A discussion on advanced methods of energy conversion- Magnetohydrodynamic power generation - Flow of current in a cross connected m.h.d. generator with four electrodes

Abstract

The current flow patterns in an m.h.d. generator with four electrodes are derived. There are two electrodes each side of the duct; the upstream one on the cathode side is connected to the downstream one on the anode side and a load across the other pair of electrodes produces a rudimentary cross-connected generator. The fluid properties, flow conditions and magnetic field are supposed uniform across the duct and a two-dimensional analysis is made. A Schwarz-Christoffel transformation is employed to find potential and current distributions. Three simultaneous linear equations must be solved to give explicit equations for currents and potentials. The method is extendable to the case of more electrodes.