MAGNETOHYDRODYNAMIC (MHD) ALTERNATING CURRENT GENERATOR

• US 3,710,153 A
• Filed: 10/20/1970
• Issued: 01/09/1973
• Est. Priority Date: 10/22/1969
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Gunther Muck, Ludwig Benno Barbacsy
• Original Assignee: Gunther Muck, Ludwig Benno Barbacsy
• Inventors: Barbacsy, Ludwig Benno, Muck, Gunther
• Primary Examiner(s): Sliney, D. X.
• Application Number:
  US05/082,411
• Time in Patent Office: 812 Days
• Field of Search: 310/11 417/50
• US Class Current: 310/11
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 44/085 with conducting liquids

Abstract

An MHD alternating current generator for electric power supply, preferably for aerospace application having a liquid, conducting medium, e.g., a liquid metal, which is alternately moved in only one of, e.g., two channels which are located within a steady magnetic field perpendicular to the direction of flow '"'"''"'"''"'"''"'"'A,'"'"''"'"''"'"''"'"' the magnetic field being produced by superconducting coils.

Claims

1. An MHD alternating current generator for electric power supply, suitable for aerospace applications, comprising in combination:

a conduit system including two channels;

a liquid, conducting medium in said conduit system and alternately movable in said two channels;

means including superconducting coils for providing a steady magnetic field substantially perpendicular to the direction of movement of said medium in said channels, said channels being located in said magnetic field.

2. An MHD alternating current generator according to claim 1 including means responsive to forces on the medium in said channels for automatically switching medium flow from one channel to the other.

3. An MHD alternating current generator according to claim 2 including a plurality of pairs of said channels for providing a corresponding plurality of phases of alternating current.

4. An MHD alternating current generator according to claim 1 in which said conduit system includes means for moving said medium therethrough comprising a jet injector pump and a reactor coupled thereto.

5. An MHD alternating current generator according to claim 2 in which said means for switching comprises a wall attachment type fluidic element forming a bifurcation connecting said two channels to a remaining, flow supplying portion of said conduit system and responsive to liquid load changes for switching flow back and forth between said channels, in which said load changes comprise accelerative and decelerative forces on the medium in said channels.

6. An MHD alternating current generator according to claim 5 including a pair of electrodes on opposite sides of each channel and spaced across said magnetic field, an electrical load, means connecting said electrode pairs in series with each other and across said electrical load for decelerating medium flow in one channel and accelerating medium flow in the other channel to change said liquid load in response to current flow through said electrode pairs and across said magnetic field and resulting from medium flow through said one channel;

whereby the direction of medium flow through said fluidic element is automatically directly controlled by magnetic field forces on the medium in said channels.

7. An MHD alternating current generator according to claim 6 in which said electrode pairs have first electrodes connected to each other and second electrodes connected to opposite sides of said electrical load, said second electrodes having the same polarity but producing oppositely changing voltage amplitudes.