About this Abstract |
| Meeting |
2027 TMS Annual Meeting & Exhibition
|
| Symposium
|
Aluminum Cast Shop Technology Symposium and Supplier Forum
|
| Presentation Title |
Multiphysics Simulation of Aluminium Melting in Industrial Furnace with Experimental Validation |
| Author(s) |
Knut Omdal Tveito, Akash Pakanati |
| On-Site Speaker (Planned) |
Akash Pakanati |
| Abstract Scope |
The melting of aluminium ingots in industrial furnaces is a complex interplay between turbulent combustion, convective and radiative heat transfer, multiphase flow, and solid–liquid phase change. Prior numerical studies addressed selected components of this problem, a fully integrated treatment remains limited. In this work, a 3D OpenFOAM model coupling two-phase flow, combustion, radiation, and aluminium melting is proposed. The charge is represented as a solid–liquid system with a free surface exposed to the gas. The aluminium–gas interface is explicitly tracked as melting progresses. A key feature of the model is the treatment of radiative heat exchange between combustion gases, furnace walls, and the evolving aluminium surface, capturing dominant heat-transfer pathways. Model predictions are validated against industrial-scale furnace experiments, demonstrating the influence of evolving aluminium topology on melting. The proposed modelling framework provides an advanced tool for analyzing and optimizing aluminium melting processes under realistic furnace operating conditions |
| Proceedings Inclusion? |
Planned: Light Metals |
| Keywords |
Aluminum, Modeling and Simulation, Process Technology |