Numerical and experimental investigation of electro-vortex flow in a cylindrical container

K. Liu^{1, 2} - F. Stefani¹ - N. Weber¹ - T. Weier¹ - B. W. Li²

¹ Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf, Bautzner Landstraße 400, 01328 Dresden, Germany
² School of Energy and Power Engineering, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian, 116024, China

Abstract
In a cylindrical container filled with an eutectic GaInSn alloy, an electro-vortex flow (EVF) is generated by the interaction of a non-uniform current with its own magnetic field. In this paper, we investigate the EVF phenomenon numerically and experimentally. Ultrasound Doppler Velocimetry (UDV) is applied to measure the velocity field in a cylindrical vessel. Second, we enhance an old numerical solver by considering the effect of Joule heating and employ it for the numerical simulation of the EVF experiment. Special attention is paid to the role of the magnetic field, which is the combination of the current induced magnetic field and the external geomagnetic field. For a higher computational efficiency, the so-called parent-child mesh technique is applied in OpenFOAM when computing the electric potential, the current density and the temperature in the coupled solid--liquid conductor system. The results of the experiment are in good agreement with those of the simulation. This study may help to identify the factors that are essential for the EVF phenomenon and for quantifying its role in liquid metal batteries. Tables 2, Figs 8, Refs 38.