Hydrodynamics and Heat Transfer in Disk Driven Rotating Flow Under Axial Magnetic Field
R. Bessiah, Ph. Marty and M. Kadja
This paper describes a combined numerical and analytical study of the disk driven flow in a cylindrical enclosure having an aspect ratio H/R equal to 1 and containing a liquid metal which is submitted to a vertical temperature gradient and an axial magnetic field. The numerical method is validated via a comparison with experimental data and with analytical velocity profiles under the rotating disk obtained for high values of the magnetic interaction parameter. Although a liquid metal usually has a small Prandtl number, Pr, the case of high Pr is investigated in order to allow the analogy with the mass transfer problem. When no magnetic field is applied, the Nusselt number for high Pr follows a dependence which is similar to that found in a cylindrical tank which is mixed by a bladed turbine. An important damping of the heat transfer is observed when a magnetic field is applied. The wall electrical conductivity is also found to be an important parameter in the control of heat transfer.