Experimental investigation of the origin of residual disturbances in turbulent MHD flows after laminarization

The problem of the strong velocity disturbances remaining after the laminarization of an electroconductive fluid flow in a transverse magnetic field was investigated experimentally. The turbulence intensities, two-point correlations, and energy spectra of the velocity pulsations were measured using two-electrode probes and hot-film sensors. The two hypotheses with regard to a physical explanation of the persistence of the disturbances were examined, and it was concluded that these disturbances are generated mainly at the entry of the flow into the magnetic-field region. An almost undisturbed laminarized flow was obtained by eliminating the entry effects.