Development of a Mathematical Model to Simulate Raft Formation

Abstract

The aluminum industry searches to improve the incorporation of the alumina into the electrolyte bath. This paper presents the development of a model to simulate the flow of alumina particles with the thermal exchange between the particles and the liquid. The first part of the model focuses on the interaction between spherical particles and their environment using the Discrete Element Method. The second part uses the equations of the Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics to simulate the thermal exchange between the particles themselves and with the liquid. The thermal sub-model includes the phase change to integrate the raft formation with the solidification of the bath. To validate the thermal sub-model, a low temperature model and schlieren imaging was used. This method consists to observe a thermally disturbed area with the refraction of light. The experimental study involved the injection of organic particles into the water. The particles were previously cooled with liquid nitrogen. Finally, some thermal tuning factors are settled to adjust the calculated thermally disturbed area to the results of the visualization. A high-speed camera was used to study different injection methods and the results were compared to the simulations to validate the model.