arXiv subjects

Frank Stefani

Publications and source records attributed to Frank Stefani.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

arXiv2016

Linking dissipation-induced instabilities with nonmodal growth: the case of helical magnetorotational instability

The helical magnetorotational instability is known to work for resistive rotational flows with comparably steep negative or extremely steep positive shear. The corresponding lower and upper Liu limits of the shear are continuously connected when some axial electrical current is allowed to flow through the rotating fluid. Using a local approximation we demonstrate that the magnetohydrodynamic behavior of this dissipation-induced instability is intimately connected with the nonmodal growth and the pseudospectrum of the underlying purely hydrodynamic problem.

physics.plasm-ph↗

arXiv2015

Destabilization of rotating flows with positive shear by azimuthal magnetic fields

According to Rayleigh's criterion, rotating flows are linearly stable when their specific angular momentum increases radially outward. The celebrated magnetorotational instability opens a way to destabilize those flows, as long as the angular velocity is decreasing outward. Using a short-wavelength approximation we demonstrate that even flows with very steep positive shear can be destabilized by azimuthal magnetic fields which are current-free within the fluid. We illustrate the transition of this instability to a rotationally enhanced kink-type instability in case of a homogeneous current in the fluid, and discuss the prospects for observing it in a magnetized Taylor-Couette flow.

physics.flu-dyn↗

arXiv2015

Subcritical transition to turbulence of a precessing flow in a cylindrical vessel

The transition to turbulence in a precessing cylindrical vessel is experimentally investigated. Our measurements are performed for a { nearly-resonant} configuration with an initially laminar flow dominated by an inertial mode with azimuthal wave number $m=1$ superimposed on a solid body rotation. By increasing the precession ratio, we observe a transition from the laminar to a non-linear regime, which then breakdowns to turbulence for larger precession ratio. Our measurements show that the transition to turbulence is subcritical, with a discontinuity of the wall-pressure and the power consumption at the threshold $ε_{LT}$. The turbulence is self-sustained below this threshold, describing a bifurcation diagram with a hysteresis. In this range of the control parameters, the turbulent flows can suddenly collapse after a finite duration, leading to a definitive relaminarization of the flow. The average lifetime $\langle τ\rangle$ of the turbulence increases rapidly when $ε$ tends to $ε_{LT}$.

physics.flu-dyn↗

arXiv2015

Transient eddy current flow metering

Measuring local velocities or entire flow rates in liquid metals or semiconductor melts is a notorious problem in many industrial applications, including metal casting and silicon crystal growth. We present a new variant of an old technique which relies on the continuous tracking of a flow-advected transient eddy current that is induced by a pulsed external magnetic field. This calibration-free method is validated by applying it to the velocity of a spinning disk made of aluminum. First tests at a rig with a flow of liquid GaInSn are also presented.

physics.flu-dyn↗

arXiv2015

The Tayler instability at low magnetic Prandtl numbers: between chiral symmetry breaking and helicity oscillations

The Tayler instability is a kink-type, current driven instability that plays an important role in plasma physics but might also be relevant in liquid metal applications with high electrical currents. In the framework of the Tayler-Spruit dynamo model of stellar magnetic field generation, the question of spontaneous helical (chiral) symmetry breaking during the saturation of the Tayler instability has received considerable interest. Focusing on fluids with low magnetic Prandtl numbers, for which the quasistatic approximation can be applied, we utilize an integro-differential equation approach in order to investigate the saturation mechanism of the Tayler instability. Both the exponential growth phase and the saturated phase are analyzed in terms of the action of the alpha and beta effects of mean-field magnetohydrodynamics. In the exponential growth phase we always find a spontaneous chiral symmetry breaking which, however, disappears in the saturated phase. For higher degrees of supercriticality, we observe helicity oscillations in the saturated regime. For Lundquist numbers in the order of one we also obtain chiral symmetry breaking of the saturated magnetic field.

physics.flu-dyn↗

arXiv2014

Local instabilities in magnetized rotational flows: A short-wavelength approach

We perform a local stability analysis of rotational flows in the presence of a constant vertical magnetic field and an azimuthal magnetic field with a general radial dependence. Employing the short-wavelength approximation we develop a unified framework for the investigation of the standard, the helical, and the azimuthal version of the magnetorotational instability, as well as of current-driven kink-type instabilities. Considering the viscous and resistive setup, our main focus is on the case of small magnetic Prandtl numbers which applies, e.g., to liquid metal experiments but also to the colder parts of accretion disks. We show that the inductionless versions of MRI that were previously thought to be restricted to comparably steep rotation profiles extend well to the Keplerian case if only the azimuthal field slightly deviates from its current-free (in the fluid) profile. We find an explicit criterion separating the pure azimuthal inductionless magnetorotational instability from the regime where this instability is mixed with the Tayler instability. We further demonstrate that for particular parameter configurations the azimuthal MRI originates as a result of a dissipation-induced instability of the Chandrasekhar's equipartition solution of ideal magnetohydrodynamics.

physics.flu-dyn↗

arXiv2014

Magnetic material in mean-field dynamos driven by small scale helical flows

We perform kinematic simulations of dynamo action driven by a helical small scale flow of a conducting fluid in order to deduce mean-field properties of the combined induction action of small scale eddies. We examine two different flow patterns in the style of the G.O. Roberts flow but with a mean vertical component and with internal fixtures that are modelled by regions with vanishing flow. These fixtures represent either rods that lie in the center of individual eddies, or internal dividing walls that provide a separation of the eddies from each other. The fixtures can be made of magnetic material with a relative permeability larger than one which can alter the dynamo behavior. The investigations are motivated by the widely unknown induction effects of the forced helical flow that is used in the core of liquid sodium cooled fast reactors, and from the key role of soft iron impellers in the Von-Kármán-Sodium (VKS) dynamo. For both examined flow configurations the consideration of magnetic material within the fluid flow causes a reduction of the critical magnetic Reynolds number of up to 25%. The development of the growth-rate in the limit of the largest achievable permeabilities suggests no further significant reduction for even larger values of the permeability. In order to study the dynamo behavior of systems that consist of tens of thousands of helical cells we resort to the mean-field dynamo theory (Krause & Rädler 1980) in which the action of the small scale flow is parameterized in terms of an $α$- and $β$-effect. We compute the relevant elements of the $α$- and the $β$-tensor using the so called testfield method. We find a reasonable agreement between the fully resolved models and the corresponding mean-field models for wall or rod materials in the considered range $1\leq μ_r \leq 20$.

physics.flu-dyn↗

arXiv2014

Diffusive MHD Instabilities: Beyond the Chandrasekhar Theorem

The magnetohydrodynamic stability of axially unbounded cylindrical flows is considered which contain a toroidal magnetic background field with the same radial profile as the linear azimuthal velocity. Chandrasekhar (1956) has shown for ideal fluids the stability of this configuration if the Alfven velocity of the field equals the velocity of the background flow. It is demonstrated for magnetized Taylor-Couette flows at the Rayleigh line, however, that for finite diffusivity such flows become unstable against nonaxisymmetric perturbations where the critical magnetic Reynolds number of the rotation rate does not depend on the magnetic Prandtl number Pm if Pm much << 1. In order to study this new diffusive azimuthal magnetorotational instability, flows and fields with the same radial profile but with different amplitudes are considered. For Pm << 1 the instability domain with the weakest fields and the slowest rotation rates lies below the Chandrasekhar line of equal amplitudes for Alfven velocity and rotation velocity. We find that then the lines of marginal instability scale with the Reynolds number and the Hartmann number. The minimum values of the field strength and the rotation rate which are needed for the instability (slightly) grow for more and more flat rotation. Finally, the corresponding electric current of the background field becomes so strong that the Tayler instability (which even exists without rotation) also appears in the bifurcation map at small Hartmann numbers displacing after all the azimuthal magnetorotational instability.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2014

Experimental evidence for non-axisymmetric magnetorotational instability in a rotating liquid metal exposed to an azimuthal magnetic field

The azimuthal version of the magnetorotational instability (MRI) is a non-axisymmetric instability of a hydrodynamically stable differentially rotating flow under the influence of a purely or predominantly azimuthal magnetic field. It may be of considerable importance for destabilizing accretion disks, and plays a central role in the concept of the MRI dynamo. We report the results of a liquid metal Taylor-Couette experiment that shows the occurrence of an azimuthal MRI in the expected range of Hartmann numbers.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2014

Laborexperimente zur Entstehung und Wirkung kosmischer Magnetfelder

Magnetic fields of cosmic bodies are generated by the hydromagnetic dynamo effect in moving electrically conducting fluids, such as liquid metals or plasmas. Once produced, cosmic magnetic fields are able to act back on moving fluids. This back-reaction may have dramatic consequences for cosmic structure formation, with the magnetorotational instability (MRI) in accretions disks as the most prominent example. Considerable theoretical and computational progress has been made in understanding both the dynamo effect as well as magnetically triggered flow instabilities. Complementary to this, the last fifteen years have seen much effort in studying both effects in liquid metal experiments. We summarize the history of these experiments, discuss their main results and their limitations, and give an outlook on future activities.

physics.hist-ph↗

arXiv2013

Current-driven flow instabilities in large-scale liquid metal batteries, and how to tame them

The use of liquid metal batteries is considered as one promising option for electric grid stabilisation. While large versions of such batteries are preferred in view of the economies of scale, they are susceptible to various magnetohydrodynamic instabilities which imply a risk of short-circuiting the battery due to the triggered fluid flow. Here we focus on the current driven Tayler instability and give critical electrical currents for its onset as well as numerical estimates for the appearing flow structures and speeds. Scaling laws for different materials, battery sizes and geometries are found. We further discuss and compare various means for preventing the instability.

physics.flu-dyn↗

arXiv2013

Instabilities of rotational flows in azimuthal magnetic fields of arbitrary radial dependence

Using the WKB approximation we perform a linear stability analysis for a rotational flow of a viscous and electrically conducting fluid in an external azimuthal magnetic field that has an arbitrary radial profile B_{phi}(R). In the inductionless approximation, we find the growth rate of the three-dimensional perturbation in a closed form and demonstrate in particular that it can be positive when the velocity profile is Keplerian and the magnetic field profile is slightly shallower than R^{-1}.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2013

Extending the range of the inductionless magnetorotational instability

The magnetorotational instability (MRI) can destabilize hydrodynamically stable rotational flows, thereby allowing angular momentum transport in accretion disks. A notorious problem for MRI is its questionable applicability in regions with low magnetic Prandtl number, as they are typical for protoplanetary disks and the outer parts of accretion disks around black holes. Using the WKB method, we extend the range of applicability of MRI by showing that the inductionless versions of MRI, such as the helical MRI and the azimuthal MRI, can easily destabilize Keplerian profiles ~ 1/r^(3/2) if the radial profile of the azimuthal magnetic field is only slightly modified from the current-free profile ~ 1/r. This way we further show how the formerly known lower Liu limit of the critical Rossby number, Ro=-0.828, connects naturally with the upper Liu limit, Ro=+4.828.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2012

Experimental realization of dynamo action: present status and prospects

In the last decades, the experimental study of dynamo action has made great progress. However, after the dynamo experiments in Karlsruhe and Riga, the von-Karman-Sodium (VKS) dynamo is only the third facility that has been able to demonstrate fluid flow driven self-generation of magnetic fields in a laboratory experiment. Further progress in the experimental examination of dynamo action is expected from the planned precession driven dynamo experiment that will be designed in the framework of the liquid sodium facility DRESDYN (DREsden Sodium facility for DYNamo and thermohydraulic studies). In this paper, we briefly present numerical models of the VKS dynamo that demonstrate the close relation between the axisymmetric field observed in that experiment and the soft iron material used for the flow driving impellers. We further show recent results of preparatory water experiments and design studies related to the precession dynamo and delineate the scientific prospects for the final set-up.

physics.flu-dyn↗

arXiv2012

Forward and inverse problems in fundamental and applied magnetohydrodynamics

This Minireview summarizes the recent efforts to solve forward and inverse problems as they occur in different branches of fundamental and applied magnetohydrodynamics. As for the forward problem, the main focus is on the numerical treatment of induction processes, including self-excitation of magnetic fields in non-spherical domains and/or under the influence of non-homogeneous material parameters. As an important application of the developed numerical schemes, the functioning of the von-Kármán-sodium (VKS) dynamo experiment is shown to depend crucially on the presence of soft-iron impellers. As for the inverse problem, the main focus is on the mathematical background and some first practical applications of the Contactless Inductive Flow Tomography (CIFT), in which flow induced magnetic field perturbations are utilized for the reconstruction of the velocity field. The promises of CIFT for flow field monitoring in the continuous casting of steel are substantiated by results obtained at a test rig with a low melting liquid metal. While CIFT is presently restricted to flows with low magnetic Reynolds numbers, some selected problems of non-linear inverse dynamo theory, with possible application to geo- and astrophysics, are also discussed.

physics.flu-dyn↗

arXiv2012

Numerical simulation of the Tayler instability in liquid metals

The electrical current through an incompressible, viscous and resistive liquid conductor produces an azimuthal magnetic field that becomes unstable when the corresponding Hartmann number exceeds a critical value in the order of 20. This Tayler instability, which is not only discussed as a key ingredient of a non-linear stellar dynamo model (Tayler-Spruit dynamo), but also as a limiting factor for the maximum size of large liquid metal batteries, was recently observed experimentally in a column of a liquid metal (Seilmayer et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 108, 244501, 2012}. On the basis of an integro-differential equation approach, we have developed a fully three-dimensional numerical code, and have utilized it for the simulation of the Tayler instability at typical viscosities and resistivities of liquid metals. The resulting growth rates are in good agreement with the experimental data. We illustrate the capabilities of the code for the detailed simulation of liquid metal battery problems in realistic geometries.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2012

Impact of time-dependent non-axisymmetric velocity perturbations on dynamo action of von-Kármán-like flows

We have performed numerical simulations of the kinematic induction equation in order to examine the dynamo efficiency of an axisymmetric von-Kármán-like flow subject to time-dependent non-axisymmetric velocity perturbations. The numerical model is based on the setup of the French Von-Kármán-Sodium dynamo (VKS) and on the flow measurements from a model water experiment conducted at the University of Navarra in Pamplona, Spain. Our simulations show that the interactions of azimuthally drifting flow perturbations with the fundamental drift of the magnetic eigenmode (caused by the inevitable equatorial symmetry breaking of the basic flow) essentially determine the temporal behavior of the dynamo state. We find two distinct regimes of dynamo action that depend on the (prescribed) drift frequency of an ($m=2$) vortex-like flow perturbation. For comparatively slowly drifting vortices we observe a narrow window with enhanced growth-rates and a drift of the magnetic eigenmode that is synchronized with the perturbation drift. The resonance-like enhancement of the growth-rates takes place when the vortex drift frequency roughly equals the drift frequency of the magnetic eigenmode in the unperturbed system. Outside of this small window, the field generation is hampered compared to the unperturbed case, and the field amplitude of the magnetic eigenmode is modulated with approximately twice the vortex drift frequency. The abrupt transition between the resonant regime and the modulated regime is identified as an spectral exceptional point where eigenvalues (growth-rates and frequencies) and eigenfunctions of two previously independent modes collapse.

physics.flu-dyn↗

arXiv2012

Critical fields and growth rates of the Tayler instability as probed by a columnar gallium experiment

Many astrophysical phenomena (such as the slow rotation of neutron stars or the rigid rotation of the solar core) can be explained by the action of the Tayler instability of toroidal magnetic fields in the radiative zones of stars. In order to place the theory of this instability on a safe fundament it has been realized in a laboratory experiment measuring the critical field strength, the growth rates as well as the shape of the supercritical modes. A strong electrical current flows through a liquid-metal confined in a resting columnar container with an insulating outer cylinder. As the very small magnetic Prandtl number of the gallium-indium-tin alloy does not influence the critical Hartmann number of the field amplitudes, the electric currents for marginal instability can also be computed with direct numerical simulations. The results of this theoretical concept are confirmed by the experiment. Also the predicted growth rates of the order of minutes for the nonaxisymmetric perturbations are certified by the measurements. That they do not directly depend on the size of the experiment is shown as a consequence of the weakness of the applied fields and the absence of rotation.

astro-ph.SR↗