Computation of MHD buoyant flows at low Pr in a cubic enclosure with a full resolution of the Hartmann layers

Influence of a Magnetic Field on Liquid Metal Free Convection in an Internally Heated Cubic Enclosure

The buoyancy‐driven magnetohydrodynamic flow in a cubic enclosure was investigated by three‐dimensional numerical simulation. The enclosure was volumetrically heated by a uniform power density and cooled along two opposite vertical walls, all remaining walls being adiabatic. A uniform magnetic field was applied orthogonally to the gravity vector and to the temperature gradient. The Prandtl number was 0.0321 (characteristic of Pb–17Li at 300°C), the Rayleigh number was 104, and the Hartmann number was made to vary between 0 and 2×103. The steady‐state Navier–Stokes equations, in conjunction with a scalar transport equation for the fluid's enthalpy and with the Poisson equation for the electr…