Development of a drag probe for in situ velocity measurement of molten aluminum in electrolysis cell

Abstract

Fluid flow hydrodynamics in the aluminum electrolysis cell has been studied through numerical simulations for decades. However, there is little to no available experimental data to validate velocity profiles obtained from these numerical simulations. Velocity measurements inside the electrolysis cell is difficult in practice, due to being chemically aggressive, opaque and at high temperature. A new attempt is undertaken to measure molten aluminum velocity with a drag probe inspired from a proven device first used in wind velocity measurement. The new device is designed to minimize vortex shedding, to increase the drag coefficient and to be applicable in a harsh environment. This paper presents the probe adapted for the electrolysis cell, its calibration and validation method in a water channel at room temperature, and some results obtained in electrolysis cell.