Numerical simulation study of the effect of anodic bubble behavior in aluminum electrolysis cell

Abstract

During the aluminum electrolysis process aluminum is produced at the cathode and CO2 gas bubbles are generated on the anode and released. The bubbles reduce the active surface area of the anode, which increases energy consumption. They also cause the liquid aluminum to fluctuate and oxidize again. The study of anodic bubble behavior is important to reduce power consumption and improve current efficiency. In this paper, the phase field, laminar flow and tertiary current distribution modules in COMSOL Multiphysics are applied to simulate the growth and motion patterns of anodic bubble in the electrolytic cell to visualize and analyze the behavior of anode bubble.