Numerical study of a laminar melt flow driven by a rotating magnetic field in enclosed cylinders with different aspect ratios.

This paper is devoted to the numerical study of axisymmetric rotating flow in enclosed cylinders with aspect ratios R (diameter divided by height) equal to 0.25, 0.33, 0.5, 1, 2, 3 and 4. The steady motion of the liquid is caused by the action of a low-frequency, low-induction rotating magnetic field with magnetic Taylor numbers lying in the range from 0.0025 · Ta cr to 0.9 · Ta cr , where Ta cr refers to the critical magnetic Taylor number. We found that the ratio between global meridional to global azimuthal flow velocity passes a distinct maximum which depends on the aspect ratio. It marks the transition from the viscous to the inertial regime. Their characteristic features are examined by analysis of the angular velocity and the torques exerted by the boundaries, in dependence on Ta and the aspect ratio. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]