A discussion on advanced methods of energy conversion- Magnetohydrodynamic power generation - II. Recent progress in the development of combustion fired m .h.d. generators

Abstract

This paper reports on some recent progress in the development of the large combustion fired m.h.d. generator with particular emphasis on commercial central station application. The segmented electrode Faraday configuration m.h.d. generator is highly efficient but has the disadvantage of delivering its output in a multiplicity of loads each of which floats at a different potential. For this reason our recent work in m.h.d. generator fluid mechanics and long duration channel development has been concentrated on examination of the high voltage two-terminal Hall configuration, and this work will be described. The chemistry and economics of seeding must be carefully evaluated in order to assess the potential of m.h.d. and the paper will describe recent work which has demonstrated the feasibility of efficient low cost seed recovery employing vapour phase separation. Superconducting field coils appear to be essential for commercial m.h.d. power generation and the ‘stabilized* principle of constructing such coils will be described. Using this principle it is possible to operate a large coil on the H — I curve of a short sample of wire. This development reduces the construction of large superconducting coils to an engineering problem.