Constellation, le dépôt institutionnel de l'Université du Québec à Chicoutimi

Résumé

The behavior of alumina raft at the bath-metal interface in an electrolysis cell has been simulated by a numerical model in a past study. Further improvement on the numerical model led to broader application and a more «cell-like» scenario. The model now considers three distinct bath-metal interface phenomena. First, the transport wave stems from disturbances like a gas bubble and alumina deposit. Second, the stationary wave is produced by the magnetohydrodynamics force in the cell. Third, a well-known permanent deformation of the bath-metal interface (BMI). Also, the new model simulates the fragmentation and coalescence of multiple alumina rafts. The purpose of this paper is to present an in-depth parameter analysis of the improved numerical model and identify scenarios in which alumina draft aggregates along an axis.