Experimental validation of liquid metal MHD numerical models

Abstract

This study is aimed at experimental validation of a numerical model of fully coupled electromagnetic and fluid dynamics processes. The experiment is a laboratory-scale system, where a rotating permanent magnet induces an intense flow and free surface deformation of liquid Galinstan in a rectangular vessel. The numerical model is two-phase, 3D, transient, turbulent, and is constructed using ElmerFEM, OpenFOAM and EOF-Library codes. Validation is based on optical imaging of free surface projections. Statistical data, such as the time-average and standard deviation of the free surface profile, are compared with experiments and simulations. Results show that a Large Eddy Simulation turbulence model gives a good agreement with experiments, whereas a Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes k-ω SST model causes artificial damping of free surface deformation. Figs 8, Refs 9.