Particle Tracking in Laminar Flow of Molten Aluminum in Straight, Constant Cross-Section Ducts Subjected to Steady, Uniform Electric and Magnetic Fields

The formulation, testing, and application of some mathematical models and numerical solution methods for tracking electrically non-conducting particles in laminar flow of molten aluminum in straight, constant cross-section ducts subjected to steady, uniform electric and magnetic fields are presented. The separation chamber is a straight duct of constant rectangular cross-section and electrically non-conducting walls. The effects of the induced electric field in the molten aluminum are considered negligible. Attention is focused on the fully-developed flow regime. In the calculation of the inclusion trajectories, consideration is given to drag, gravity, virtual mass, Basset, lift, and electromagnetic forces. A control-volume finite element method is used for the calculation of the fluid flow. A fourth-order Runge-Kutta method and a particle-location and interpolation algorithm are used to calculate the particle velocities and trajectories. Results obtained for a test problem and a demonstration problem are presented and discussed in this paper.