Impact of Coil Geometry on Magnetohydrodynamic Flow in Liquid Aluminium and Its Relevance to Inclusion Separation by Electromagnetophoresis

Abstract

AbstractMagnetohydrodynamic (MHD) flow will be produced in liquid aluminium by gradients in the Lorentz forces created by the interactions of induced currents and the time-varying magnetic field of an induction coil. The magnitude of the velocity field is driven by the curl of the Lorentz forces. Practical coils are “Short” and produce magnetic fields having both lower flux densities and Lorentz forces than very “Long” or infinite coils. Unlike infinite coils, the magnetic fields of “Short” coils contain both axial and radial components, which vary with position and thereby produce powerful MHD mixing. When such a coil is used with the objective of achieving non-conductive particle migration in a liquid metal by electromagnetophoresis, the obtained mixing effects can be highly detrimental. In the present study different coil geometries and induced Lorentz forces with resulting MHD mixing are modelled (COMSOL® 4.4), and the obtained Lorentz forces compared to analytical results.