Solutal buoyancy and electrovortex flow in liquid metal batteries

Abstract

Liquid metal batteries can be more rapidly charged and discharged when the bottom layer alloy is being efficiently mixed by flows. A numerical investigation into how solutal buoyancy and electrovortex flows interact and influence the alloy composition is presented. Theoretical estimates for the minimal flow magnitude needed to enhance mixing during discharge are derived, and a novel scaling law for the intensity of the solutal convection flow that is observed during charge is proposed.