Simulation of a seawater MHD power generation system

MHD (magnetohydrodynamics) power generation systems are expected to become popular with the development of superconducting technology because of their low cost and high efficiency. MHD power generation directly utilizes electromotive force, which arises when seawater crosses a magnetic field. The helical-type MHD generator is composed mainly of a helical partition board and electrodes, which include a cathode pipe on the exterior of the generator and an anode rod in the interior. Elementary research on a helical-type MHD power generation system has started at Kobe University, and a numerical simulation of the system has been carried out by FEM (Finite Element Method) at the National Institute for Materials Science. By comparing the simulation results with the theoretical and experimental results, we found that the proposed method is valid for simulating the MHD power generation system. (C) 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.