Design and testing of a direct current electromagnetic pump for liquid metal

Abstract

In this study, both the numerical simulations and experiments are carried out to investigate the flow and heat transfer performance of liquid metal (Ga61In25Sn13Zn1) in a DC-EMP (Direct Current-Electromagnetic Pump). The numerical results indicate that flatter and higher channel lead to higher pressure heads and larger flow rate, respectively, while the channel width and magnet length have little effect on the pumping efficiency. Also, the magnetic induction intensity can be effectively enhanced by arranging the magnetic yoke and reducing the gap between the magnetic poles. Under the constraint of normal operating temperature of 70 °C, experimental study is performed. Results show that the self-designed EMP can generate a maximum pressure head of 30.9 kPa, and provide a flow rate of 2.85 L/min with an input current of 400 A. Considering the constraint of normal operating temperature, this cooling scheme can achieve the thermal management of approximately 293 W/cm2 of heat flux, meeting the heat dissipation requirements of electronic devices at high heat flux scenarios.