Michael Faraday first proposed the idea in his "Bakerian lecture for 1832" to the Royal Society.

The first practical MHD power research was funded in 1938 in the U.S. by Westinghouse in its Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania laboratories, headed by Bela karlovitz. The initial patent on MHD is by B. Karlovitz, U.S.Patent No. 2,210,918, "Process for the Conversion of Energy", August 13, 1940. Toward the end of the 1960s, interest in MHD declined because nuclear power was becoming more widely available. In the late 1970s, as interest in nuclear power declined, interest in MHD increased. UNESCO became persuaded the MHD might be the most efficient way to utilise world coal reserves In 2001 AIAA use MHD generators for supersonic flights

 The word magneto hydro dynamics (MHD) is derived from magnetomeaning magnetic field, and hydro- meaning liquid, and -dynamics meaning movement. An MHD generator is a device for converting heat energy of a fuel directly into electrical energy without conventional electric generator. MHD power generation is a new system of electric power generation which is said to be of high efficiency and low pollution.

 The direct energy conversion methods that nowadays are taken into account in terms of industrial application are:

Direct energy conversion stages

 It is well known that when two systems at different temperatures are placed together, both will reach a final temperature which is between the initial temperature of the two systems. It can be said that heat is transferred between the system and the outside world (of the system) as a result of temperature difference only. As a result, heat can be measured, and a unit of heat can be defined as the heat necessary for the production of a standard change in temperature. One of the important unit of heat is the calorie. One calorie(cal) is the quantity of heat necessary to raise the temperature of 1 g of water from 14.5C to 15.5C. The heat capacity C is an important characteristic of body

In a simple heat engine, heat is extracted from a source at one temperature and rejected to another source at a lower temperature, with a useful work output. the heat Qh from the boiler, which is at temperature Th, is transferred to a heat engine, and heat Qc is transferred from the engine to the radiator, which is at a lower temperature Tc . For an engine to operate indefinitely, it should return to its initial state periodically after following a certain cycle; from the first law (dU = 0).

Plasma is a state of the matter similar to gas, in which a part of molecules are ionized. Usually the plasmas are subdivided into several typologies, depending on the temperature level. The behavior of the plasma is rather different from that of neutral uid, because electromagnetic forces affect the dynamics of the particles. For increasing values of temperature, the matter rstly passes from a solid to a liquid state, then to a neutral gas and then to a rising degree of ionization. Depending on such ionization degree we will speak of cold plasma, thermonuclear plasma and fusion plasma.

In a plasma, the kinetic energy of electrons and ions is greater than the atomic ionization potential, and for that it can subsist in equilibrium conditions. The presence in the gas of both positive and negative charged particles makes the dynamic behavior of the gas rather different with respect to a non ionized gas, due to the presence of long range forces. For this reason it is not proper to take into account only collisions when one consider the interaction among particles. On the contrary, sometimes the collisions can be neglected on rst approximation, the dynamic being well described only considering electric and magnetic interactions . The two independent characteristics of a plasma are the charged particle density n and the temperature T.

The underlying principle of MHD power generation is elegantly simple. Typically, an electrically conducting gas is produced at high pressure by combustion of a fossil fuel. The gas is then directed through a magnetic field, resulting due to the Hall effect. The MHD system constitutes a heat engine, involving an expansion of the gas from high to low pressure in a manner similar to that employed in a conventional gas turbo-generator.

 . In the MHD system, the kinetic energy of the gas is converted directly to electric energy as it is allowed to expand. The induced EMF is given by: E = u x B The force acting on the particle is given by: F = Q . (u x B)
Where: u = velocity of the conductor(Particle). B = magnetic field intensity. Q = Charge of conductor.

 The MHD systems are broadly classified into two types:

OPEN CYCLE SYSTEM

CLOSED CYCLE SYSTEM
Seeded inert gas system
Liquid metal system

 The conversion efficiency of a MHD system can be around 50% much higher compared to the most efficient steam plants. Still higher efficiencies are expected in future, around 60 65 %, with the improvements in experience and technology. Large amount of power is generated. It has no moving parts, so more reliable.

The closed cycle system produces power, free of pollution.

The size of the plant is considerably smaller than conventional fossil fuel plants. Although the cost cannot be predicted very accurately, yet it has been reported that capital costs of MHD plants will be competitive to conventional steam plants.

 It has been estimated that the overall operational costs in a plant would be about 20% less than conventional steam plants. Direct conversion of heat into electricity With no need for a turbine (compared with a gas turbine power plant) or both the boiler and the turbine (compared with a steam power plant) ,these cuts reduces losses of energy. These systems permit better fuel utilization. The reduced fuel consumption would offer additional economic and special benefits and would also lead to conservation of energy resources. Ability to reach the Maximum operating power very quickly. It is possible to use MHD for peak power generations and emergency situations .The MHD equipment for such duties is simpler, has capability of generating power in large units and the ability to rapid start to full load.

 It is estimated that by 2020, almost 70 % of the total electricity generated in the world will be from MHD generators.

Research and development is widely being done on MHD by different countries of the world. Nations involved: USA Russia Japan China Australia Italy Poland