Electronic edition ISSN 1574-0579

Design, fabrication and experimental test of a helical induction pump with rotating core

L. Bühler , R. Stieglitz

Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), P.O. Box 3640, 76021 Karlsruhe, Germany

Abstract
A design of a new type of liquid metal electromagnetic pump for medium flowrates and moderate pressure heads has been developed. The major difference compared to existing concepts is that the central iron core, which closes the magnetic flux lines, is fabricated from a single iron piece, which may freely rotate in order to avoid magnetization losses. The pump was designed and manufactured at KIT and tested in the liquid metal NaK loop of the MEKKA facility. Its performance curve (pressure head vs. flowrate) and efficiency have been determined for a variety of frequencies and magnitudes of applied 3-phase current. Figs 7, Refs 8.