Experimental investigation into flow within a slotlike channel. 1

One particular method of reducing the drop in pressure across a liquid-metal blanket involves optimum choice of the shape of transverse channel cross sections. It was therefore noted before that it is a good idea to employ rectangular channels with a large ratio of sides (slotlike channels) in a coplanar magnetic field. However, the volume of data on flow in such channels is presently extremely limited. For all intents and purposes, no investigations have been conducted into the effect that the angle of inclination of a transverse magnetic field has on the characteristics of flow and on the transition to a linear flow regime in a nonuniform magnetic field, and the question assumes particular urgency in connection with the development and utilization of methods to compute flows in strong magnetic fields. It is therefore expedient to study this particular problem, apparently, in the simplest case of a flow through a rectangular channel within a nonuniform magnetic field. The experiments were conducted on a model of a slotlike channel with a side ratio of β = a/b = 3/100 (a = 3 mm), the length of the model was 1000 mm, and the walls of the channel were nonconducting. For the working medium the authors used an In-Ga-Sn alloy. The investigations were carried out both in a coplanar and inclined magnetic field, the angle of inclination of the transverse field varying from 0 to 17 degrees (θ = 0, 6, 17 degrees; θ = O corresponds to the coplanar field)