Numerical investigation on side heat transfer enhancement in 300 kA aluminum reduction cell

Abstract

Industrial test and numerical simulation were synchronously applied to analyze the side heat transfer process and enhance heat transfer in aluminum reduction cell. The 3D slice finite element model of aluminum reduction cell was developed, with which the sidewall temperature field of the cell was computed by using software ANSYS. The main influencing factors on heat dissipation were analyzed and some effective measures were proposed to enhance sidewall heat transfer. The results show that the shell temperature of the test cell and the common cell is respectively 312°C and 318°C and the ledge thickness is 16 cm and 15 cm when side coefficient of heat transfer between the shell and the surroundings is 70 W/(m²K). With the increase of the side coefficient of heat transfer between the shell and the surroundings, the temperature of the shell decreases but the thickness of the side ledge increases when the electrolytic temperature, the ambient temperature, the coefficient of heat transfer between molten bath and ledge, the eutectic temperature and the thermo-resistance of the side lining are constant.

Keywords

enhanced heat transfer / numerical simulation / finite element method / aluminum reduction cell / side lining material