Confining of Molten Metal by Imposition of D.C. Magnetic Field and D.C. Electric Current

Abstract

A new method of confining a molten metal by imposing D.C. magnetic field and D.C. electric current has been proposed. The confinement of a molten metal was demonstrated by a model experiment using a molten gallium with low melting temperature. By using of newly proposed plural pairs of electrodes, the molten metal could be confined under rather weak magnetic field of 0.5 T. The electric current required for confining a molten metal has been theoretically predicted. It has been found that the theoretical prediction agrees well with experimental data. The model experiment demonstrated that the method proposed in this study is promising for industrial applications.