Effect of magnetic boundary conditions on the dynamo threshold of von Karman swirling flows

We study the effect of different boundary conditions on the kinematic dynamo threshold of von Karman type swirling flows in a cylindrical geometry. Using an analytical test flow, we model different boundary conditions: insulating walls all over the flow, effect of sodium at rest on the cylinder side boundary, effect of sodium behind the impellers, effect of impellers or side wall made of a high-magnetic-permeability material. We find that using high-magnetic-permeability boundary conditions decreases the dynamo threshold, the minimum being achieved when they are implemented all over the flow. Copyright (c) EPLA, 2008.