Based on the volume of fluid method

the behavioral mechanism

electromagnetic properties

and power generation performance of the gas-liquid metal two-phase flow in the generator are numerically investigated by changing the gas inlet velocity of the multiple-entrance magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) generator with varying volume fractions of gas and liquid metal. The results show that the two-phase fluids display a periodically varying flow pattern. There exists a positive correlation between the trend of the liquid metal volume fraction and the pressure differences caused by the interphase action in the vertical flow direction. In addition

the mixing homogeneity of the two-phase fluid deteriorates as the gas volume fraction increases. When the volume fraction ratio of the gas to the liquid metal at the inlet is 3.075

the two-phase flow pattern transforms from stratified gas-liquid-gas to slug flow

droplet flow

and strip flow sequentially

with a period of 0.030 8 s. Meanwhile

the unloaded generator gains the highest period-averaged electromagnetic efficiency of 83.8%. When the load coefficient is K=0.5

the two-phase flow in the generator is mostly annular-like flow

and the flow pattern's evolution period is shorter than that of the unloaded one

and the period average generation efficiency is 43.81%.