MHD pressure drop and heat transfer of lithium single-phase flow in a rectangular channel under transverse magnetic field

Abstract

Abstract Related to the lithium cooling for magnetic-confinement fusion reactors, the characteristics of the pressure drop and heat transfer were investigated experimentally for a lithium single-phase flow in horizontal conducting rectangular channels under a horizontal transverse magnetic field up to 1.4 T. The bottom of the channel was electrically heated uniformly. Friction loss coefficient agreed well with the Blasius correlation in the absence of a magnetic field. Skin friction coefficient in the presence of a magnetic field agreed with a simplified analytical MHD expression, while it was correlated well with the ratio of the Hartmann number to the Reynolds number. The Nusselt number was in good agreement with the modified correlation of Hartinett and Irvine in the absence of a magnetic field. With increasing the Hartmann number from 0 to about 200–300, the Nusselt number decreased possibly due to laminarization. When the Hartmann number was increased further beyond 200–300, the Nusselt number increased remarkably, which corresponded to the typical MHD heat transfer enhancement. This heat transfer result is expected to be the basis for future studies on the MHD heat transfer enhancement.