Improving Ultrasonic Melt Treatment Efficiency Through Flow Management: Acoustic Pressure Measurements and Numerical Simulations

Abstract

The current challenge for upscaling the ultrasonic melt processing (USP) technology to industrial scale is in improving the treatment efficiency using a single-sonotrode setup. To achieve this, we suggest two innovative approaches: increasing the melt residence time and exploiting acoustic resonance. This can be achieved through flow management in a launder by partitions where the resonance length within the partitions is equal or at integer steps to the wavelength of the incident sound wave. This study focuses on acoustic pressure measurements at different partition configurations and flow conditions combined with numerical modelling of the process. The measurements are done both in liquid aluminum and in water as its transparent analogue. The acoustic pressure measurements are then used to assess melt treatment improvement through cavitation activity and pressure distribution in the launder as well as to verify and further develop the numerical model.