Two geometries for alternate liquid metal MHD disk generator

A. Alemany¹ - A. Montisci² - A. Brekis³

¹ Grenoble Institute of Technology, INP, Simap Laboratory, Grenoble, France
² University of Cagliari, Italy
³ Institute of Physics, University of Latvia, Latvia

Abstract
A quasi-static electric generator is presented and discussed. The quasi-static nature means that no solid moving part is envisaged, and the operating fluid remains contained within the device. More precisely, the generator is a liquid-metal MHD device activated by a pressure vibration that causes the liquid metal to oscillate in a DC magnetic field, giving rise to an electromotive force. Due to the high conductivity of the liquid metal, the induced electromotive force causes an alternating current circulating in the liquid metal. The liquid metal performs as a primary winding of a transformer, which is coupled with a secondary coil, wrapped in a way that it is co-axial with the liquid metal flow and connected to the electrical load. Alternate pressure can be provided by a wide range of processes, opening the possibility of using the proposed generator for harvesting energy from several renewable primary sources. Figs 10, Refs 15.