Editing Magnetohydrodynamic generator (section)

{{Short description|Magnetohydrodynamic converter that transforms thermal and kinetic energy into electricity}}
{{citations needed|date=September 2024}}

A '''magnetohydrodynamic generator''' ('''MHD generator''') is a [[magnetohydrodynamic converter]] that transforms [[thermal energy]] and [[kinetic energy]] directly into [[electricity]]. An MHD generator, like a conventional generator, relies on moving a conductor through a [[magnetic field]] to generate electric current. The MHD generator uses hot conductive ionized gas (a [[Plasma (physics)|plasma]]) as the moving conductor.  The mechanical dynamo, in contrast, uses the motion of mechanical devices to accomplish this.

MHD generators are different from traditional [[electric generator]]s in that they operate without [[moving parts]] (e.g. no turbines), so there is no limit on the upper temperature at which they can operate. They have the highest known theoretical thermodynamic efficiency of any electrical generation method. MHD has been developed for use in [[combined cycle power plant]]s to increase the efficiency of [[electric generation]], especially when burning [[coal]] or [[natural gas]]. The hot exhaust gas from an MHD generator can heat the boilers of a [[steam power plant]], increasing overall efficiency.

Practical MHD generators have been developed for [[fossil fuels]], but these were overtaken by less expensive [[combined cycle]]s in which the exhaust of a [[gas turbine]] or [[molten carbonate fuel cell]] heats [[steam]] to power a [[steam turbine]].

MHD dynamos are the complement of [[MHD accelerator]]s, which have been applied to pump [[liquid metal]]s, [[seawater]], and plasmas.

Natural MHD dynamos are an active area of research in [[plasma physics]] and are of great interest to the [[geophysics]] and [[astrophysics]] communities since the magnetic fields of the [[Earth]] and [[Sun]] are produced by these natural dynamos.