The role of interfacial heat and mechanical energy transfers in a liquid-metal MHD generator

Abstract

A brief description of the two-phase liquid-metal MHD power generation cycle and its advantages is provided. The importance of good interfacial liquid to gas heat transfer is discussed, and data confirming that satisfactory heat transfer is indeed achieved in an experimental generator is presented. An expression for the effect of the velocity difference between the gas and the liquid on generator performance is derived. An ‘equivalent turbine’ efficiency is defined to characterize the generator as part of a heat engine and related to experimental data.