1. Numerical and experimental analysis of magneto-convective flows around pipes.
- Author
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Mistrangelo, C., Bühler, L., Courtessole, C., and Koehly, C.
- Subjects
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ELECTRIC potential measurement , *FUSION reactors , *FUSION reactor blankets , *LIQUID metals , *THERMOELECTRIC effects , *MAGNETOHYDRODYNAMICS , *NATURAL heat convection - Abstract
Liquid metal flows exposed to intense magnetic fields play a fundamental role in the development of blankets for nuclear fusion reactors, where they serve to produce the plasma-fuel component tritium and transport the generated heat. When the liquid metal circulates in the blanket, it interacts with the plasma-confining magnetic field leading to the induction of electric currents. Electromagnetic forces and thermal buoyancy affect significantly velocity and pressure distributions. The resulting magneto-convective flow has peculiar features that have to be taken into account in order to evaluate heat transfer properties in the liquid metal. In the breeding zone of the water-cooled lead lithium blanket concept, the volumetric heat released in the liquid metal is removed by water-cooled circular pipes that represent obstacles for the liquid metal flow. In order to improve the understanding of the underlying physical phenomena and obtain a database for code validation, model experiments have been performed to investigate magneto-convective flow and heat transfer at two differentially heated parallel horizontal tubes immersed in a box filled with liquid metal. Among other properties, electric potential has been recorded on the surface of the test-section and compared with 3D numerical simulations. Computational results provide the basis for interpretation of the measured data, since they allow differentiating between flow-induced electric potential and thermoelectric effects. • Magneto-convection in a liquid metal is investigated numerically and experimentally in a model geometry for WCLL blankets. • Measurements of electric potential in MHD convective flows is significantly affected by thermoelectric effects, since measured data is given by voltage between electrodes at different temperatures. • Flow-induced electric potential and thermoelectric contribution have to be separated to use the recorded wall potential to reconstruct velocity features. • A physics-based correct interpretation of electric potential measurements is achieved via numerical simulations. • A good agreement between experiments and simulations is found. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2024
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