Flow Experiment with Conductive Liquid Metal Using Lorenz Force for Developing High-Performance Electric Casting System

This study aims to increase the power density of electromagnetic pumps for automatic pouring at casting sites by clarifying the magnetic force required for the electromagnetic transport of liquid metal. This paper reports the results of clarifying the relationship between flow and electromagnetic force by fabricating an experimental machine that simulates an electromagnetic pump. The flow velocity is measured when a low-melting temperature metal (Gallium) flows due to the Lorenz force, and the relationship of its flow between the excitation frequency and magnetomotive force is experimentally clarified. Furthermore, the spatial distribution of flow velocity and its relationship with the flow is clarified. Consequently, a flow map of liquid gallium was obtained, and reveals that the driving conditions are high-slip with a slip of 0.97 or more. Moreover, the magnetomotive force can contribute to the to flow more effectively than the excitation frequency under a narrowing gap between gallium and the machine.