The application of liquid-metal MHD (magnetohydrodynamics) to renewable energy sources

A system study of the OMACON liquid-metal MHD conversion technology was undertaken for SCE to define the potential gains that could be derived from the use of the technology in selected utility applications. Four applications studied were: (1) the solar power tower; (2) a medium temperature solar system employing line focus collectors; (3) geothermal power systems; and (4) an Integrated Coal-Gasifier Combined Cycle plant. Computer simulations were developed for each of the system applications and used to calculate thermodynamic performance; the computer simulations were also used to evaluate sensitivity of system performance to key component efficiencies and operating parameters. The computer simulations accounted for all known first-order loss mechanisms. Only the solar power tower and geothermal power system are presented in this paper.