Magneto-hydrodynamic characteristics of molten salts in a model-based high temperature superconducting conduction pump

The molten salt reactor which normally uses fluoride salts, chlorides and potassium salts as fuel and coolant has advantages in operation sustainability, economic value and security. It is regarded as an advanced nuclear reactor and is currently under development and design. One of the challenging issues for the reactor is their pumping system. Characteristics of molten salts allow them to be pumped by using electromagnetic force, but their low electrical conductivity requires high and compact magnetic field environment. In consequence, a DC electromagnetic pump with superconducting coils was designed and analyzed in this article. In order to study the dynamic behavior of molten salts under the interaction of the compact magnetic flux generated by superconducting coils with the iron yoke. A three-dimensional pumping system has been built. The superconducting coils are modeled by using the E-J constitutive law together with the T-A formulation based finite element method, while the studies of magneto-hydrodynamic characteristics of liquid molten salts are analyzed through the coupling of electromagnetism and fluid dynamics. Studies show that the electromagnetic pump has superior magneto-hydrodynamic properties with the operation of superconducting coils, under which condition liquid molten salts are driven smoothly through the channel of the pump.