Lorentz Force Particle Analyzer —Prototype experiments and numerical models

International audienceA new contactless technique to detect micron-sized insulating particles in the flow of an electrically conducting fluid is presented. A transverse magnetic field brakes the flow and tends to be itself entrained in the flow direction by a Lorentz force, which can be measured. The presence of particles suspended into the fluid results in changes of this Lorentz force acting on the magnet, whose pulses allow to count and size the particles. This technique may be severed as a method for high-temperature metallic melt cleanliness inspection