Current-driven flow instabilities in large-scale liquid metal batteries, and how to tame them

• Large liquid metal batteries can be susceptible to current driven instabilities.
• Critical parameters for the onset of the Tayler instability are derived and computed.
• Different countermeasures against the Tayler instability are demonstrated.

The use of liquid metal batteries is considered as one promising option for electric grid stabilization. While large versions of such batteries are preferred in view of the economies of scale, they are susceptible to various magnetohydrodynamic instabilities which imply a risk of short-circuiting the battery due to the triggered fluid flow. Here we focus on the current driven Tayler instability and give critical electrical currents for its onset as well as numerical estimates for the appearing flow structures and speeds. Scaling laws for different materials, battery sizes and geometries are found. We further discuss and compare various means for preventing the instability.

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