Investigation of heat transfer in a liquid metal upflow in the MHD-channels applied to tokamak reactor blanket module

Abstract

This article is devoted to experimental investigation of hydrodynamics and heat transfer in MHD flow configuration: upflow of mercury in a vertical round tube and rectangular duct with non-uniform heating in the transverse (coplanar) magnetic field. The problem is of interest for developing fusion reactor`s cooling systems. The liquid metal flow, in this case, will be complicated by influence of electromagnetic and thermogravitation forces. The experimental data were obtained by a proven probe technique for temperature measurements. The average temperature fields, wall temperature distributions, heat transfer coefficients and statistical characteristics of temperature fluctuations have been obtained and compared throughout the length of test section (pipe or duct) detecting the channel geometry influence.