This paper presents the development of a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model for the study of bubble driven bath flow in aluminium reduction cells. For validation purposes, the model development was conducted using a full scale air-water model of part of an aluminium reduction cell as a test-bed. The bubble induced turbulence has been modelled by either modifying bubble induced turbulence viscosity directly or by modifying bubble induced turbulence kinetic ener gy in a standard k-ε turbulence model. The relative performance of the two modelling approaches has been examined through comparison with experimental data taken under similar conditions using Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV). Detailed comparison has been conducted by pointwise comparison of liquid velocities to quantify the level of agreement between CFD simulation and PIV measurement. Both models can capture the key flow patterns determined by PIV measurement, while the modified turbulence kinetic ener gy model gives better agreement with flow patterns in the gap between anode and cathode.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.