DC magnetic field effect on a liquid sodium channel flow

A magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) pressure drop was measured to establish the magnetic field effect on an electrically conductive liquid sodium flow which is used as a coolant in a sodium fast reactor (SFR). The MHD loop system for an experiment in this study had a rectangular test channel of a nonmagnetic stainless steel with a narrow gap. The uniform magnetic field was driven across the channel and the sodium flowed in a normal direction to it in the channel under the operating temperature of 200 °C. The measured MHD pressure drop was proportional to the flow velocity and the square of the magnetic flux density. The pressure coefficient provided a good approximation for theoretically predicting a MHD pressure drop. An uncertainty analysis revealed that the measurement of the flow velocity was a primary reason for the experimental errors. A good agreement was revealed by carrying out a comparison between a theoretical calculation and experimental results in spite of some deviations.