Numerical Analysis on Prediction of Transport Phenomena of Magnetohydrodynamic Electromagnetic Pump

The electromagnetic(EM) pump has been widely used for cooling the high thermal power system because it has many advantages such as the lower pressure loss, absence of moving components, and allowance of continuous fluid flow compared with the conventional mechanical pump. The basic operating principle of EM pumps is that in the presence of an external magnetic field, the interaction between the electrical current and transverse magnetic fields results in Lorentz forces through an electrically conducting liquid metal. This is the domain of magneto-hydrodynamics (MHD). In the present study, the transport phenomena in the EM pump which is formed a rectangular channel are investigated by using the CFD technology. The combined governing equations of the MHD phenomena and liquid metal flow (that is, continuity, momentum and energy equations) for three-dimensional situation are numerically solved to predict the performance of the DC EM pump. The effects of the electrical current and applied magnetic field on the capacity of the pumping power are also predicted. It is found that the average velocity and pressure drop in the EM pump channel are increased, simultaneously, as the magnetic field and current density increase and, in turn, more pumping power can be predicted by the influence of them.