Influence of Geometry on Liquid Oxygen Magnetohydrodynamincs

Document Type

Article

Journal/Book Title/Conference

Experimental Thermal and Fluid Science

Volume

34

Publication Date

1-1-2010

First Page

1182

Last Page

1191

Abstract

Magnetic fluid actuators have performed well in industrial applications, but have a limited temperature range due to the freezing point of the carrier fluid. Liquid oxygen (LOX) presents a pure, paramagnetic fluid suitable for use in a cryogenic magnetic fluid system; therefore, it is a potential solution to increasing the thermal range of magnetic fluid technology without the need for magnetic particles. The current study presents experimental work regarding the influence of geometry on the dynamics of a LOX slug in a 1.9 mm quartz tube when pulsed by a solenoid in a closed volume. A numerical analysis calculated the optimal solenoid geometry and balanced the magnetic, damping, and pressure forces to determine optimal slug lengths. Three configurations comprised the experiment: (1) a 24-gauge wire solenoid with an optimized 2.7 cm length slug, (2) a 30-gauge wire solenoid with an optimized 1.3 cm length slug, and (3) a 30-gauge wire solenoid with a nonoptimized 2.5 cm length slug. Typically, the hydrodynamic breakdown limit is calculated and used to determine the system range; however the experiment showed that the hydrodynamic breakdown limit was never reached by the slug. This implied that, instead, the system range should factor in a probabilistic risk of failure calculated as a function of the induced pressure change from its oscillations. The experimental data were also used to establish a nondimensional relationship between the maximum displacement and initial magnetic pressure on the slug. The average initial velocity of the slug was found to be proportional to the initial magnetic pressure, Mason number, and slug length. The results of this study can be used in the design and optimization of a LOX fluid system for space or low-temperature applications.

This document is currently not available here.

Share

COinS