DARPA is trying to use new more powerful superconducting magnets to triple the efficiency of a Magnetohydrodynamic drive for ultra-quiet navy ships. The PUMP program will develop an electrode material system solution for an efficient and reliable magnetohydrodynamic drive. The program will have multiple components to achieve this goal, including a modeling and simulation design tool, determination of an appropriate electrode, and design and manufacture of a prototype magnetohydrodynamic pump. The modeling and simulation design tool will be capable of coupling the multi-physics environment of electromagnetics, hydrodynamics, and electrochemistry. The electrode material system will be designed to be highly reliable, have a lifetime suitable for future shipboard applications, and sustain the efficiency of the system during sustained operations. The prototype will be used to validate both the electrode material system and the modeling and simulation tools.
Above – Yamato-1, a full-scale MHD ship, on display in Kobe, Japan
In 1992, the Japanese built a working magnetohydrodynamic drive into a 30 meter (100 foot) long test ship called the Yamato 1. It reached speeds of 6.6 knots with an efficiency of around 30% using a magnetic field strength of approximately 4 Tesla.I n the last couple years, the commercial fusion industry has made advances in rare-earth barium copper oxide (REBCO) magnets that have demonstrated large-scale magnetic fields as high as 20 Tesla that could potentially yield 90% efficiency in a magnetohydrodynamic drive.
The DARPA PUMP project aims to achieve a breakthrough to solve the electrode materials challenge.
Because no moving parts are involved, the magnetohydrodynamic drive system is pretty much silent running but for the sound of water.
A major problem when electric current, magnetic field, and saltwater interact is the development of gas bubbles over the electrode surfaces. The bubbles reduce efficiency and can collapse and erode the electrode surfaces. PUMP will address different approaches to reduce the effect of hydrolysis and erosion. The program also will enable modeling of interactions between the magnetic field, the hydrodynamic, and the electrochemical reactions, which all happen on different time and length scales.
“We’re hoping to leverage insights into novel material coatings from the fuel cell and battery industries, since they deal with the same bubble generation problem,” Swithenbank said. “We’re looking for expertise across all fields covering hydrodynamics, electrochemistry, and magnetics to form teams to help us finally realize a militarily relevant scale magnetohydrodynamic drive.”
PUMP is a 42-month program. There are multiple potential approaches to the MHD system including conductive and inductive approaches. The conductive approach involves a conductive current between a pair of electrodes within a magnetic field. The inductive approach uses a time-varying magnetic field and electric current.
Brian Wang is a Futurist Thought Leader and a popular Science blogger with 1 million readers per month. His blog Nextbigfuture.com is ranked #1 Science News Blog. It covers many disruptive technology and trends including Space, Robotics, Artificial Intelligence, Medicine, Anti-aging Biotechnology, and Nanotechnology.
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