nonstationary flow of a stratified gas in an MHD generator channel

V. S. Slavin

Abstract
Layering is produced in the flow in an MHD generator by zones of hot highly conducting gas, which appear periodically in the cold nonconducting flow. The interaction between the hot layers and the magnetic field makes the flow substantially non stationary. A model is examined in which the current layers are replaced by weightless pistons that retard the flow of the nonconducting gas. A given electrodynamic force is applied to the pistons. The problem has been solved numerically by the method of characteristics. The time variations in the gas parameters have been deduced, and calculations are presented for the enthalpy transformation coefficient in the generator process, it being shown that the value for a stratified flux may be higher than that for a continuous flow.