Analysis of Magnetohydrodynamic Behavior of the Flow of Conductive Fluid in Pipes for Industrial Applications

Abstract

Important industrial applications are based on magnetohydrodynamics (MHD), which concerns the flow of electrically conducting fluids immersed in external magnetic fields. In this work, it is performed a 3D numerical analysis of the behavior of a laminar and fully developed flow of a conducting fluid in a duct. Finite Volume Method was used for numerical calculations. Along the initial section of the duct, there are magnets placed around the duct producing magnetic fields in the radial direction. Varying the orientation and intensity of the magnetic fields, two effects are considered: the influence of magnetic field intensity on flow velocity and magnetic field induction due to flow velocity. The analysis is performed at different points along the duct, covering both regions with and without magnets. It was found that the mentioned effects are significant for a particular arrangement of magnets, and for high magnetic fields.