抄録
A DC electromagnetic flow coupler is one of the candidate driving methods of liquid sodium coolant in liquid metal fast breeder reactors (LMFBR). The fundamental structure of a flow coupler consists of two flow channels connected electrically in series under a transverse magnetic field. When the conducting fluid in one of the channels is driven by an external means like a mechanical pump, this channel (generator channel) works under the magnetic field as a DC power supply. With the transverse magnetic field, the induced current provides a pumping force to the conducting fluid in the adjacent channel (pump channel), realizing a high efficiency DC electromagnetic pump. An annular electromagnetic flow coupler, in which a number of rectangular channels are arranged in an annular under a radial magnetic field, is considered to have the possibility of reducing the FBR size. This report gives a description of the analysis methods of flow couplers, and describes the calculated results on the flow and electrical characteristics of the experimental (prototype) annular flow coupler.
