Wetting layer and void fraction nonuniformity in a liquid-metal MHD generator

The quetion of the effect of a liquid layer on the walls of an MHD channel in the case of uniform void fraction distribution in the flow core was first considered several years ago. More recently an analytic solution for high Hartmann numbers was obtained, which led to the conclusion that this layer does not have a significant effect on the efficiency of large generators. This paper postulates an analytic model which makes it possible to estimate the effect of a void fraction nonuniformity, in the presence of the wetting layer on the walls, on the generator performance. 3 refs