Design and Numerical Simulation of Gas-liquid Two-phase Mixer for Liquid Metal Magnetohydrodynamic Power Generation System

doi:10.3901/JME.2023.18.327

Abstract

Abstract: Four types of gas-liquid metal two-phase mixers are designed for liquid metal magnetohydrodynamic (LMMHD) power generation system. The two-phase flow fields of liquid metal(GaInSn) and carbon dioxide in the mixer and power generation channel are simulated. The performance of the power generation channel, which is connected to the mixer with the best mixing effect, is also analyzed. The results show that the error rate of the calculated no-load voltage obtained from the prediction calculation using the magnetic induction method is less than 5% compared with the theoretical value. The churn flow, annular flow, slug flow and dispersed flow can be produced for different kinds of mixers under the same inlet pressure of gas and liquid metal (p_l=p_g=1.5 MPa). Taking those parameters included the pattern of two-phase flow, the v average volume fraction, average velocity and uniformity of liquid metal into account synthetically in the power generation channel, the double-nozzle mixer (model 4) is found to be the best mixing effect under the different inlet pressures of gas and liquid metal. Moreover, the current density and the average electromagnetic power density in the power generation channel are positively correlated with the volume fraction of liquid metal.

Key words: gas-liquid metal two-phase flow, MHD generator, flow pattern, mixer, power generation channel

CLC Number:

O359

LIU Zhongtian, HUANG Hulin, WANG Yanli, WANG Shaozheng, HUANG Shan. Design and Numerical Simulation of Gas-liquid Two-phase Mixer for Liquid Metal Magnetohydrodynamic Power Generation System[J]. Journal of Mechanical Engineering, 2023, 59(18): 327-336.

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