Patterned turbulence and relaminarization in MHD pipe and duct flows

We present results of a numerical analysis of relaminarization processes in MHD duct and pipe flows. It is motivated by Julius Hartmann’s classical experiments on flows of mercury in pipes and ducts under the influence of magnetic fields. The simulations, conducted both in periodic and non-periodic settings, provide a first detailed view of flow structures that have not been experimentally accessible. The main novelty of the analysis is very long (tens to hundreds of hydraulic diameters) computational domains that allows to discover new flow regimes with localized turbulent spots near the side walls parallel to the magnetic field. The computed critical parameters for transition as well as the friction coefficients are in good agreement with Hartmann’s data.