Open Access

ARTICLE

Experimental and Numerical Analysis of Surface Magneto-Hydrodynamic Propulsion Induced by NdFeB Magnets

by Zongkai Liu^1,2,*

1 College of Automation, Nanjing University of Science and Technology, Nanjing, 210094, China
2 Nanjing Yue Bo Power System Co., Ltd., Nanjing, 210094, China

* Corresponding Author: Zongkai Liu. Email:

Fluid Dynamics & Materials Processing 2021, 17(2), 427-439. https://doi.org/10.32604/fdmp.2021.010528

Received 08 March 2020; Accepted 29 January 2021; Issue published 02 April 2021

Abstract

The so-called surface Magneto-hydro-dynamic (MHD) propulsion relies on the Lorentz force induced in weak electrolyte solutions (such as seawater or plasma) by NdFeB Magnets. The Lorentz force plays an important role in such dynamics as it directly affects the structures of flow boundary layers. Previous studies have mainly focused on the development of such boundary layers and related fluid-dynamic aspects. The main focus of the present study is the determination of electromagnetic field distributions around the propulsion units. In particular dedicated experiments and numerical simulations (based on the finite volume method) are conducted considering a NACA0012 airfoil immersed in seawater. The results show that, along the propulsion unit, the field strength undergoes a rapid attenuation in the direction perpendicular to the wall.

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Keywords

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