Numerical and experimental investigation of electro-vortex flow in a cylindrical container

In a cylindrical container filled with an eutectic GaInSn alloy, an electro-vortex flow (EVF) is generated by the interaction of a non-uniform current with its own magnetic field. In this paper, we investigate the EVF phenomenon numerically and experimentally. Ultrasound Doppler Velocimetry (UDV) is applied to measure the velocity field in a cylindrical vessel. Second, we enhance an old numerical solver by taking into account the effect of Joule heating, and employ it for the numerical simulation of the EVF experiment. Special focus is laid on the role of the magnetic field, which is the combination of the current induced magnetic field and the external geomagnetic field. For getting a higher computational efficiency, the so-called parent-child mesh technique is applied in OpenFOAM when computing the electric potential, the current density and the temperature in the coupled solid-liquid conductor system. The results of the experiment are in good agreement with those of the simulation. This study may help to identify the factors that are essential for the EVF phenomenon, and for quantifying its role in liquid metal batteries.