69 research outputs found
Contactless inductive flow tomography
The three-dimensional velocity field of a propeller driven liquid metal flow
is reconstructed by a contactless inductive flow tomography (CIFT). The
underlying theory is presented within the framework of an integral equation
system that governs the magnetic field distribution in a moving electrically
conducting fluid. For small magnetic Reynolds numbers this integral equation
system can be cast into a linear inverse problem for the determination of the
velocity field from externally measured magnetic fields. A robust
reconstruction of the large scale velocity field is already achieved by
applying the external magnetic field alternately in two orthogonal directions
and measuring the corresponding sets of induced magnetic fields. Kelvin's
theorem is exploited to regularize the resulting velocity field by using the
kinetic energy of the flow as a regularizing functional. The results of the new
technique are shown to be in satisfactory agreement with ultrasonic
measurements.Comment: 9 Figures; to appear in Phys. Rev
Triadic resonances in non-linear simulations of a fluid flow in a precessing cylinder
We present results from three-dimensional non-linear hydrodynamic simulations
of a precession driven flow in cylindrical geometry. The simulations are
motivated by a dynamo experiment currently under development at
Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR) in which the possibility of
generating a magnetohydrodynamic dynamo will be investigated in a cylinder
filled with liquid sodium and simultaneously rotating around two axes. In this
study, we focus on the emergence of non-axisymmetric time-dependent flow
structures in terms of inertial waves which - in cylindrical geometry - form
so-called Kelvin modes. For a precession ratio
the amplitude of the forced Kelvin mode
reaches up to one fourth of the rotation velocity of the cylindrical container
confirming that precession provides a rather efficient flow driving mechanism
even at moderate values of . More relevant for dynamo action might
be free Kelvin modes with higher azimuthal wave number. These free Kelvin modes
are triggered by non-linear interactions and may constitute a triadic resonance
with the fundamental forced mode when the height of the container matches their
axial wave lengths. Our simulations reveal triadic resonances at aspect ratios
close to those predicted by the linear theory except around the primary
resonance of the forced mode. In that regime we still identify various free
Kelvin modes, however, all of them exhibit a retrograde drift around the
symmetry axis of the cylinder and none of them can be assigned to a triadic
resonance. The amplitudes of the free Kelvin modes always remain below the
forced mode but may reach up to 6% of the of the container's angular velocity.
The properties of the free Kelvin modes will be used in future simulations of
the magnetic induction equation to investigate their ability to provide for
dynamo action.Comment: 26 pages, 14 figures, submitted to New J. Phy
Towards a precession driven dynamo experiment
The most ambitious project within the DREsden Sodium facility for DYNamo and
thermohydraulic studies (DRESDYN) at Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf
(HZDR) is the set-up of a precession-driven dynamo experiment. After discussing
the scientific background and some results of water pre-experiments and
numerical predictions, we focus on the numerous structural and design problems
of the machine. We also outline the progress of the building's construction,
and the status of some other experiments that are planned in the framework of
DRESDYN.Comment: 9 pages, 6 figures, submitted to Magnetohydrodynamic
Mode Conversion and Period Doubling at Plasma- Unity in an Alfv\'en-Wave Experiment with Liquid Rubidium
We report Alfv\'en-wave experiments with liquid rubidium at the Dresden High
Magnetic Field Laboratory (HLD). Reaching up to 63 T, the pulsed magnetic field
exceeds the critical value of 54 T at which the Alfv\'en speed becomes equal to
the sound speed (plasma- unity). At this threshold we observe a period
doubling of an applied 8 kHz CW excitation, a clear footprint for a parametric
resonance between magnetosonic waves and Alfv\'en waves.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figure
Alfv\'en wave experiments with liquid rubidium in a pulsed magnetic field
Magnetic fields are key ingredients for heating the solar corona to
temperatures of several million Kelvin. A particularly important region with
respect to this is the so-called magnetic canopy below the corona, where sound
and Alfv\'en waves have roughly the same speed and can, therefore, easily
transform into each other. We present the results of an Alfv\'en-wave
experiment with liquid rubidium carried out in a pulsed field of up to 63 T. At
the critical point of 54 T, where the speeds of Alfv\'en waves and sound
coincide, a new 4 kHz signal appears in addition to the externally excited 8
kHz torsional wave. This emergence of an Alfv\'en wave with a doubled period is
in agreement with the theoretical predictions of a parametric resonance between
the two wave types. We also present preliminary results from numerical
simulations of Alfv\'en and magneto-sonic waves using a compressible MHD code.Comment: 7 pages, 4 figure
The POLST program: a retrospective review of the demographics of use and outcomes in one community where advance directives are prevalent
OBJECTIVES: Determine the use and utility of the Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment (POLST) program in a community where powers of attorney for health care (POAHCs) are prevalent.
METHODS: A retrospective review of medical record and death certificate data of 400 adults who died between September 1, 2007, and March 31, 2008, in the La Crosse County, Wisconsin community. Demographic and cause-of-death data were collected from death certificates. Information about POAHC, POLST forms, and medical treatments provided in the last 30 days of life were abstracted from decedents' medical records.
RESULTS: Sixty-seven percent of decedents had a POLST form, whereas 22% had POAHC alone. In comparison with decedents with POAHC alone, decedents with a POLST form were significantly older (83 versus 77 years, p<0.001), more likely to die in a nursing home than in a hospital (p<0.001), and more likely to die from a terminal or chronic illnesses (97%). Decedents with POLST orders for higher levels of medical treatment received more treatment, and in only two cases was there evidence that treatment was discrepant with POLST orders. In 31% of all POLST forms, the person appointed in the POAHC consented to the POLST orders.
CONCLUSIONS: POLST can be a highly effective program to ensure that patient preferences are known and honored in all settings. POAHCs are valuable because they identify appropriate surrogates when patients are incapacitated
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.Comment: 30 pages, 22 figures, submitted to PR
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.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figure
Detection of a flow induced magnetic field eigenmode in the Riga dynamo facility
In an experiment at the Riga sodium dynamo facility, a slowly growing
magnetic field eigenmode has been detected over a period of about 15 seconds.
For a slightly decreased propeller rotation rate, additional measurements
showed a slow decay of this mode. The measured results correspond satisfactory
with numerical predictions for the growth rates and frequencies
Metal MatrixâMetal Nanoparticle Composites with Tunable Melting Temperature and High Thermal Conductivity for Phase-Change Thermal Storage
- âŠ