Experimental and numerical study of a liquid metal magnetohydrodynamic generator for thermoacoustic power generation

Combining a thermoacoustic cycle engine with a liquid metal magnetohydrodynamic (LMMHD) generator will result in a thermal power generation system with no mechanical moving parts and high reliability. This disruptive technology has drawn much attention in space nuclear power generation, especially in recent years. It requires an LMMHD generator to work at a higher frequency than conventional LMMHD generators targeted for ocean wave energy conversion. However, the operating characteristics and loss mechanisms of LMMHD generators at high operating frequencies remain poorly understood, and experimental characterization of such a generator is lacking. In this work, a three-dimensional transient numerical analysis of a high-frequency LMMHD generator is performed based on multi-physics field simulation software COMSOL, to understand the operating characteristics of the generator, and the effects of inlet velocity, load resistance, and operating frequency on the generator’s performance. Furthermore, an LMMHD generator prototype was designed, constructed, and tested under different inlet velocities, load resistances, and frequencies by using a linear compressor for the first time. When the operating frequency and inlet velocity are 15 Hz and 4.3 m/s, the output voltage and current of the generator prototype reached 113 mV and 1720 A, with an output power of 68 W at a corresponding acoustic-to-electric efficiency of 24 %. A discrepancy between the numerical predictions and the experimental results was found, which gave insight into where further improvements can be made. This work reveals the operating characteristics and losses mechanism of LMMHD generators operating at higher frequencies and contributes to the development of high-efficiency generators for thermoacoustic power generation.