arXiv subjects

Jānis Priede

Publications and source records attributed to Jānis Priede.

27 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2011

Inviscid helical magnetorotational instability in cylindrical Taylor-Couette flow

This paper presents the analysis of axisymmetric helical magnetorotational instability (HMRI) in the inviscid limit, which is relevant for astrophysical conditions. The inductionless approximation defined by zero magnetic Prandtl number is adopted to distinguish the HMRI from the standard MRI in the cylindrical Taylor-Couette flow subject to a helical magnetic field. Using a Chebyshev collocation method convective and absolute instability thresholds are computed in terms of the Elsasser number for a fixed ratio of inner and outer radii λ=2 and various ratios of rotation rates and helicities of the magnetic field. It is found that the extension of self-sustained HMRI modes beyond the Rayleigh limit does not reach the astrophysically relevant Keplerian rotation profile not only in the narrow- but also in the finite-gap approximation. The Keppler limit can be attained only by the convective HMRI mode provided that the boundaries are perfectly conducting. However, this mode requires not only a permanent external excitation to be observable but also has a long axial wave length, which is not compatible with limited thickness of astrophysical accretion disks.

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

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↗

arXiv2011

Edge pinch instability of oblate liquid metal drops in a transverse AC magnetic field

This paper considers the stability of liquid metal drops subject to a high-frequency AC magnetic field. An energy variation principle is derived in terms of the surface integral of the scalar magnetic potential. This principle is applied to a thin perfectly conducting liquid disk, which is used to model the drops constrained in a horizontal gap between two parallel insulating plates. Firstly, the stability of a circular disk is analysed with respect to small-amplitude harmonic edge perturbations. Analytical solution shows that the edge deformations with the azimuthal wavenumbers m=2,3,4... start to develop as the magnetic Bond number exceeds the critical threshold Bm_c=3pi(m+1)/2. The most unstable is m=2 mode, which corresponds to an elliptical deformation. Secondly, strongly deformed equilibrium shapes are modelled numerically by minimising the associated energy in combination with the solution of a surface integral equation for the scalar magnetic potential on an unstructured triangular mesh. The edge instability is found to result in the equilibrium shapes of either two- or threefold rotational symmetry depending on the magnetic field strength and the initial perturbation. The shapes of higher rotational symmetries are unstable and fall back to one of these two basic states. The developed method is both efficient and accurate enough for modelling of strongly deformed drop shapes.

physics.flu-dyn↗

arXiv2010

Oscillations of weakly viscous conducting liquid drops in a strong magnetic field

We analyse small-amplitude oscillations of a weakly viscous electrically conducting liquid drop in a strong uniform DC magnetic field. An asymptotic solution is obtained showing that the magnetic field does not affect the shape eigenmodes, which remain the spherical harmonics as in the non-magnetic case. Strong magnetic field, however, constrains the liquid flow associated with the oscillations and, thus, reduces the oscillation frequencies by increasing effective inertia of the liquid. In such a field, liquid oscillates in a two-dimensional (2D) way as solid columns aligned with the field. Two types of oscillations are possible: longitudinal and transversal to the field. Such oscillations are weakly damped by a strong magnetic field - the stronger the field, the weaker the damping, except for the axisymmetric transversal and inherently 2D modes. The former are overdamped because of being incompatible with the incompressibility constraint, whereas the latter are not affected at all because of being naturally invariant along the field. Since the magnetic damping for all other modes decreases inversely with the square of the field strength, viscous damping may become important in a sufficiently strong magnetic field. The viscous damping is found analytically by a simple energy dissipation approach which is shown for the longitudinal modes to be equivalent to a much more complicated eigenvalue perturbation technique. This study provides a theoretical basis for the development of new measurement methods of surface tension, viscosity and the electrical conductivity of liquid metals using the oscillating drop technique in a strong superimposed DC magnetic field.

physics.flu-dyn↗

arXiv2009

Pseudo--magnetorotational instability in a Taylor-Dean flow between electrically connected cylinders

We consider a Taylor-Dean-type flow of an electrically conducting liquid in an annulus between two infinitely long perfectly conducting cylinders subject to a generally helical magnetic field. The cylinders are electrically connected through a remote, perfectly conducting endcap, which allows a radial electric current to pass through the liquid. The radial current interacting with the axial component of magnetic field gives rise to the azimuthal electromagnetic force, which destabilizes the base flow by making its angular momentum decrease radially outwards. This instability, which we refer to as the pseudo--magnetorotational instability (MRI), looks like an MRI although its mechanism is basically centrifugal. In a helical magnetic field, the radial current interacting with the azimuthal component of the field gives rise to an axial electromagnetic force, which drives a longitudinal circulation. First, this circulation advects the Taylor vortices generated by the centrifugal instability, which results in a traveling wave as in the helical MRI (HMRI). However, the direction of travel of this wave is opposite to that of the true HMRI. Second, at sufficiently strong differential rotation, the longitudinal flow becomes hydrodynamically unstable itself. For electrically connected cylinders in a helical magnetic field, hydrodynamic instability is possible at any sufficiently strong differential rotation. In this case, there is no hydrodynamic stability limit defined in the terms of the critical ratio of rotation rates of inner and outer cylinders that would allow one to distinguish a hydrodynamic instability from the HMRI. These effects can critically interfere with experimental as well as numerical determination of MRI.

physics.flu-dyn↗

arXiv2009

Homopolar oscillating-disc dynamo driven by parametric resonance

We use a simple model of Bullard-type disc dynamo, in which the disc rotation rate is subject to harmonic oscillations, to analyze the generation of magnetic field by the parametric resonance mechanism. The problem is governed by a damped Mathieu equation. The Floquet exponents, which define the magnetic field growth rates, are calculated depending on the amplitude and frequency of the oscillations. Firstly, we show that the dynamo can be excited at significantly subcritical disc rotation rates when the latter is subject to harmonic oscillations with a certain frequency. Secondly, at supercritical mean rotation rates, the dynamo can also be suppressed but only in narrow frequency bands and at sufficiently large oscillation amplitudes.

physics.geo-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↗