Velocity measurements in the liquid metal flow driven by a two-phase inductor

TL;DR

This study investigates liquid metal flow driven by a two-phase inductor using ultrasonic Doppler velocimetry and potential probes, revealing flow structure changes and providing insights for crystal growth applications.

Contribution

It demonstrates how adjusting phase shift in a two-phase inductor alters flow structure, supported by experimental and numerical analysis, aiding design of electromagnetic stirring devices.

Findings

Flow changes from two toroidal vortices to a single vortex with phase shift increase.

Good agreement between experimental measurements and numerical simulations.

Results inform design of electromagnetic stirrers for metal and semiconductor processing.

Abstract

We present the results of velocity measurements obtained by ultrasonic Doppler velocimetry and local potential probes in the flow of GaInSn eutectic melt driven by a two-phase inductor in a cylindrical container. This type of flow is expected in a recent modification to the floating zone technique for the growth of small-diameter single intermetallic compound crystals. We show that the flow structure can be changed from the typical two toroidal vortices to a single vortex by increasing the phase shift between the currents in the two coils from 0 to 90 degrees. The latter configuration is thought to be favourable for the growth of single crystals. The flow is also computed numerically and a reasonable agreement with the experimental results is found. The obtained results may be useful for the design of combined two-phase electromagnetic stirrers and induction heaters for metal or semiconductor melts.