SpringerLink
Log in

A Duct Design for Reducing Grad-B MHD Drag

  • Research
  • Published:
Journal of Fusion Energy Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Harsh heat load conditions on plasma-facing components (PFCs) in steady-state and transient phenomena (e.g., disruptions and ELMs) in DEMO fusion reactors question the feasibility of current approaches based on solid targets made of tungsten. This issue calls for the development of innovative plasma-facing components. Liquid metal PFCs with strong convection enhance heat removal capability and resilience after the transient phenomena. However, transporting liquid metal across magnetic fields gives rise to MHD drag. MHD drag for the case of uniform B, estimated analytically, is acceptable. Grad-B MHD drags with straight ducts could seriously drag the LM flow across non-uniform B. Expanding the duct along B and shrinking the duct in a perpendicular direction could make electromotive force |vBh| approximately constant along the duct and significantly reduces the grad-B MHD drag. Here v denotes the flow velocity along the duct, B is the magnetic field strength, and h is the vertical duct size. Three-dimensional simulations for internal and free surface thermo-MHD phenomena have demonstrated that the proposed duct design reduces the total pressure drop along the duct.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Subscribe and save

Springer+ Basic
EUR 32.99 /Month
  • Get 10 units per month
  • Download Article/Chapter or Ebook
  • 1 Unit = 1 Article or 1 Chapter
  • Cancel anytime
Subscribe now

Buy Now

Price includes VAT (Spain)

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7
Fig. 8

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. J. Wesson, Tokamaks (Oxford Univ. Press, Oxford, 2011)

    Google Scholar 

  2. Y. Ueda et al., Nucl. Fusion 57, 092006 (2017)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  3. B. Badger et al. 1974 “UWMAK-I-A Wisconsin Toroidal Fusion Reactor Design” UWFDM-68

  4. Y. Hirooka et al., Fusion Science and Technology 68 (2015), Proc. TOFE-2014

  5. Robert Kaita, Plasma Phys, Control. Fusion (2019). https://doi.org/10.1088/1361-6587/ab4156

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. Y. Hirooka et al., Nucl. Fusion 50, 077001 (2010)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  7. M. Ono et al., Nucl. Fusion 52, 037001 (2012)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  8. G. Mazzitelli et al., Nucl. Fusion 55, 027001 (2015)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  9. F.L. Tabares et al., Nucl. Fusion 56, 127002 (2016)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  10. M. Shimada, Y. Hirooka, Actively convected liquid metal divertor. Nucl. Fusion 54, 122002 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1088/0029-5515/54/12/122002

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  11. M. Shimada, K. Tobita, Magnetically guided liquid metal divertor (MAGLIMD) with resilience to disruptions and ELMs. Plasma Fusion Res. 14(15), 1401011 (2020)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. M. Shimada, Magnetically-guided liquid metal first wall (MAGLIMFW) with a built-in automatic disruption mitigation system. J. Fusion Energy. 39(6), 436–40 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10894-020-00257-2

    Article  Google Scholar 

  13. P. Shercliff, Cambridge Philos. Soc. 49, 136–144 (1953)

    Article  ADS  MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  14. L. Bühler, A parametric study of 3D MHD flows in expansions of rectangular ducts. Fusion Sci. Technol. 52(3), 595–602 (2007). https://doi.org/10.13182/FST07-A1553

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  15. K. Miyazaki, S. Inoue, N. Yamaoka, T. Horiba, K. Yokomizo, Magneto-hydro-dynamic pressure drop of lithium flow in rectangular ducts. Fusion Technol 10(3A), 830–6 (1986)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  16. Jabir Al Salami “Numerical simulation of MHD free surface liquid metal flows for nuclear fusion applications.” Ph. D. Thesis, Kyushu Univ. (2022).

  17. R. Moreau, S. Smolentsev, S. Cuevas, MHD flow in an insulating rectangular duct under a non-uniform magnetic field. PMC Phys. B. (2010). https://doi.org/10.1186/1754-0429-3-3

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

The authors acknowledge fruitful discussion with Prof. Yoshi Hirooka or Chubu University, Prof. Tomoaki Kunugi of Kyoto University, Dr. L. Zakharov, Prof. Egemen Kolemen, Prof. Rob Goldston and Dr. Masayuki Ono of Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory. Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Research (Pioneering) establishment of basis for power generation with rift-up liquid metal 20K20445.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Tokyo, Japan

    Michiya Shimada

  2. RIAM, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan

    Jabir Al Salami, Kazuaki Hanada & Changhong Hu

Authors
  1. Michiya Shimada
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Jabir Al Salami
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Kazuaki Hanada
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Changhong Hu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Contributions

M.S wrote the main manuscript and prepared figures 1-3. J.A.S. did the calculation, prepared figures 4-6 and drafted the numerical simulation part. All authors reviewed the manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Michiya Shimada.

Ethics declarations

Competing interests

The authors declare no competing interests.

Additional information

Publisher's Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Rights and permissions

Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Shimada, M., Al Salami, J., Hanada, K. et al. A Duct Design for Reducing Grad-B MHD Drag. J Fusion Energ 42, 50 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10894-023-00388-2

Download citation

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10894-023-00388-2

Keywords

Search

Navigation