Induction type MHD machines with diverging channel

I. R. Kirillov - A. P. Ogorodnikov

Abstract
Results of an experimental investigation of two models of induction-type MHD machines are presented. The machines had channels made in the form of plane slotted diffusers with aperture angle  ∼ 12^°. The models had single-wave and three-wave excitation windings; in the latter case the phase velocity of the field changed stepwise along the length of the machine remaining constant within each pole pair. The investigations of the single-wave MHD machine showed that the characteristics of the machines are determined mainly by the longitudinal edge effect even for an appreciable aperture angle of the channel. Computations using the theoretical dependences published earlier with the divergence of the channel taken into consideration give a satisfactory agreement with the experimental results. The experimental characteristics of the three-wave MHD machine reveal a significantly smaller influence of the longitudinal edge effect. A t the same time further experimental investigations are needed to substantiate the computed dependences.