Thermoacoustic magnetohydrodynamic electrical generator
Abstract
A thermoacoustic magnetohydrodynamic electrical generator includes an intrinsically irreversible thermoacoustic heat engine coupled to a magnetohydrodynamic electrical generator. The heat engine includes an electrically conductive liquid metal as the working fluid and includes two heat exchange and thermoacoustic structure assemblies which drive the liquid in a push-pull arrangement to cause the liquid metal to oscillate at a resonant acoustic frequency on the order of 1000 Hz. The engine is positioned in the field of a magnet and is oriented such that the liquid metal oscillates in a direction orthogonal to the field of the magnet, whereby an alternating electrical potential is generated in the liquid metal. Low-loss, low-inductance electrical conductors electrically connected to opposite sides of the liquid metal conduct an output signal to a transformer adapted to convert the low-voltage, high-current output signal to a more usable higher voltage, lower current signal.
- Publication:
-
Patent Application Department of Energy
- Pub Date:
- November 1984
- Bibcode:
- 1984doe..reptT....W
- Keywords:
-
- Acoustics;
- Hydrodynamics;
- Magnetohydrodynamic Generators;
- Thermodynamic Properties;
- Thermoelectric Generators;
- Electric Potential;
- Heat Exchangers;
- Liquid Metals;
- Magnetic Properties;
- Oscillations;
- Electronics and Electrical Engineering