Numerical analysis of thermal-electrical fields in copper electrolytic cell

The industrial electrolytic cell of a domestic copper smelter taken as the research object, the mathematical model of flow field, temperature field and electric field of copper electrolyte were established. CFD commercial software was used to numerically calculate the multiple physical field, focusing on the distributions of temperature field and electric field, and the heat balance of electrolytic cell was analyzed. The results show that the calculated temperature distribution of electrolyte nearby groove face is basically consistent with the test results, and the validity of the model is verified; the temperature of electrolyte nearby inlet is lower than outlet by about 1~2℃，and the temperature of electrolyte between the plates is higher than that of the bottom of the cell by about 1~2℃; the distributions of temperature of electrolyte inner cell reflect the uneven condition. After analyzing the cause, feasible measures were put forward to provide the theoretical basis for optimizing the temperature field distribution of electrolytic cell, and improving the technological parameters.