In this study, a three-dimensional (3D) numerical simulation model for the flow and heat transfer in a side-blown aluminum annealing furnace (SAAF) is successfully established. Based on the vivid evolutions of the flow field and temperature field, it is confirmed that multiple vortices among the radially distributed nozzles play a key role in reducing the interior flow resistance of the SAAF. The simulated flow distribution agrees remarkably well with the on-site experimental data, which reveals that the model based on the multireference frame method is suitable for describing the 3D fluid-solid coupling heat transfer process inside the SAAF. In addition, to resolve the appreciably uneven temperature distribution in the SAAF, a scheme of guide plate arrangement around the fan is developed to adjust the flow pattern and facilitate the reasonable allocation of the nozzle flow. The standard deviation and the coefficient of variation are obviously declined (∼ 12%) for both low and standard airspeeds, thereby suggesting that the uniformity of the nozzle flow distribution are expectedly improved. The progress made so far is a substantial step toward achieving high quality, high efficiency and energy savings in aluminum production.

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