Transition to a Quasi-Fully Developed MHD Flow in an Electrically Conducting Pipe Under a Transverse Non-Uniform Magnetic Field

Interaction between liquid metal flows and non-uniform magnetic fields occurs in certain regions of fusion power reactors such as the breeding blanket access pipes. Here, the resulting high MHD pressure drop leads to numerous design challenges. Therefore, in this paper we perform numerical simulations to analyze the effect of a non-uniform transverse magnetic field on a liquid metal flow in a straight electrically conducting pipe. In particular, we perform parametric analyses at different conductance ratios and magnetic interaction parameters to quantify their effect on MHD pressure drop in pipes. The results also help in establishing a range for the control parameters in which the flow transforms from a quasi-fully developed to a fully three-dimensional state.