Fluid dynamic instabilities in liquid metal batteries

Fluid dynamic instabilities can be highly beneficial for liquid metal batteries. They may enhance mass transfer in the cell and increase their efficiency. On the other hand a fluid flow should not become too strong in order to ensure a safe operation of the cell. Specifically, we study the following flow phenomena experimentally and numerically with OpenFOAM in liquid metal batteries:

• Tayler instability
• Electro-vortex flow
• Thermal convection
• Solutal convection
• Interfacial instabilities

Instabilities, Simulations, Experiments

Thermal Effects in Liquid Metal Batteries

Thermal convection appears in liquid metal batteries mainly in the anode, but also in the electrolyte of the cell.

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Electro-Vortex Flow

Electro-vortex flow may appear when an electric current di­verges or con­verges inside a liquid conductor.

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The Tayler Instability

The Tayler instability limits the up-scalability of liquid metal batteries and plays a major role in astrophysics.

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Interfacial instabilities

The metal pad roll instability limits the possible electrolyte layer thickness as well as the electric current for aluminium reduction cells as well as liquid metal batteries.

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Numerical Simulation of Liquid Metal Batteries

Numerical simulation allows a fast and easy study of the operating performance of liquid metal batteries.

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Experimental Investigation of Orbitally Excited Interfacial Waves in Two- and Three-Layer Systems

Interfacial instabilities have a leading role in the wide field of Magneto­hydro­dynamics. This instability is driven by a complex interaction of strong currents with external magnetic fields.

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Solutal convection

Solutal convection appears when charging a liquid metal battery, and improves mass transfer substantially.

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Local short circuits in liquid metal batteries

Local, small scale short circuits appear in liquid metal batteries for different reasons and have already been observed experimentally.

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