Conductive liquid pumping system

A method for pumping an electrically conductive liquid (ECL), the method comprising:

• placing the ECL in a magnetically transparent tube having a cylindrical interior and including a helical groove or helical protrusion integral with an inside surface of the magnetically transparent tube;
• applying a circumferential force on the ECL with a magnetic field to generate a circumferential flow of the ECL within the cylindrical interior and about an axis of the magnetically transparent tube, the circumferential flow being redirected by the helical groove or helical protrusion to produce the axially-directed flow within the cylindrical interior;
• and
• redirecting the circumferential flow to an axially-directed flow by using the helical groove or helical protrusion formed in the inside surface of the magnetically transparent tube and bounding the cylindrical interior.

A system for transporting an electrically conductive liquid, the system comprising:

• a rifled tube that is configured to carry the conductive liquid, wherein the rifled tube has a cylindrical interior and includes a helical groove or helical protrusion integral with an inside surface of the rifled tube;
• a multi-phase AC coil wrapped around the rifled tube and configured to carry two or more electric currents;
• and
• a controller to apply the two or more electric currents to the multi-phase AC coil so as to generate a magnetic field that induces a circumferential flow of the conductive liquid within the cylindrical interior and about an axis of the rifled tube, the circumferential flow being redirected by the helical groove or helical protrusion to produce an axially-directed flow within the cylindrical interior.