Electrically induced vortical flows in a Hele-Show cell

N. Yu. Kolpakov - A. B. Zelenetskii

Abstract
Electrically induced vortical 1aminar flows (EIVLF) by 1-D distribution of the electric current density in a confined region of a liquid conductor have been studied. It has been shown that at a local orthogonal current supply to a flat vessel the vorticity of the electromagnetic force is not zero only on a curved contour surrounding the current region. The cases of circular, elliptical, square, triangular, rectangular cross sections if the current is supplied to the wider boundaries of the square and rectangular flat cells have been considered. We have also calculated the electromagnetic force lield local characteristics at different current distribution in the conducting liquid. Using numerical solution of the 2-D equations of motion (the Hele-Show approximation) the dependence of large-scale EIVLF structure on the summetry, intensity and geometry of the vortex contour as well as on the geometry of the whole liquid region and the location of this contour with respect to the side boundaries of the working volume, has been clarified. We used aluminium reduction cells as an example to consider the EIVLF induced by superposition of several vortex contours; they are typical of a multi-electrode current supply to the conducting liquid. Figs 3, refs 12.