Publications

We report a semianalytic and numerical investigation of the maximal induced Lorentz force on an electrically conducting cylinder in translation along its axis that is caused by the presence of multiple distant magnetic dipoles. The problem is motivated by Lorentz force velocimetry, where induction creates a drag force on a magnet system placed next to a conducting flow. The magnetic field should maximize this drag force, which is usually quite small. Our approach is based on a long-wave theory developed for a single distant magnetic dipole. We determine the optimal orientations of the dipole moments providing the strongest Lorentz force for different dipole configurations using numerical optimization methods. Different constraints are considered for dipoles arranged on a concentric circle in a plane perpendicular to the cylinder axis. In this case, the quadratic form for the force in terms of the dipole moments can be obtained analytically, and it resembles the expression of the energy in a classical spin model. When all dipoles are equal and their positions on the circle are not constrained, the maximal force results when all dipoles are gathered in one point with all dipole moments pointing in radial direction. When the dipoles are equal and have equidistant spacing on the circle, we find that the optimal orientations of the dipole moments approach a limiting distribution. It differs from the so-called Halbach distribution that provides a uniform magnetic field in the cross section of the cylinder. The corresponding force is about 10% larger than that for the Halbach distribution but 60% smaller than for the unconstrained dipole positions. With the so-called spherical constraint for a classical spin model, the maximal force can be found from the eigenvalues of the coefficient matrix. It is typically 10% larger than the maximal force for equal dipoles because the constraint is weaker. We also study equal and evenly spaced dipoles along one or two lines parallel to the cylinder axis. The patterns of optimal magnetic moment orientations are fairly similar for different dipole numbers when the inter-dipole distance is within a certain interval. This behavior can be explained by reference to the magnetic field distribution of a single distant dipole on the cylinder axis.