Methods and systems for magnetohydrodynamic power conversion

Abstract

There is provided a method for wet-vapor, liquid-metal magnetohydrodynamic power conversion. The method includes partially boiling off, using at least a heat source, an electrically conductive, substantially single-phase working liquid, thus generating vapors which, together with the still liquid phase, produce a two-phase mixture, extracting electric power by passing the two-phase mixture through a two-phase MHD generator, causing the vapor phase of the two-phase mixture from the MHD generator to condense, by mixing in a condenser the two-phase stream exiting from the MHD generator with a stream of subcooled liquid metal, splitting the liquid exiting the condenser into a first part and a second part, returning the first part to the heat source to be reheated, subcooling the second part by passing it through a heat-exchanging means, accelerating the subcooled liquid metal to substantially match the velocity of the two-phase mixture in the condenser, and introducing the accelerated and subcooled liquid metal into the condenser to effect the condensing action. There is also provided a system for wet-vapor, liquid-metal magnetohydrodynamic power conversion.