Liquid metal flow in a simple manifold with a strong transverse magnetic field

This paper treats a liquid-metal flow through a simple manifold connecting one duct to two parallel ducts. The manifold consists of an infinitely long, constant-area, rectangular duct with a uniform, transverse magnetic field and with a semi-infinite middle wall at the plane of symmetry which is perpendicular to the magnetic field. The magnetic flux density is sufficiently large that inertial effects can be neglected everywhere and that viscous effects are confined to boundary layers and to an interior layer along the magnetic field lines through the end of the middle wall. The purpose of this paper is to illustrate an approach with eigenfunction expansions which will be useful for manifolds with many parallel ducts. In the present simple manifold, the principal three-dimensional effect is a transfer of flow to the inviscid core region from the high-velocity jets adjacent to the sides which are parallel to the magnetic field. There is also an important redistribution of flow along magnetic field lines inside the side-wall boundary layers.     

Couette flow of a nematic liquid crystal in the presence of a magnetic field

Summary We derive the equations governing helical flow of a nematic liquid crystal in the presence of a magnetic field. These equations are used to investigate Couette flow, and a study is made of the large number of possible solutions.     

The effect of magnetic field on two-phase liquid metal flow

In this paper, the basic equations of two-phase liquid metal flow in a magnetic field are derived, and specifically, two-phase liquid metal MHD flow in a rectangular channel is studied, and the expressions of velocity distribution of liquid and gas phases and the ratioK ₀ of the pressure drop in two-phase MHD flow to that in single-phase are derived. Results of calculation show that the ratioK ₀ is smaller than unity and decreases with increasing void fraction and Hartmann number because the effective electrical conductivity in the two-phase case decreases. The Project is supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China.     

Containing liquid metal in a vacuum by circularly polarized magnetic field in the presence of a conducting jacket

In this article we study the possibility of stable containment of a liquid metal in a vacuum by a high-frequency circularly polarized magnetic field. It is considered that the oscillation frequency of the metal, in view of its inertia, is considerably less than the field rotation frequency. The problem is solved in the two-dimensional formulation. In the case of infinite conductivity of the liquid it is shown that by selecting the required distance of the metal from the jacket all possible disturbances may be stabilized. Then we consider the case of finite conductivity, but with high field frequency and with disturbances for which the skin layer oscillates together with the liquid as an elastic film, and it is shown that the stability criterion remains as before. Then the case of shortwave disturbances (small magnetic Reynolds numbers) is considered. These disturbances can be stabilized only by surface tension forces; therefore, for stability, it is necessary that the skin layer depth be sufficiently small.The author thanks Yu. I. Samoilenko for posing the problem and for his helpful discussions.     

Stability of Poiseuille flow in the presence of a longitudinal magnetic field

The stability of the plane flow of an electrically conducting fluid with respect to small perturbations was studied at large Reynolds numbers in the presence of a longitudinal magnetic field. The dependence of the critical Reynolds number on the electrical conductivity is investigated. At large Reynolds numbers, a new branch of instability and a sudden change in the critical Reynolds numbers is found. __________ Translated from Prikladnaya Mekhanika i Tekhnicheskaya Fizika, Vol. 49, No. 3, pp. 45–53, May–June, 2008.     

Stability of plane Couette-Poiseuille flow in the presence of a magnetic field

Within the framework of the linear theory, a study was made of the hydrodynamic stability of the Couette-Poiseuille flow of a viscous conducting fluid in a transverse magnetic field. The total spectrum of small perturbations was studied for characteristic Hartmann numbers. A classification of perturbations was made in accordance with the behavior of their phase velocity with large wave numbers. Dependences of the critical Reynolds number and of the critical wave number on a parameter characterizing the relationship between the parts of the flow, determined by the motion of plates and by the pressure gradient, were obtained. The character of the asymptotic dependences at large Hartmann numbers was clarified. The article gives an example of a neutral curve formed by two branches of the neutral fluctuations.Translated from Izvestiya Akademii Nauk SSSR, Mekhanika Zhidkosti i Gaza, No. 6, pp. 11–17, November–December, 1970.The author thanks M. A. Gol'dshtik for his interest in the work, V. A. Sapozhnikov for his useful observations, and V. N. Shtern for his help in the work and for his valuable remarks.     

A numerical method for solving the dynamic three-dimensional Ericksen–Leslie equations for nematic liquid crystals subject to a strong magnetic field

A finite difference technique, based on a projection method, is developed for solving the dynamic three-dimensional Ericksen–Leslie equations for nematic liquid crystals subject to a strong magnetic field. The governing equations in this situation are derived using primitive variables and are solved using the ideas behind the GENSMAC methodology (Tomé and McKee [32]; Tomé et al. [34]). The resulting numerical technique is then validated by comparing the numerical solution against an analytic solution for steady three-dimensional flow between two-parallel plates subject to a strong magnetic field. The validated code is then employed to solve channel flow for which there is no analytic solution.     

Measurements of an unsteady liquid metal flow during spin-up driven by a rotating magnetic field

A cylindrical cavity with an aspect ratio of unity is filled with liquid metal and suddenly exposed to an azimuthal body force generated by a rotating magnetic field (RMF). This experimental study is concerned with the secondary meridional flow during the time, if the fluid spins up from rest. Vertical profiles of the axial velocity have been measured by means of the ultrasound Doppler velocimetry. The flow measurements confirm the spin-up concept by Ungarish (J Fluid Mech 347:105–118, 1997) and the continuative study by Nikrityuk et al. (Phys Fluids 17:067101, 2005) who suggested the existence of two stages during the RMF-driven spin-up, in particular the so-called initial adjustment phase followed by an inertial phase which is dominated by inertial oscillations of the secondary flow. Evolving instabilities of the double-vortex structure of the secondary flow have been detected at a Taylor number of 1.24 × 10⁵ verifying the predictions of Grants and Gerbeth (J Fluid Mech 463:229–240, 2002). Perturbations in form of Taylor–Görtler vortices have been observed just above the instability threshold.     

Motion of an incompressible conducting liquid in a strong self-consistent magnetic field

One of the common regimes of operation of many laboratory and industrial magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) devices using liquid metals as working medium is the regime for which the Alfvén number A, the ratio of the magnetic and kinetic energy densities, appreciably exceeds unity. For example, for a typical MHD device [1] with characteristic length 0.1 m of the working region, velocity 1 m/sec of the medium, and magnetic induction 1 T (the medium is molten sodium at temperature 330°C) the Alfvén number is A - 900. To simplify the investigation of the processes in such devices, one can use the approximation of a strong magnetic field proposed by Somov and Syrovatskii [2] to describe certain types of hydrodynamic flows of a dissipationless plasma in a magnetic field. In the present paper, the approach to the analysis of the self-consistent magnetohydrodynamic problem in this asymptotic approximation is extended to the case of an incompressible liquid with finite conductivity. A study is made of the closed reduced system of MHD equations obtained from the complete model in the zeroth order in the small parameter A^–1, in which the magnetic field is a force-free field. An investigation is made of the free diffusion of force-free magnetic field with constant coefficient a of proportionality between the current density and the magnetic induction in a spatially unbounded liquid, and the kinematic properties of a velocity field of the liquid in which the force-free nature of the magnetic field is maintained during the damping process are determined. It is shown that the complete class of such velocity fields is represented by the group of rigid-body motions of the liquid.Translated from Izvestiya Akademii Nauk SSSR, Mekhanika Zhidkosti i Gaza, No. 1, pp. 3–9, January–February, 1991.     

Unsteady stagnation-point flow of a Newtonian fluid in the presence of a magnetic field

The unsteady stagnation-point flow of a viscous fluid impinging on an infinite plate in the presence of a transverse magnetic field is examined and solutions are obtained. It is assumed that the infinite plate at y=0 is making harmonic oscillations in its own plane. A finite difference technique is employed and solutions for small and large frequencies of the oscillations are obtained for various values of the Hartmann's number.     

Hydromagnetic flow near an accelerated plate in the presence of a magnetic field

Summary Hydromagnetic flow of a viscous incompressible fluid due to uniformly accelerated motion of an infinite flat plate in the presence of a magnetic field fixed relative to the plate, is discussed. It is assumed that the induced magnetic field is negligible compared to the imposed magnetic field. It is observed under these conditions that the velocity at any point and at any instant decreases when the strength of the magnetic field is increased.     

Liquid metal flow in a finite-length cylinder with a rotating magnetic field

A liquid metal flow induced by a rotating magnetic field in a cylindrical container of finite height was investigated experimentally. It was demonstrated that the flow in a rotating magnetic field is similar to geophysical flows: the fluid rotates uniformly with depth and the Ekman layer exists at the container bottom. Near the vertical wall the flow is depicted in the form of a confined jet whose thickness determines the instability onset in a rotating magnetic field. It was shown that the critical Reynolds number can be found by using the jet velocity u ₀ for Re _cr =u ² ₀/ u/ r. The effect of frequency of a magnetic field on the fluid flow was also studied. An approximate theoretical model is presented for describing the fluid flow in a uniform rotating magnetic field.List of Symbols U _r , U , U _z radial, azimuthal and vertical velocity components, respectively - B _r , U , B _z radial, azimuthal and vertical magnetic induction components - A vector potential of magnetic field - j induced electric current density - electrical conductivity of fluid - electrical potential - kinematic viscosity - tf electromagnetic volume force - angular velocity of fluid rotation - R container radius - H container height - aspect ratio - E Ekman number - Re _cr critical Reynolds number - r, z radial and axial coordinates     

Oscillatory Couette flow in the presence of an inclined magnetic field

Oscillatory MHD Couette flow of electrically conducting fluid between two parallel plates in a rotating system in the presence of an inclined magnetic field is considered when the upper plate is held at rest and the lower plate oscillates non-torsionally . An exact solution of the governing equations has been obtained by using Laplace transform technique. Asymptotic behavior of the solution is analyzed for M ² ≪1, K ² ≪1 and ω ≪1 and for large M ², K ² and ω. Numerical results of velocities are depicted graphically and the frictional shearing stresses are presented in tables. It is found that a thin boundary layer is formed near the lower plate, for large values of rotation parameter K ², Hartman number M ² and frequency parameter ω. The thickness of this boundary layer increases with increase in inclination of the magnetic field with the axis of rotation.     

Flows of a conducting incompressible liquid in an arbitrary region with a strong magnetic field

A general solution is obtained describing the flow of a conducting liquid in an arbitrary region, which is bounded by nonconducting walls, in the case when it is possible to neglect inertial and viscous forces in comparison with the magnetic field, as well as the induced magnetic field.Translated from Izvestiya Akademii Nauk SSSR, Mekhanika Zhidkosti i Gaza, No. 3, pp. 144–150, May–June, 1973.     

Analytic models of heterogenous magnetic fields for liquid metal flow simulations

A physically consistent approach is considered for defining an external magnetic field as needed in computational fluid dynamics problems involving magnetohydrodynamics (MHD). The approach results in simple analytical formulae that can be used in numerical studies where an inhomogeneous magnetic field influences a liquid metal flow. The resulting magnetic field is divergence and curl-free, and contains two components and parameters to vary. As an illustration, the following examples are considered: peakwise, stepwise, shelfwise inhomogeneous magnetic fields, and the field induced by a solenoid. Finally, the impact of the streamwise magnetic field component is shown qualitatively to be significant for rapidly changing fields.