Software simulation of magnetohydrodynamic cooling flow in curved porous fusion reactor channels

Abstract

This paper presents a numerical simulation of the hydrodynamic magnetoelectric cooling flow in a curved porous reactor channel. The research aims to evaluate the interrelated effects of channel curvature, porous resistivity, magnetic damping, and heat transfer on the hydrodynamic and thermal behavior of the candidate reactor chillers. The mass, momentum, pressure gradient, and energy equations were formulated in a curvature-compatible coordinate system. Porous resistivity was represented using the Darcy-Brinkman-Forchheimer model, while the magnetic interaction was incorporated through a quasi-static magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) approximation. The resulting interrelated equations were solved in MATLAB R2025b using the finite difference fractionation method and iterative solution. Four chillers were examined within the same geometric and numerical framework: water, helium, Pb-17Li, and a Pb-17Li+AlN nanofluid. The results show that curvature and porous resistivity modify the velocity distribution and increase the pressure gradient requirements, while magnetic damping contributes to the stability of the conductive flows by inhibiting secondary motion. The thermal results indicate that the Pb17Li+AlN nanofluid improves heat transfer behavior compared to base coolants, despite its high hydraulic resistance. The proposed simulation framework could support future IoT-enabled integrated reactor cooling monitoring systems.