3D MHD jet in a non-uniform magnetic field

The purpose of this paper is to present a two-phase 3D magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) flow model that combines the volume of fluid (VOF) method with the technique derived from induced-magnetic-field equations for liquid metal free surface MHD-jet-flow. Analogy between the induced-magnetic-filed equation and the conventional computational fluid dynamics (CFD) equation is made, so that the equation can be conveniently accounted for by CFD. A penalty factor numerical method is introduced in order to force the local divergence-free condition of the magnetic fields and an extension of the void insulating calculation domain is applied to ensure that the induced-magnetic field at its boundaries is null. These simulation results for lithium liquid metal jets under magnetic field configurations of Magnetic Torus (Mtor) and National Spherical Torus Experiment (NSTX) outboard divertor have shown that three dimensional jet can not be annihilated by magnetic braking and its cross-section will deform in such a way that the momentum flux of the jet is conserved. 3D MHD effects from a magnetic field gradient cause return currents to interact with applied magnetic fields and produce unfavorable Lorentz forces. Under 3D applied non-uniform magnetic fields of the divertor, unfavorable Lorentz forces lead to a substantial change in flow pattern and a reduction in flow velocity, with the jet cross-section moving to one side of the jet space. These critical phenomena can not be revealed by 2D models.