The numerical modeling of melt flow and MHD instabilities in an aluminum reduction cell

Abstract

The melt flow field and magneto-hydrodynamics (MHD) instabilities in aluminum reduction cells strongly affect the current efficiency and cell operation and a great deal of effort has gone into modeling melt flow and MHD instabilities. In this review, the progress of melt flow is presented: the successes and defects of modeling melt flow via k-ɛ model, Navier-Stokes equations due to different driving forces of electromagnetic forces, gas bubbles, and the combined effect of these driving forces are discussed. A new three-dimensional (3-D) multi-phase (electrolyte-aluminum-bubble) model needs to be developed. In MHD instabilities, several different published methods are reviewed such as: two-dimensional/3-D linear model, Kelvin-Helmholtz (K-H) model, linear mode coupling model, nonlinear instabilities and velocity coupling model. The benefits, limitations, and effectiveness of each type of model are considered.