Open Access

ARTICLE

A Double-Phase High-Frequency Traveling Magnetic Field Developed for Contactless Stirring of Low-Conducting Liquid Materials

by Xiaodong Wang^1,2,*, Ernst Roland³, Fautrelle Yves³

1 College of Material Science and Opto-Electronic Technology, University of the Chinese Academy of Science, Beijing, China
2 Guangwei (Zhongshan) Intelligent Technology Co., Ltd., Huairou Science City, Beijing, China
3 SIMAP/EPM, Universite Grenoble Alpes, Grenoble, France

* Corresponding Author: Xiaodong Wang. Email:

Computer Modeling in Engineering & Sciences 2021, 127(2), 469-486. https://doi.org/10.32604/cmes.2021.013597

Received 12 August 2020; Accepted 21 December 2020; Issue published 19 April 2021

Abstract

The use of low electrically conducting liquids is more and more widespread. This is the case for molten glass, salt or slag processing, ionic liquids used in biotechnology, batteries in energy storage and metallurgy. The present paper deals with the design of a new electromagnetic induction device that can heat and stir low electrically-conducting liquids. It consists of a resistance-capacity-inductance circuit coupled with a low-conducting liquid load. The device is supplied by a unique electric power source delivering a single-phase high frequency electric current. The main working principle of the circuit is based on a double oscillating circuit inductor connected to the solid-state transistor generator. This technique, which yields a set of coupled oscillating circuits, consists of coupling a forced phase and an induced phase, neglecting the influence of the electric parameters of the loading part (i.e., the low-conductivity liquid). It is shown that such an inductor is capable to provide a two-phase AC traveling magnetic field at high frequency. To better understand the working principle, the present work improves a previous existing simplified theory by taking into account a complex electrical equivalent diagram due to the different mutual couplings between the two inductors and the two corresponding induced current sets. A more detailed theoretical model is provided, and the key and sensitive elements are elaborated. Based on this theory, equipment is designed to provide a stirring effect on sodium chloride-salted water at 40 S/m. It is shown that such a device fed by several hundred kiloHertz electric currents is able to mimic a linear motor. A set of optimized operating parameters are proposed to guide the experiment. A pure electromagnetic numerical model is presented. Numerical modelling of the load is performed in order to assess the efficiency of the stirrer with a salt water load. Such a device can generate a significant liquid motion with both controlled flow patterns and adjustable amplitude. Based on the magnetohydrodynamic theory, numerical modeling of the salt water flow generated by the stirrer confirms its feasibility.

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