THE USE OF MAGNETOHYDRODYNAMIC EFFECTS TO INVESTIGATE FLUID-FLOW IN ELECTRICALLY CONDUCTING MELTS

A measurement method is introduced which can detect steady and unsteady flow in electrically conducting fluids. In this method, the flow region is subjected to an externally applied weak magnetic field B-0. The induced magnetic field b generated by fluid flow across the field lines of B-0 is used for the flow investigations. It can be measured outside the flow region with the advantage that neither electrical nor mechanical connections with the fluid are necessary. The results obtained by the experiment are confirmed by a time-dependent three-dimensional numerical simulation. It is indicated how fluid flow configurations could be deduced by an appropriate measurement of the induced field b.