CFD modelling of molten matte and slag flows in a circular three-phase smelting furnace
Abstract
A full-scale three-dimensional CFD model, coupled with electrical modelling, was created for a circular, three-electrode furnace. This model included a transient analysis of both the slag and matte as fluid layers through multi-phase modelling. User-defined AC current is applied along with energy sinks to resemble smelting and boundary conditions found on the actual unit. This model investigated stirring effects by natural convection within the bath and it was found that it distributes heat evenly through the slag and matte. The modelled current flow showed a large portion of the current to pass through the matte layer between electrodes. Copyright © 2009, Inderscience Publishers.
Citation
Bezuidenhout, J. and Eksteen, J. and Bradshaw, S. 2009. CFD modelling of molten matte and slag flows in a circular three-phase smelting furnace. Progress in Computational Fluid Dynamics. 9 (6-7): pp. 316-324.
Source Title
Progress in Computational Fluid Dynamics
ISSN
School
Dept of Mining Eng & Metallurgical Eng
Collection
Related items
Showing items related by title, author, creator and subject.
-
Thyse, E.; Akdogan, G.; Mainza, A.; Eksteen, Jacques (2017)© 2017 Elsevier B.V. There is little in-depth study on the downstream processing characteristics of granulated PGM-containing converter matte, particularly related to grinding and liberation behavior closely associated ...
-
Eksteen, Jacques (2011)High matte temperatures can be related to numerous catastrophic furnace failures in the platinum group metal (PGM) industry where chromite-rich upper group 2 (UG2) concentrates are smelted. Chromite rich concentrates ...
-
Eksteen, Jacques; McDougall, I. (2012)The matte/slag tidal zone in a platinum smelting furnace is subject to severe process conditions which can often lead to premature failure of the lining. The MgO-FeO-Si02 slag is aggressive to refractory bricks, whilst ...