MAGNETO HYDRODYNAMICS POWER GENERATION

GUIDED BY: MR. S.K.BHOI

SUBMITTED BY: RAJIB LOCHAN BEHERA REGD. NO.: 0801211295 7TH SEMESTER

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DEPARTMENT OF ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING

ORISSA

CERTIFICATE
ENGINEERING COLLEGE
DEPARTMENT OF ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING ORISSA ENGINEERING COLLEGE BHUBANESWAR

This is to certify that, Mr. Rajib Lochan Behera, bearing Roll no:108561 and university Regd no: 0801211295 has submitted the seminar report entitled as MAGNETO HYDRODYNAMICS POWER GENERATION in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the degree of Bachelor of Technology in ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING of Biju Pattnaik University of Technology, Rourkela under our supervision and guidance.

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No part of this seminar report has been submitted to any other University or Institution for the award of any degree or otherwise the best of our knowledge.

Guided By:

Head of the Dept :

Er. SUSHIL K. BHOI Seminar incharge

N.R SAMAL H.O.D., ELECTRICAL

CONTENTS
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT 1. ABSTRACT 2. INTRODUCTION 3. HISTORY 4. PRINCIPLE
5.

TYPES OF MHD SYSTEMS (a)OPEN CYCLE SYSTEM (b)CLOSE CYCLE SYSTEM (i) SEEDED INERT GAS SYSTEM (ii)LIQUID METEL SYSTEM

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6. ADVANTAGES 7. APPLICATIONS 8. FUTURE PROSPECTS 9. CONCLUSION 10.REFERENCES

acknowledgement
Before making a foray into the details of the seminar report on MAGNETO HYDRODYNAMICS POWER GENERATION, I wish to avail the opportunity to express the gratitude to all of them whose continuous help, sincere advice and direction help me to develop this seminar report. So first of all I would like to thank god without whose grace it is impossible for a person to progress in life. I also wish to thank to my guide Mr. S.K. BHOI for lending his precious time and his valuable guidance. I attribute the level of my bachelor degree to his encouragement and effort and without him this report, too would not have been completed or written. One simply could not wish for a better or friendlier. My sincere thanks to Prof. N.R. SAMAL, Head of Dept. of Electrical Engineering, for his valuable guidance and help extended to me during the completion of this seminar.
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My heartfelt acknowledgement is recorded here with the members of the College Library for supplying valuable information and I thank my friends, for supporting me throughout my report through various methods. Most importantly, I wish to thank my parents without whose indispensable efforts and blessing this wouldnt have been possible for me to complete.

Rajib Lochan Behera Regd. No.: 0801211295

ABSTRACT
The principle of MHD is same as that of a conventional electrical generator i.e. motion of conductor in a magnetic field induces an emf called Faradays law of EMI. In MHD system electrical energy is directly generated from hot combustion gases produced by combustion of fuels without any moving parts. Since there are no rotating parts, so losses are minimized. The conventional generators are electro-mechanical type, while MHD generator is heat engine operating on a turbine cycle and transforming the internal energy of gas directly to electrical energy.

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In MHD generator when electrical conducting gas at very high temperature is passed at high velocity through a strong magnetic field at right angles to direction of flow, electrical energy is generated. When a fluid is used for the energy conversion technique, it is called MAGNETO HYDRO DYNAMIC (MHD), energy conversion. The conducting flow fluid is forced between the plates with a kinetic energy and pressure differential sufficient to overcome the magnetic induction force. Ionization is produced either by thermal means I.e. by an elevated temperature or by seeding with substance like cesium or potassium vapors which ionizes at relatively low temperatures. The presence of the negatively charged electrons makes the gas an electrical conductor. The fuel used maybe oil through an oil tank or gasified coal through a coal gasification plant. It has been estimated that the overall operational costs in a plant would be about 20% less than conventional steam plants.

INTRODUCTION
Magneto hydrodynamics (MHD), magneto fluid dynamics or hydro magnetic is the academic discipline which studies the dynamics of electrically conducting fluids. Examples of such fluids include plasmas, liquid metals, and salt water.

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The

word magneto

hydro

dynamics

(MHD)

is

derived

from

(magneto- meaning magnetic field, hydro- meaning liquid, and dynamics -meaning movement). The field of MHD was initiated by Hannes Alfvn, for which he received the Nobel Prize in physics. MHD power generation is a new system of electric power generation which is said to be of high efficiency and low pollution. In advanced countries MHD generators are widely used but in developing countries like INDIA, it is still under construction, this construction work in progress at TRICHI in TAMIL NADU, under the joint efforts of BARC (Bhabha atomic research center), Associated cement corporation (ACC) and Russian technologists. As its name implies, magneto hydro dynamics (MHD) is concerned with the flow of a conducting fluid in the presence of magnetic and electric field. The fluid may be gas at elevated temperatures or liquid metals like sodium or potassium. An MHD generator is a device for converting heat energy of a fuel directly into electrical energy without conventional electric generator.

History
Michael Faraday first proposed the idea in his "Bakerian lecture for 1832" to the Royal Society. He carried out experiments at Waterloo Bridge, measuring current from the flow of the Thames in the Earth's magnetic field. The first practical MHD power research was funded in 1938 in the U.S. by Westinghouse in its Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania laboratories, headed by Bela
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Karlovitz. The initial patent on MHD is by B. Karlovitz, U.S. Patent No. 2,210,918, "Process for the Conversion of Energy", August 13, 1940. World war II interrupted development. In 1962, the First International Conference on MHD Power was held in Newcastle on Tyne, UK by Dr. Brian C. Lindley of the International Research and Development Company Ltd. The group set up a steering committee to set up further conferences and disseminate ideas. In 1964, the group set up a second conference in Paris, France, in consultation with the European Nuclear Energy Agency. In the 1960s, AVCO Everett Aeronautical Research began a series of experiments, ending with the Mk. V generator of 1965. This generated 35 MW, but used about 8MW to drive its magnet. In 1966, the ILG-MHD had its first formal meeting in Paris, France. It began issuing a periodic status report in 1967. This pattern persisted, in this institutional form, up until 1976. Toward the end of the 1960s, interest in MHD declined because nuclear power was becoming more widely available. In the late 1970s, as interest in nuclear power declined, interest in MHD increased. In 1975, UNESCO became persuaded the MHD might be the most efficient way to utilise world coal reserves, and in 1976, sponsored the ILGMHD. In 1976, it became clear that no nuclear reactor in the next 25 years would use MHD, so the International Atomic Energy Agency and ENEA (both nuclear agencies) withdrew support from the ILG-MHD, leaving UNESCO as the primary sponsor of the ILG-MHD.

PRINCIPLE OF MHD POWER GENERATION

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An MHD converter system is a heat engine in which heat taken up at a higher temperature is partly converted into useful work and the remainder is rejected at a temperature. Like all heat engines, the thermal efficiency of an MHD converter is increased by supplying the heat at the highest practical temperature and rejecting it at the lowest practical temperature. When an electric conductor moves across a magnetic field, a voltage is induced in it which produces an electric current. This is the principle of the conventional generator where the conductors consist of copper strips. In MHD generator, the solid conductors are replaced by a gaseous conductor, an ionized gas. If such a gas is passed at a high velocity through a powerful magnetic field, a current is generated and can be extracted by placing electrodes in suitable position in the stream. The principle can be explained as follows. An electric conductor moving through a magnetic field experiences a retarding force as well as an induced electric field and current.

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This effect is a result of FARADAYS LAWS OF ELECTRO MAGNETIC INDUCTION. The induced EMF is given by Eind = u x B where , u = velocity of the conductor. B = magnetic field intensity. The induced current is given by, Jind = C x Eind where C = electric conductivity The retarding force on the conductor is the Lorentz force given by
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Find = Jind X B

The electro-magnetic induction principle is not limited to solid conductors. The movement of a conducting fluid through a magnetic field can also generate electrical energy. When a fluid is used for the energy conversion technique, it is called MAGNETO HYDRO DYNAMIC (MHD) energy conversion. The flow direction is right angles to the magnetic fields direction. An electromotive force (or electric voltage) is induced in the direction at right angles to both flow and field directions, as shown below.

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The conducting flow fluid is forced between the plates with a kinetic energy and pressure differential sufficient to overcome the magnetic induction force Find. The end view drawing illustrates the construction of the flow channel. An ionized gas is employed as the conducting fluid. Ionization is produced either by thermal means I.e. by an elevated temperature or by seeding with substance like cesium or potassium vapors which ionizes at relatively low temperatures. The atoms of seed element split off electrons. The presence of the negatively charged electrons makes the gas an electrical conductor.

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TYPES OF MHD SYSTEMS

It is of two types.

MAGNETO HYDRODYNAMIC SYSTEM

OPEN CYCLE SYSTEM

CLOSED CYCLE SYSTEM

SEEDED INERT GAS SYSTEM

LIQUID METAL SYSTEM

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OPEN CYCLE System

The fuel used maybe oil through an oil tank or gasified coal through a coal gasification plant The fuel (coal, oil or natural gas) is burnt in the combustor or combustion chamber. The hot gases from combustor is then seeded with a small amount of ionized alkali metal (cesium or potassium) to increase the electrical conductivity of the gas. The seed material, generally potassium carbonate is injected into the combustion chamber, the potassium is then ionized by the hot combustion gases at temperature of roughly 2300 c to 2700c. To attain such high temperatures, the compressed air is used to burn the coal in the combustion chamber, must be adequate to at least 1100c. A lower preheat temperature would be adequate if the air is enriched in oxygen. An alternative is used to compress oxygen alone for combustion of fuel, little or no preheating is then required. The additional cost of oxygen might be balanced by saving on the preheater. The hot pressurized working fluid living in the combustor flows through a convergent divergent nozzle. In passing through the nozzle, the random motion energy of the molecules in the hot gas is largely converted into directed, mass of energy. Thus , the gas emerges from the nozzle and enters the MHD generator unit at a high velocity.
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The MHD generator is a divergent channel made of a heat resistant alloy with external water cooling. The hot gas expands through the rocket like generator surrounded by powerful magnet. During motion of the gas the +ve and ve ions move to the electrodes and constitute an electric current. The arrangement of the electrode connection is determined by the need to reduce the losses arising from the Hall effect. By this effect magnetic field acts on the MHD-generated current and produces a voltage in flow direction of the working fluid.

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(OPEN CYCLE MHD POWER GENERATION)

CLOSED CYCLE MHD POWER GENERATION

Two general types of closed cycle MHD generators are being investigated. Electrical conductivity is maintained in the working fluid by ionization of a seeded material, as in open cycle system. A liquid metal provides the conductivity. The carrier is usually a chemical inert gas, all through a liquid carrier is been used with a liquid metal conductor.

The working fluid is circulated in a closed loop and is heated by the combustion gases using a heat exchanger. Hence the heat sources and the working fluid are independent. The working fluid is helium or argon with cesium.

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SEEDED INERT GAS SYSTEM

In a closed cycle system the carrier gas operates in the form of Brayton cycle. In a closed cycle system the gas is compressed and heat is supplied by the source, at essentially constant pressure, the compressed gas then expands in the MHD generator, and its pressure and temperature fall. After leaving this generator heat is removed from the gas by a cooler, this is the heat rejection stage of the cycle. Finally the gas is recompressed and returned for reheating. The complete system has three distinct but interlocking loops. On the left is the external heating loop. Coal is gasified and the gas is burnt in the combustor to provide heat. In the primary heat exchanger, this heat is transferred to a carrier gas argon or helium of the MHD cycle. The combustion products after passing through the air preheated and purifier are discharged to atmosphere.

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 Because the combustion system is separate from the working fluid, so also are the ash and flue gases. Hence the problem of extracting the seed material from fly ash does not arise. The fuel gases are used to preheat the incoming combustion air and then treated for fly ash and sulfur dioxide removal, if necessary prior to discharge through a stack to the atmosphere.

The loop in the center is the MHD loop. The hot argon gas is seeding with cesium and resulting working fluid is passed through the MHD generator at high speed. The dc power out of MHD generator is converted in ac by the inverter and is then fed to the grid

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Seeded inert gas system

LIQUID METAL SYSTEM

When a liquid metal provides the electrical conductivity, it is called a liquid metal MHD system. An inert gas is a convenient carrier. The carrier gas is pressurized and heated by passage through a heat exchanger within combustion chamber. The hot gas is then incorporated into the liquid metal usually hot sodium to form the working fluid. The latter then consists of gas bubbles uniformly dispersed in an approximately equal volume of liquid sodium. The working fluid is introduced into the MHD generator through a nozzle in the usual ways. The carrier gas then provides the required high direct velocity of the electrical conductor. After passage through the generator, the liquid metal is separated from the carrier gas. Part of the heat exchanger to produce steam for operating a turbine generator. Finally the carrier gas is cooled, compressed and returned to the combustion chamber for reheating and mixing with the recovered liquid metal. The working fluid temperature is usually around 800c as the boiling point of sodium even under moderate pressure is below 900c. At lower operating temp, the other MHD conversion systems may be advantageous from the material standpoint, but the maximum thermal efficiency is lower. A possible compromise might be to use liquid lithium, with a boiling point near 1300c as the electrical conductor lithium is much more expensive than sodium, but losses in a closed system are less.

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(LIQUID METAL SYSTEM)

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ADVANTAGES
The conversion efficiency of a MHD system can be around 50% much higher compared to the most efficient steam plants. Still higher efficiencies are expected in future, around 60 65 %, with the improvements in experience and technology. Large amount of power is generated. It has no moving parts, so more reliable. The closed cycle system produces power, free of pollution. It has ability to reach the full power level as soon as started. The size if the plant is considerably smaller than conventional fossil fuel plants. Although the cost cannot be predicted very accurately, yet it has been reported that capital costs of MHD plants will be competitive to conventional steam plants. It has been estimated that the overall operational costs in a plant would be about 20% less than conventional steam plants. Direct conversion of heat into electricity permits to eliminate the turbine (compared with a gas turbine power plant) or both the boiler and the turbine (compared with a steam power plant) elimination reduces losses of energy. These systems permit better fuel utilization. The reduced fuel consumption would offer additional economic and special benefits and would also lead to conservation of energy resources.

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 It is possible to use MHD for peak power generations and emergency service. It has been estimated that MHD equipment for such duties is simpler, has capability of generating in large units and has the ability to make rapid start to full load.

APPLICATIONS
GEOPHYSICS: Beneath the Earth's mantle, lies the core which is made up of two parts the solid inner core and liquid outer core - both have significant quantities of iron. The liquid outer core moves in the presence of the magnetic field and eddies are set up into the same due to the Coriolis effect. These eddies develop a magnetic field which boosts Earth's original magnetic field - a process which is self-sustaining and is called as the geomagnetic dynamo.
ASTROPHYSICS:

MHD applies quite well to astrophysics since over 99% of baryonic matter content of the Universe is made up of plasma, including stars, the interplanetary medium (space between the planets), the interstellar medium (space between the stars), nebulae and jets. Many astrophysical systems are not in local thermal equilibrium, and therefore require an additional kinematic treatment to describe all the phenomena within the system
ENGINEERING:

MHD is related to engineering problems such as plasma confinement, liquid-metal cooling of nuclear reactors, and electromagnetic casting (among others).
MAGNETIC DRUG TARGETING:

Latest research on cancer is partly focused on localized delivery of cancer medicine to the affected part of the body. To achieve the same the medicine is bound to magnetic particles which are biologically compatible. For targeting the same permanent magnets can be used by positioning them at suitable locations of the external body. To study the interaction between the
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magnetic fluid particles passing through the blood with the external magnetic field, magneto hydrodynamic equations and finite element analysis are used. Thus the efficacy of such treatments can be estimated.

FUTURE PROSPECTS
It is estimated that by 2020, almost 70 % of the total electricity generated in the world will be from MHD generators. Research and development is widely being done on MHD by different countries of the world. Nations involved: USA Former USSR Japan India China Yugoslavia Australia Italy Poland

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CONCLUSION
With the increased industrial and agricultural activities, power demand is also highly increased. In the country is sure to fall short of the energy demand by the first decade of next century. The answer to this is in non conventional energy. MHD generators are now practical for fossil fuels, but have been overtaken by other, less expensive technologies, such as combined cycles in which a gas turbine's or molten carbonate fuel cell's exhaust heats steam for steam turbine. Natural MHD dynamos are an active area of research in plasma physics and are of great interest to the geophysics and astrophysics communities. From their perspective the earth is a global MHD dynamo and with the aid of the particles on the solar wind produces the aurora borealis. The differently charged electromagnetic layers produced by the dynamo effect on the Earth's geomagnetic field enable the appearance of the aurora borealis. As power is extracted from the plasma of the solar wind, the particles slow and are drawn down along the field lines in a brilliant display over the poles.

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REFERENCES
Hugo K. Messerle, "Magnetohydrodynamic Power Generation", 1994, John Wiley, Chichester, Part of the UNESCO Energy Engineering Series (This is the source of the historical and generator design information). Shioda, S. "Results of Feasibility Studies on Closed-Cycle MHD Power Plants", Proc. Plasma Tech. Conf., 1991, Sydney, Australia, pp. 189-200. R.J. Rosa, "Magnetohydrodynamic Energy Conversion", 1987,

Hemisphere Publishing, Washington D.C. G.J. Womac, "MHD Power Generation", 1969, Chapman and Hall, London.

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