned with the solution of the plane magnetohydrodynamic problem on the pressure distribution of a viscous eletrically conducting liquid in the lubricating layer of a cylindrical bearing along whose axis there is directed a constant magnetic field, while a potential difference from an external source is applied between the journal and the bearing. The radial gap in the bearing is not assumed small, and the problem reduces to two-dimensional system of magnetohydrodynamic equations.An expression is obtained for the additional pressure in the lubricating layer resulting from the electromagnetic forces. In the particular case of a very thin layer the result reported in [4–8] is obtained. SI units are used.     

Flow of a conductive gas in a circular tube in a strong axiosymmetric magnetic field

The flow of a conductive gas along a channel in an external axiosymmetric magnetic field with a finite value of the magnetogasodynamic parameter N is examined. Numerical flow calculations are performed for a circular tube in such a field. Gas dynamic parameter fields, total pressure losses, and electric current intensities with the presence of transsonic zones and highly compressed regions are determined. Through comparison of the results obtained with linear theory data, the range of applicability of the latter is determined. Of the works dedicated to study of flow in external magnetic fields with N1, we should take note of [1], in which the process of entry of the gas into a transverse magnetic field was examined; [2], which studied one-dimensional transient motion with shock waves; and [3], where mixed flow in a Laval nozzle with an axiosymmetric homogeneous magnetic field was studied. Flow in a circular tube was examined in [4]; but the analysis performed by the characteristic method permitted calculation of only the initial supersonic flow zone. Motion in circular tubes in the presence of an axiosymmetric, magnetic field was studied in the linear formulation in [4, 5].Moscow. Translated from Izvestiya Akademii Nauk SSSR, Mekhanika Zhidkosti i Gaza, No. 5, pp. 145–155, September–October, 1972.     

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.     

Effect of the form of the electrodes on the current distribution in a magnetogasdynamic channel

A solution is given to the plane problem of the flow of a conducting gas across a homogeneous magnetic field in a magnetogasdynamic channel taking account of the Hall effect at small magnetic Reynolds numbers. The channel is formed by two long electrodes, and the cross section of the channel varies slightly and periodically along the gas flow. It is assumed that the electromagnetic forces are small. It is shown that the current distribution in the channel is nonuniform to a consider able degree and that inverse currents can form at the electrodes, with both subsonic and supersonic flows of the conducting gas. Transverse motion of the gas, due to a change in the cross section of the channel, leads to an increase of Joule energy losses. In [1] the current distribution was obtained in a flat channel formed by infinite dielectric walls, with the flow of a steady-state stream of plasma through the channel across a homogeneous magnetic field. With interaction between the flow and the magnetic field, closed current loops develop in the channel.Translated from Izvestiya Akademii Nauk SSSR, Mekhanika Zhidkosti i Gaza, No. 6, pp. 26–33, November–December, 1970.     

Electrical breakdown in air in a transverse magnetic field

The electrical breakdown of gases in a transverse magnetic field is discussed in references [1–16]. Attention has mainly been concentrated on the case of coaxial electrode geometry [1–10]. The existing experimental data on breakdown between plane-parallel electrodes [11–14] relate to a narrow range of variation of the parameters characterizing breakdown (P, d, H, U). The author has made an experimental study of the process of electrical breakdown in air in a transverse magnetic field between plane-parallel electrodes of finite size in the pressure interval from 650 to 5·10^–3 mm Hg at gap lengths of from 1 to 140 mm and magnetic inductions from 0 to 10 600 G.     

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.     

Calculation of the flow of an electrically conducting liquid in a duct of rectangular cross section with electrodes

A numerical solution is given for the problem of the flow of an electrically conducting liquid in a duct of rectangular cross section whose walls in the direction at right angles to the applied magnetic field are nonconducting, whereas those parallel to the field are perfect conductors. It is assumed that all the quantities except the pressure are independent of the coordinate along the axis of the duct, that the applied magnetic field is homogeneous, and that the induced current is diverted into an external circuit. The total current in the external circuit and the difference of the potentials of the conducting walls are found as functions of the external load, the Hartmann number, and the ratio of the lengths of the sides of the duct. It should be noted that problems of this kind have already been considered on many occasions and by many different approximate methods. The most complete bibliography on this question can be found in [1].Translated from Izvestiya Akademii Nauk SSSR, Mekhanika Zhidkosti i Gaza, No. 5, pp. 41–45, September–October, 1970.     

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.     

Similarity parameter of processes near the electrode

The nature of the layers near the electrode, which occur in the case of dissipative flow of plasma in the channel of a powerful flow accelerator with a natural magnetic field, depends basically on the extent of the manifestation of the Hall effect [1, 2]. The nature of the layers nearthe electrode can be assessed according to the magnitude of the similarity parameter given below.Translated from Zhurnal Prikladnoi Mekhaniki i Tekhnicheskoi Fiziki, No. 1, pp. 117–118, January–February, 1972.     

Plasma flow accompanied by blowing and pumping of plasma across electrodes

The article discusses plane stationary slowly varying flows of a nonviscous plasma with good conductivity in a channel in a transverse magnetic field; the flows are accompanied by blowing in and pumping plasma across solid metallic electrodes. The Hall effect is taken into consideration. It is shown that the potential jump near the anode, which appears in an accelerated plasma flow in an ordinary channel with solid electrodes, can be eliminated in flows accompanied by blowing in (pumping) of plasma. It is also shown that flows are possible in which the velocity, density, and the transverse electric field increase in the direction of the accelerator cathode.Translated from Zhurnal Prikladnoi Mekhaniki i Tekhnicheskoi Fiziki, No. 6, pp. 26–34, November–December, 1970.     

End effects in magnetohydrodynamic channels at finite magnetic reynolds numbers

The effects of the magnetic Reynolds number have been examined via the distribution of the magnetic fields induced by the motion of a medium in a rectangular channel with conducting walls in the presence of an inhomogeneous magnetic field; the effects of wall conductivity and geometry of the external field are also examined as regards the distribution of the induced currents, the Joule loss, and the electric and magnetic fields over the cross section. The problem has previously been considered for a channel with insulating walls [1].Translated from Zhurnal Prikladnoi Mekhaniki i Tekhnicheskoi Fiziki, No. 3, pp. 19–27, May–June, 1971.We are indebted to A. B. Vatazhin for his interest.     

Stationary supersonic conducting gas flow in a channel with nonconducting walls under weak magnetohydrodynamic interaction

A solution of the problem of flow in a channel with nonconducting walls for a small magnetohydrodynamic interaction parameter N is obtained by numerical methods. In the 0–10 range of variation of the Hall and magnetic Reynolds number parameters the distributions of the electrical parameters and the average (over the cross section) and local gasdynamic flow parameters are computed for two different geometries of the applied magnetic field. It is shown that an increase in the Hall and magnetic Reynolds number parameters is accompanied by a diminution in the Joule dissipation and the perturbation of the average (over the cross section) gasdynamic flow characteristics. It is disclosed that the distribution of the gasdynamic parameters over the channel cross section is extremely nonmonotonic in the end current zones.Translated from Zhurnal Prikladnoi Mekhaniki i Tekhnicheskoi Fiziki, No. 4, pp. 20–29, July–August, 1970.In conclusion, the author is grateful to A. B. Vatazhin for useful comments and constant attention to the research and to I. U. Tolmach for valuable comments.     

Electric effects of vibrations of capillaries filled with droplets of mercury and an electrolyte solution

The appearance of a time-dependent difference of the electric potentials due to mechanical vibrations of capillaries filled with droplets of mercury and an electrolyte solution was studied in [1–5]. The phenomenon is used in electrokinetic transducers [6, 7]. Equivalent electric and mechanical circuits of the transducers were proposed in [1–4]. The experimental dependences of the amplitude of the potential difference that arises between the mercury droplets on the vibration frequency (the amplitude-frequency characteristics of the transducers) were investigated in [2, 4]. In the present paper, expressions are obtained for the difference of the electric potentials between mercury droplets that arises in the case of harmonic vibrations of a capillary with small amplitudes. The theoretical and experimental amplitudefrequency characteristics of an electrocapillary transducer are constructed. Good agreement between the results of the calculations and the experimental data is obtained.Translated from Izvestiya Akademii Nauk SSSR, Mekhanika-Zhidkosti i Gaza, No. 2, pp. 131–136, March–April, 1988.     

On nonisothermal electroconvection

The flow from the tip of a needle electrode is caused by the Coulomb force acting on the space charge [1–3]. This charge is formed because of the dependence of the conductivity on the temperature, nonuniformity of which is due to Joule heating [1] and the electric field intensity [2] or processes near the electrode [3–5]. The present paper considers the stability of a dielectric liquid between spherical electrodes in order to elucidate the possibility of a thermoelectrohydrodynainic flow due to Joule heating. In the presence of external heating, the possibility of such a flow has been demonstrated both experimentally and theoretically [6–8].Translated from Izvestiya Akademii Nauk SSSR, Mekhanika Zhidkosti i Gaza, No. 2, pp. 133–137, March–April, 1980.     

Example of parametric resonance in a rotating flow

Parametric resonance is one of the common types of instability of mechanical systems [1]. A standard example of the equations describing parametric oscillations is the Mathieu equation and its generalizations. In hydrodynamics these oscillations have been closely studied in connection with the problem of the vertical oscillations of a vessel containing an incompressible fluid in a uniform gravity field [1–5]. In this paper a new example of a flow whose stability problem reduces to the Mathieu equation is given. This is a flow of special type in a rotating cylindrical channel. The direction of the angular velocity is perpendicular to the channel axis, and its magnitude varies periodically with time. Flows with this geometry are of potential interest in technical applications [6, 7].Translated from Izvestiya Akademii Nauk SSSR, Mekhanika Zhidkosti i Gaza, No. 2, pp. 175–177, March–April, 1987.