MHD Energy Conversion Revisited Application of a Caspar Milquetoast Plasma

Jeff Freidberg

MIT PSFC

Tuesday, April 30, 2024

12:00pm

NW17-218 Hybrid

PSFC Seminars

PSFC Team: J.P. Freidberg, D. Whyte, M. Clingerman, S. Frank

Abstract: The research presented revisits an old idea – using MHD energy conversion as a topping cycle for commercial electricity power plants.  If successful, such a topping cycle could increase the standard steam cycle plant efficiency from 35% to over 55%, an obviously worthwhile goal.  We have been motivated to revisit MHD energy conversion, a program largely terminated in the USA in the 1990’s, for two important reasons.  First, there have been new technological advances, the main one being the recent development of high field HTS magnets producing fields on the order of 15-20 T as compared to the typical maximum 3-5 T fields available during the MHD era. Higher fields should improve MHD performance and reduce cost.  Second, concerns about CO2 emissions and climate change are far more serious today than during the MHD era.  Reducing emissions and costs produces important benefits to society.   In terms of specifics, we have developed a new, self-consistent, quasi 1-D plus time analytic model for Faraday, Hall, and diagonal MHD generators in linear and cylindrical disk geometries.  The models have been applied to open cycle MHD systems (fossil fuels) as well as closed cycle systems (fission, fusion) to quantify the impact of high magnetic field on MHD generator performance.  Detailed results, largely favorable, will be presented at the seminar.  For those unfamiliar with Caspar Milquetoast, he too will be described at the seminar, including the reason why he is important for MHD energy conversion.

Brief Bio-sketch: Jeffrey Freidberg

Education: PhD Electrophysics, Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn, 06/1964

Current Position:  

       Korea Electric Power Professor Emeritus

       Department of Nuclear Science and Engineering

MIT

Previous Positions:

KEPCO Professor NSE MIT, Department Head NSE MIT, Associate Director PSFC, PSFC Theory Group Leader, Fusion Theory Group Leader Los Alamos, N.M., Fusion Post-Doc Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences

Scientific Contributions:

Many publications, author of graduate level fusion textbooks “Plasma Physics and Fusion Energy” and “Ideal MHD”.