Electrovortex flow in metal melts: Experiment and simulation

Materials processing of molten metals often makes use of electrochemical techniques in which large electrical currents pass through the melt. Those currents can cause the melt to flow, both by interacting with Earth’s magnetic field and by interacting with magnetic fields induced by the currents themselves—“electrovortex flow". We present experimental and numerical measurements of the motion of a lead-bismuth melt in which electrovortex flow, flow driven by Earth’s magnetic field, and flow driven by thermal convection all compete and interact. We identify regimes in which the various mechanisms dominate, then consider their implications for materials processing and for liquid metal batteries.