Experimental Study of the Velocity of the Electrovortex Flow of In-Ga-Sn in Hemispherical Geometry

Abstract

The paper describes the application of the thermocorrelation method for measuring the velocity in a current-carrying liquid. An electrovortex flow occurs when the current passing through a conducting medium interacts with its own magnetic field. Measurements of the velocity of the turbulent electrovortex flow of the liquid metal (eutectic alloy In-Ga-Sn) were carried out in a hemispherical container in the range of currents of 100–450 amperes in the presence and absence of compensation of the Earth’s magnetic field. The efficiency of the thermocorrelation method in a current-carrying liquid has been demonstrated. The dependences of the axial velocity on the current and the velocity profiles along the axis were obtained. It was found that the presence of the Earth’s magnetic field leads to a significant decrease in the average value of the axial velocity in the entire range of currents.

Keywords

• liquid metal
• electric current
• magnetic field
• flow
• velocity
• thermocouple