Modeling and Numerical Simulation of the Internal Inductive Coupling Effect in a Magnetohydrodynamic Pump

The equivalent electric circuit of an electrical machine is a powerful tool for analysis and it can also be very helpful in the design stage. In this paper, we present the work carried out to obtain the equivalent circuit of an electromagnetic pump, which consist of two other machines series connected. Each of these machines, a transformer-type one and an electromagnet, are affected by the magnetic field created by the other. This means that the simpler equivalent circuit formed by joining the well-known equivalent circuits of each machine is not valid. To understand the discrepancy between this simpler equivalent circuit and the real behavior of the electromagnetic pump, numerical simulation and experimental validation were used. As a result, a new equivalent circuit is proposed that considers an inductive coupling that exists between both machines.