Numerical Study of the Gas-Liquid Two-Phase Flow in a Self-Designed Mixer for a Ga-R113 MHD System

Peng Lu; Xingwen Zheng; Lulu Fang; Hulin Huang; Shu Xu; Yezhen Yu

doi:10.3390/en10101629

Energies (Oct 2017)

Numerical Study of the Gas-Liquid Two-Phase Flow in a Self-Designed Mixer for a Ga-R113 MHD System

Peng Lu,
Xingwen Zheng,
Lulu Fang,
Hulin Huang,
Shu Xu,
Yezhen Yu

Affiliations

Peng Lu: Jiangsu Province Key Laboratory of Aerospace Power System, Key Laboratory of Thermal Environment and Thermal Structure for Aero Engines of Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, College of Energy and Power Engineering, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing 210016, China
Xingwen Zheng: Jiangsu Province Key Laboratory of Aerospace Power System, Key Laboratory of Thermal Environment and Thermal Structure for Aero Engines of Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, College of Energy and Power Engineering, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing 210016, China
Lulu Fang: Jiangsu Province Key Laboratory of Aerospace Power System, Key Laboratory of Thermal Environment and Thermal Structure for Aero Engines of Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, College of Energy and Power Engineering, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing 210016, China
Hulin Huang: College of Astronautics, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing 210016, China
Shu Xu: Department of Chemical Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA
Yezhen Yu: School of Energy and Mechanical Engineering, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing 210042, China

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/en10101629
Journal volume & issue: Vol. 10, no. 10
p. 1629

Abstract

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Liquid metal MHD (Magneto-Hydro-Dynamic) systems can be employed to produce electricity from a wide range of heat resources. In such a system, a low-boiling organic fluid and a high-temperature liquid metal fluid mix. The former evaporates, and carries the latter to flow through an MHD channel, where the electricity is generated. The mixing process and the gas-liquid flow characteristics will have a significant effect on the power generating efficiency. In the present work, trifluorotrichloroethane (R113) was chosen as the organic fluid, and gallium (Ga) as the liquid metal, respectively. Numerical study was subsequently carried out on the gas-liquid flow and heat transfer in a self-designed spherical mixer. The effects of the main factors, including the inlet velocities and inlet temperatures of Ga and R113, were separately determined, with suggested values or ranges discussed in detail.

Published in Energies

ISSN: 1996-1073 (Online)
Publisher: MDPI AG
Country of publisher: Switzerland
LCC subjects: Technology
Website: http://www.mdpi.com/journal/energies

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