Abstract:The full alumina dissolution process in aluminum electrolysis cells was investigated using an improved computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model based on the previous researches by consideration of agglomerate formation. The results show that the total mass of alumina agglomerate and its maximum size are mainly dependent on the feeding amount and increase with increasing it. Higher superheat can effectively inhibit the agglomerate formation and thus promote the full alumina dissolution behavior. The full alumina dissolution process mainly includes a fast stage and a slow stage, with an average dissolution rate of 17.24 kg/min and 1.53 kg/min, respectively. About 50% (mass percentage) of the total alumina particles, almost all of which are the well-dispersed alumina fine grains, dissolve within the fast dissolution stage of about 10 s. The maximum values of the average dissolution rate and final percentage of the cumulative dissolved alumina mass are obtained with a feeding amount of 1.8 kg for a superheat of 12 °C. The formation of the alumina agglomerates and slow dissolution characteristics play a dominant role in the full dissolution of alumina particles.

Key words: aluminum electrolysis; alumina dissolution; agglomerate formation; theoretical modeling; CFD modeling