Two-Dimensional Flow inside MHD Ducts with Transverse Asymmetries

Abstract

D of MHD generator channels, in particular of the diagonally connected type, with appreciable Hall currents Jx (of the order of 1 A/cm) and with appreciable diameters (of the order of 1 m) must give special attention to the transverse flow asymmetries that develop inside the channel due to the pressure gradient normal to the electrode walls that is induced by the presence of Hall currents. In the present work, the compressible turbulent flow of seeded plasma in MHD channels is analyzed by a two-dimensional formulation that solves the equations of motion (including the ymo men turn equation) by an implicit finite difference scheme. The numerical method solves for all the unknowns, including the gasdynamic pressure and pressure gradient, across the channel at every numerical step taken in the streamwise direction. The present work will show that the Hall current density component Jx, if sufficiently large, can cause asymmetries in the mean gas velocity profile and other gasdynamic profiles.