INTRODUCTION PRINCIPLE VARIOUS SYSTEMS ADVANTAGES DISADVANTAGES ITS FUTURE PROSPECTS

Eighty percent of total electricity is produced in the world, is hydral,while remaining 20% is produced from nuclear, thermal,solar,geothermal energy & from magnato hydrodynamic(mhd) generators. The field of MHD was initiated by Hannes Alfvn, for which he got the Nobel Prize in 1970. MHD power generation is a new system of electric power generation which is said to be of high efficiency and low pollution. In advanced countries MHD generators are widely used but in developing countries like India it is still under Construction. This construction work in progress in trichi, in tamilnadu,under joint efforts of BARC(Bhaba Atomic Research Centre), Associate cement corporation(ACC) & Russian technologists

An MHD generators converting heat energy of a fuel directly into electrical energy without conventional electric generator. In this system, an MHD converter system is a heat engine, in which heat is taken up at a higher temperature is partly converted into use full work and the remainder is rejected at a lower temperature.Like all heat engines, the thermal efficiency of an MHD converter is increased by supplying the heat at the highest practical temperature and rejecting it at the lowest practical temperature.

When an electric conductor moves across a magnetic field a voltage is Induced in it which produces an electric current. This is the principle of the conventional generator where the Conductors consists of copper strips. In MHD generator the solid conductors are replaced by gaseous conductor; an ionized gas. If such a gas is passed at a high velocity through a powerful magnetic field, a current is generated and extracted by placing electrode in a suitable position in the steam. The principle can be explained as follows. An electric conductor moving through a magnetic field experiences a retarding force as well as an induced electric field and current.

The effect is a result of faradays law of electromagnetic induction The induced emf is given by

Where, u=velocity of the conductor B=Magnetic field intensity

The induced current is given by,

Where, =electric conductivity

The retarding force on the conductor is Lorentz force given by

The electromagnetic is the principle not limited to solid conductors . The movement of a conducting fluid through a magnetic field can also generate electrical energy.

When a fluid is used for the energy conversion technique, it is called the MAGNATO HYDRODYNAMIC(MHD) ,energy conversion.

If the flow direction is right angles to the magnetic field direction , an electromotive force (or electric voltage) is induced in the right direction at right angles to both to both flow & field direction, as shown in the next slide.

The conducting fluid is forced between the plates with a kinetic energy & pressure differential sufficient to overcome the magnetic induction Force

Find.

The end view drawing illustrates the construction of the flow of channel.
An ionized gas is employed as a conducting fluid. Ionization is produced either by thermal means i.e. by an elevated temperature or by seeding with substance like cesium or potassium vapours which ionize at relatively low temperatures.
The atoms of seed element split off electrons. The presence of the negatively charged electrons make the carrier gas an electrical conductor.

Thus the MHD systems can be classified broadly as follows:

1) Open cycle system 2)Close cycle system a)Seeded inert gas system

b) Liquid metal system

Fuel use may be oil through an oil tank or gasified coal through a coal gasification plant. The fuel(coal , oil or natural gas ) is burnt in the combustor, combustion chamber. The hot gases from combustor is then seeded with a small amount of an ionized alkali metal(cesium or potassium ) to increase the electrical conductivity of the gas. The seed material , generally potassium carbonate is injected in to the combustion chamber , the potassium is then ionized by the hot combustion gases at temperature roughly (2300-2700 c)

To attain such high temperature ,the compressed air used to burn the coal in the combustion chamber ,must be adequate at least 1100c.A lower preheat temperature would be adequate if the air where enriched in oxygen. An alternative is use to compressed oxygen alone for combustion of fuel, little or no preheating is then required. The additional cost of the oxygen might be balanced by saving on the preheater.

The hot pressurized working fluid living the combustor flows through the convergent divergent nozzle. In passing through the nozzle , the random motion energy of the molecules in the hot gas is largely converted into directed, mass of energy. Thus the gas emerges from the nozzle and enters the MHD generator units at a high velocity.

The MHD generator is divergent channel made of heat resistant alloy with external water cooling . The hot gas expands through the rocket like generator surrounded by powerful magnet. During motion of the gas the +ve & -ve ions move to the electrode and constitute an electric current .

The arrangement of the electrode connection is determined by the need to reduce loss arising from the Hall effect. By this effect the magnetic field, acts on the MHD generated current and produces a voltage in flow direction of the working fluid rather than at right angles to it.

Two general type of closed cycle MHD generators are being investigated. 1) Electrical thermal conductivity is maintain in the working fluid by Ionization of a seed material, as in open cycle system. 2) A liquid metal provides the conductivity. The carrier is usually a chemical inert gas, all through a liquid carrier is been used with a liquid metal conductor. The working fluid is circulated in a closed loop and is heated by the combustion gases using a heat exchanger .Hence the heat sources & the working fluid are independent. The working fluid is helium or argon with cesium seeding.

In a closed cycle system the carrier gas operates in a form of Brayton cycle. In a closed system the gas is compressed & the heat is supplied by the source, At essentially constant pressure, the compressed gas then expand in the MHD generator & its pressure & temperature fall. After leaving the generator,heat is removed from the gas by a cooler, this is the heat rejection stage of the cycle. Finally the gas is recompressed & return for reheating. The complete system has three distinct but interlocking loops. On the left it is external heating loop. Coal is gasified & the gas burn in a combustor to provide heat. In the primary heat exchanger , the heat is transferred in to a carrier gas argon or helium of the MHD cycle. The combustion pressure after passing through the air preheater & purifier are discharge to the atmosphere.

Because the combustion system is separate from the working fluid, so also are the ash & the flue gases, hence the problem of extracting the seed material from the fly ash does not arise. Then the fuel gases are used to preheat the combustion air & then treated for fly ash and SO2 removal, if necessary prior to discharge through a stack to the atmosphere.

The loop in the centre is MHD loop. The hot argon gas is seeding with cesium & resulting working fluid is passed through the MHD generator at high speed. The dc power out of MHD generator is converted in ac by the inverter & is then fed into the grid.

When a liquid metal provides the electrical conductivity, an inert gas is convenient carrier. The carrier gas is pressurized & heated by passage through a heat exchanger with an combustion chamber. The hot gas is then incorporated into the liquid metal usually hot sodium to form the working fluid. The latter then consists of gas bubbles uniformly dispersed in an approximately equal volume of liquid sodium. The working fluid is introduced into the MHD generator through a nozzle in usual ways; the carrier gas then provides the required high direct velocity of the electrical conductor.

After passage through the generator, the liquid metal is separated from the carrier gases. Part of the heat remaining in the gas is transferred into water in a heat exchanger to produce steam for operating a turbine generator . Finally the carrier gas is cooled, compressed & returned to the combustion chamber for reheating & mixing with recovered liquid metal. The working fluid temp is usually around 800 c as the boiling point of sodium; even under moderate pressure is below 900c.

The lower operating temp then in other MHD conversion systems may be advantageous for the material stand point, but the max thermal efficiency is lower. A possible compromise might be to use liquid lithium, with a boiling point near 1300c as the electrical conductor lithium is much more expensive then sodium, but losses in a closed system may be small.

1) The conversion efficiency of a MHD system can be around 50 percent As compared to less than 40 percent for the most efficient steam plants. Still higher thermal efficiencies (60-65%)are expected in future, with the Improvements in experience & technology. 2)Large amount of power is generated 3)It has no moving parts, so more reliable. 4)The closed systems produces power free pollution.
5)It has ability to produces power free of pollution 6)The size of the plant is considerably smaller than conventional fossil fuel plants

7)Although the cost cannot be predicted very accurately, yet it has been reported that capital costs of MHD plants will be competitive with those of conventional steam plants. 8)It has been estimated that over hall operational ,cost in an MHD plant would be about 20% less than the conventional steam plants. 9) Direct conversion of heat in to electricity permits to eliminate the gas turbine(compared with a gas turbine power plant) or both the boiler & the turbine (compared with a still power plant). This elimination reduces losses of energy . 10)These system permits better fuel utilization .The reduced fuel consumption would offer additional economic & special benefits and also lead to conservation of energy sources.
11)It is possible to utilize MHD for peak power generation & emergency

services(up to 100 years per year) It has been estimated the MHD equipments for such duties is simpler , has the capability of generating in large units & has the ability to make rapid start to full load.

1) Heavy losses in the power electrode in MHD power plant. 2) The material used in the MHD power plant doesnt withstand in high temperatures.

In this topic we had a brief overview on the operation and related aspects of Magneto Hydrodynamic Generation. The technology of MHD power generation is poised for a big leap and as a major contender for future plant scheme. In India the department of science and the technology has sponsored a research and development programme in the field of coal based MHD generator. It has a lot of power still to get researched out but could be a future energy resource in the coming years.