Steady state descriptions of MHD plasma flows

An analysis of one-dimensional and multi-dimensional models of the steady state regime of the flow in an MHD channel has been done. A one-dimensional model is obtained from the balance of the fluxes of the fluid dynamic quantities in volume elements of the channel. The boundary layer effects on the fluid dynamics and on the electrodynamics are taken into account by means of a semi-empirical formulation. A two-dimensional model is described. It considers both the fluid dynamics and the electrodynamics. The effect of turbulence is described by means of the Lauder-Jones eddy viscosity model. The models are utilized for the analysis of a 3 m length diagonal channel. The results are compared with those of a three dimensional model reported in the literature. A good agreement is obtained. Furthermore the effect of turbulence on the results of the two-dimensional model is studied. Turbulence results to dominate the fluid dynamic behavior of the flow