Spatially resolved measurements in a liquid metal flow with Lorentz force velocimetry

Velocity measurements inside metal melt flows are important for many laboratory and industrial applications in metallurgy but remain experimentally challenging. Only few techniques are viable for the measurement of mean flow velocities inside hot and aggressive materials. One of them is the previously studied electromagnetic contact-free Lorentz force velocimetry. However, the desire to resolve velocities spatially has not been satisfied so far. In the work presented here, spatial resolution is reached with a Lorentz force flow meter (LFF) by implementing a permanent magnet whose dimensions are significantly smaller than that of the flow under investigation. It is shown on a straight square duct flow that such a flow meter is capable of distinguishing obstacles in the flow and the resulting modified flow structures. The spatial resolution of the LFF is demonstrated to be at least on the order of 3 cm with a 1 cm magnet cube.