arXiv subjects

Gunter Gerbeth

Publications and source records attributed to Gunter Gerbeth.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2022

Bubble size distribution and electrode coverage at porous nickel electrodes in a novel 3-electrode flow-through cell

A novel 3-electrode cell type is introduced to run parametrical studies of H$_2$ evolution in an alkaline electrolyte on porous electrodes. Electrochemical methods combined with a high-speed optical measurement system are applied simultaneously to characterize the electrodes and the bubble dynamics in terms of bubble size distribution and coverage of the working electrode. Three different cathodes made of expanded nickel are investigated at applied current densities of |j| = 10 to 200 mA cm$^{-2}$ without forced flow and at a flow rate of 5 ml min$^{-1}$. The applied current density is found to significantly influence both the size of detached bubbles and the surface coverage of the working electrode. The forced flow through the cathodes is found to strongly reduce the bubble size up to current densities of about 100 mA cm$^{-2}$, whereas the initial transient until the cathode surface is completely covered by bubbles is only marginally affected by the flow-through.

physics.flu-dyn↗

arXiv2017

The DRESDYN project: planned experiments and present status

The Dresden sodium facility for dynamo and thermohydraulic studies (DRESDYN) is a platform for large-scale liquid sodium experiments devoted to fundamental geo- and astrophysical questions as well as to various applied problems related to the conversion and storage of energy. Its most ambitious part is a precession driven dynamo experiment comprising 8 tons of liquid sodium supposed to rotate with up to 10 Hz and to precess with up to 1 Hz. Another large-scale set-up is a Tayler-Couette experiment with a gap width of 0.2 m and a height of 2 m, whose inner cylinder rotates with up to 20 Hz. Equipped with a coil system for the generation of an axial field of up to 120 mT and two different axial currents through the center and the liquid sodium, this experiment aims at studying various versions of the magnetorotational instability and their combinations with the Tayler instability. We discuss the physical background of these two experiments and delineate the present status of their technical realization. Other installations, such as a sodium loop and a test stand for In-Service-Inspection experiments will also be sketched.

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

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↗

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

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↗

arXiv2011

Experimental evidence for Tayler instability in a liquid metal column

In the current-driven, kink-type Tayler instability (TI) a sufficiently strong azimuthal magnetic field becomes unstable against non-axisymmetric perturbations. The TI has been discussed as a possible ingredient of the solar dynamo mechanism and a source of the helical structures in cosmic jets. It is also considered as a size limiting factor for liquid metal batteries. We report on a liquid metal TI experiment using a cylindrical column of the eutectic alloy GaInSn to which electrical currents of up to 8 kA are applied. We present results of external magnetic field measurements that indicate the occurrence of the TI in good agreement with numerical predictions. The interference of TI with the competing large scale convection, resulting from Joule heating, is also discussed.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2011

Integral equations in MHD: theory and application

The induction equation of kinematic magnetohydrodynamics is mathematically equivalent to a system of integral equations for the magnetic field in the bulk of the fluid and for the electric potential at its boundary. We summarize the recent developments concerning the numerical implementation of this scheme and its applications to various forward and inverse problems in dynamo theory and applied MHD.

physics.flu-dyn↗

arXiv2011

Single-magnet rotary flowmeter for liquid metals

We present a theory of single-magnet flowmeter for liquid metals and compare it with experimental results. The flowmeter consists of a freely rotating permanent magnet, which is magnetized perpendicularly to the axle it is mounted on. When such a magnet is placed close to a tube carrying liquid metal flow, it rotates so that the driving torque due to the eddy currents induced by the flow is balanced by the braking torque induced by the rotation itself. The equilibrium rotation rate, which varies directly with the flow velocity and inversely with the distance between the magnet and the layer, is affected neither by the electrical conductivity of the metal nor by the magnet strength. We obtain simple analytical solutions for the force and torque on slowly moving and rotating magnets due to eddy currents in a layer of infinite horizontal extent. The predicted equilibrium rotation rates qualitatively agree with the magnet rotation rate measured on a liquid sodium flow in stainless steel duct.

physics.ins-det↗

arXiv2011

How to circumvent the size limitation of liquid metal batteries due to the Tayler instability

Recently, a new type of battery has been proposed that relies on the principle of self-assembling of a liquid metalloid positive electrode, a liquid electrolyte, and a liquid metal negative electrode. While this configuration has been claimed to allow arbitrary up-scaling, there is a size limitation of such a system due to a current-driven kink-type instability that is known as the Tayler instability. We characterize this instability in large-scale self-assembled liquid metal batteries and discuss various technical means how it can be avoided.

physics.flu-dyn↗

arXiv2011

Contactless Electromagnetic Phase-Shift Flowmeter for Liquid Metals

We present a concept and test results of an eddy-current flowmeter for liquid metals. The flow rate is determined by applying a weak ac magnetic field to a liquid metal flow and measuring the flow-induced phase disturbance in the external electromagnetic field. The phase disturbance is found to be more robust than that of the amplitude used in conventional eddy-current flowmeters. The basic characteristics of this type of flowmeter are analysed using simple theoretical models, where the flow is approximated by a solid body motion. Design of such a flowmeter is presented and its test results reported.

physics.ins-det↗

arXiv2010

Energy oscillations and a possible route to chaos in a modified Riga dynamo

Starting from the present version of the Riga dynamo experiment with its rotating magnetic eigenfield dominated by a single frequency we ask for those modifications of this set-up that would allow for a non-trivial magnetic field behaviour in the saturation regime. Assuming an increased ratio of azimuthal to axial flow velocity, we obtain energy oscillations with a frequency below the eigenfrequency of the magnetic field. These new oscillations are identified as magneto-inertial waves that result from a slight imbalance of Lorentz and inertial forces. Increasing the azimuthal velocity further, or increasing the total magnetic Reynolds number, we find transitions to a chaotic behaviour of the dynamo.

astro-ph.EP↗

arXiv2010

Role of soft-iron impellers on the mode selection in the VKS dynamo experiment

A crucial point for the understanding of the von-Kármán-Sodium (VKS) dynamo experiment is the influence of soft-iron impellers. We present numerical simulations of a VKS-like dynamo with a localized permeability distribution that resembles the shape of the flow driving impellers. It is shown that the presence of soft-iron material essentially determines the dynamo process in the VKS experiment. % An axisymmetric magnetic field mode can be explained by the combined action of the soft-iron disk and a rather small $α$-effect parametrizing the induction effects of unresolved small scale flow fluctuations.

physics.comp-ph↗

arXiv2009

Helical magnetorotational instability in a Taylor-Couette flow with strongly reduced Ekman pumping

The magnetorotational instability (MRI) is thought to play a key role in the formation of stars and black holes by sustaining the turbulence in hydrodynamically stable Keplerian accretion discs. In previous experiments the MRI was observed in a liquid metal Taylor-Couette flow at moderate Reynolds numbers by applying a helical magnetic field. The observation of this helical MRI (HMRI) was interfered with a significant Ekman pumping driven by solid end-caps that confined the instability only to a part of the Taylor-Couette cell. This paper describes the observation of the HMRI in an improved Taylor-Couette setup with the Ekman pumping significantly reduced by using split end-caps. The HMRI, which now spreads over the whole height of the cell, appears much sharper and in better agreement with numerical predictions. By analyzing various parameter dependencies we conclude that the observed HMRI represents a self-sustained global instability rather than a noise-sustained convective one.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2009

Absolute versus convective helical magnetorotational instability in a Taylor-Couette flow

We analyze numerically the magnetorotational instability of a Taylor-Couette flow in a helical magnetic field (HMRI) using the inductionless approximation defined by a zero magnetic Prandtl number (Pm=0). The Chebyshev collocation method is used to calculate the eigenvalue spectrum for small amplitude perturbations. First, we carry out a detailed conventional linear stability analysis with respect to perturbations in the form of Fourier modes that corresponds to the convective instability which is not in general self-sustained. The helical magnetic field is found to extend the instability to a relatively narrow range beyond its purely hydrodynamic limit defined by the Rayleigh line. There is not only a lower critical threshold at which HMRI appears but also an upper one at which it disappears again. The latter distinguishes the HMRI from a magnetically-modified Taylor vortex flow. Second, we find an absolute instability threshold as well. In the hydrodynamically unstable regime before the Rayleigh line, the threshold of absolute instability is just slightly above the convective one although the critical wave length of the former is noticeably shorter than that of the latter. Beyond the Rayleigh line the lower threshold of absolute instability rises significantly above the corresponding convective one while the upper one descends significantly below its convective counterpart. As a result, the extension of the absolute HMRI beyond the Rayleigh line is considerably shorter than that of the convective instability. The absolute HMRI is supposed to be self-sustained and, thus, experimentally observable without any external excitation in a system of sufficiently large axial extension.

physics.flu-dyn↗

arXiv2008

Liquid metal experiments on the helical magnetorotational instability

The magnetorotational instability (MRI) plays an essential role in the formation of stars and black holes. By destabilizing hydrodynamically stable Keplerian flows, the MRI triggers turbulence and enables outward transport of angular momentum in accretion discs. We present the results of a liquid metal Taylor-Couette experiment under the influence of helical magnetic fields that show typical features of MRI at Reynolds numbers of the order 1000 and Hartmann numbers of the order 10. Particular focus is laid on an improved experiment in which split end caps are used to minimize the Ekman pumping.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2008

Magnetohydrodynamic experiments on cosmic magnetic fields

It is widely known that cosmic magnetic fields, i.e. the fields of planets, stars, and galaxies, are produced by the hydromagnetic dynamo effect in moving electrically conducting fluids. It is less well known that cosmic magnetic fields play also an active role in cosmic structure formation by enabling outward transport of angular momentum in accretion disks via the magnetorotational instability (MRI). Considerable theoretical and computational progress has been made in understanding both processes. In addition to this, the last ten years have seen tremendous efforts in studying both effects in liquid metal experiments. In 1999, magnetic field self-excitation was observed in the large scale liquid sodium facilities in Riga and Karlsruhe. Recently, self-excitation was also obtained in the French "von Karman sodium" (VKS) experiment. An MRI-like mode was found on the background of a turbulent spherical Couette flow at the University of Maryland. Evidence for MRI as the first instability of an hydrodynamically stable flow was obtained in the "Potsdam Rossendorf Magnetic Instability Experiment" (PROMISE). In this review, the history of dynamo and MRI related experiments is delineated, and some directions of future work are discussed.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2008

Inferring basic parameters of the geodynamo from sequences of polarity reversals

The asymmetric time dependence and various statistical properties of polarity reversals of the Earth's magnetic field are utilized to infer some of the most essential parameters of the geodynamo, among them the effective (turbulent) magnetic diffusivity, the degree of supercriticality, and the relative strength of the periodic forcing which is believed to result from the Milankovic cycle of the Earth's orbit eccentricity. A time-stepped spherically symmetric alpha^2-dynamo model is used as the kernel of an inverse problem solver in form of a downhill simplex method which converges to solutions that yield a stunning correspondence with paleomagnetic data.

physics.geo-ph↗