Optimization Design And Analog Simulation For Rare Earth Electrolytic Cell

The rare earth electrolysis cell is a main equipment to produce rare earth metals and its alloy by molten salt electrolysis method. We need develop a kind of new structural electrolysis cell urgently to adapt to the large-scale industry with development of market. The methods of research and development in aluminum reduction cell are used for reference in the article. The commercial simulation software is firstly used to carry on the simulation optimization design for the rare earth electrolysis cell, and the beneficial exploration has been carried on using it to the new rare earth electrolysis cell designed in the article .In rare earth electrolysis cell , there exist complicated physical fields, and current field is root of other fields. Whether current field , temperature field and flow field are designed reasonably or not are critical for the design of rare earth electrolysis cell, therefore, the study on current field and temperature field is very important. Up to now, studies only on molten electrolyte 's current field , temperature field and flow field have been well conducted. However, the current field , temperature field and flow field of anode and molten electrolyte have not been studied well due to the difficulty in ascertaining boundary conditions of electric conduct of the contact area. In order to solve the problem, a new concept was conceived in this article: By using the multiple elements and multiple properties of ANSYS software, a model of anode and molten electrolyte as a whole was built and computed, therefore, not only the ascertaining of electric conduct boundary conditions of the contact area between anode and electrolyte was avoided, but also the current density of the contact area could be analyzed with the model's result, so the calculation precision could be enhanced.First, a mathematical model of thermal conduct and electric conduct of rare earth electrolysis cell was built based on Fourier's law and Kirchhoff's law, and finite element equations for calculating current and temperature fields of rare earth electrolysis cell were deduced with Galerkin method. A mathematical model of the molten salt fluid flow of rare earth electrolysis cell was built based on the generalized Newton coherent fluid law.According to 3KA rare earth electrolysis cell in Baotou Rare Earth Research Institute , as well as in under reasonable boundary condition hypothesis, we had carried on the simulation computation to electric field in the different production time, its result tallied well with this actual production situation. The feasibility and the accuracy has been confirmed in applying these model to simulation in the rare earth electrolysis cell. In the electric field researched foundation, we had carried on the optimized design in using the ANSYS optimized module to the 3KA rare earth oxide electrolysis cell of the fluoride salt system , the design result parameter tallies with the actual rare earth electrolysis cell, the reliability of the optimized design result has been confirmed.Next, using the multiple elements and multiple properties of ANSYS software , we had carried on the two-dimensional coupled simulation to electric field, the flow field and the temperature field of the optimized 3KA rare earth oxide electrolysis cell of the fluoride salt system. Because the analogue result tallies with the actually, we have further determined the simulation optimization designs and the coupled model to be accuracy.Finally, by using the ANSYS Electrothermal field module in the 10KA drained cathode rare earth electrolysis cell Electrothermal field which was designed in dependently,we had carried on the three-dimensional coupled simulation optimization design in the article. From the coupled simulation optimization result analysis, the 10KA drained cathode rare earth electrolysis cell may be used trying to produce in the rare earth electrolysis industry, the new direction for the new rare earth electrolysis cell structure research has been opened.