WIT Press


The Shallow Water Approximation Applied To The Aluminium Electrolysis Process

Price

Free (open access)

Volume

24

Pages

8

Published

1999

Size

610 kb

Paper DOI

10.2495/MB990141

Copyright

WIT Press

Author(s)

L. Leboucher, V. Bojarevics & K. Pericleous

Abstract

The industrial production of aluminium is an electrolysis process where two superposed horizontal liquid layers are subjected to a mainly vertical electric current supplied by carbon electrodes. The lower layer consists of molten aluminium and lies on the cathode. The upper layer is the electrolyte and is covered by the anode. The interface between the two layers is often perturbed, leading to oscillations, or waves, similar to the waves on the surface of seas or lakes. The presence of electric currents and the resulting magnetic field are responsible for electromagnetic (Lorentz) forces within the fluid, which can amplify these oscillations and have an adverse influence on the process. The electrolytic bath

Keywords