Abstract
The most important component in the aluminum industry is the aluminum reduction cell; it has received considerable interests and resources to conduct research to improve its productivity and energy efficiency. The current study focused on the integration of numerical simulation data and virtual reality technology to create a scientifically and practically realistic virtual aluminum reduction cell by presenting complex cell structures and physical–chemical phenomena. The multiphysical field simulation models were first built and solved in ANSYS software (ANSYS Inc., Canonsburg, PA, USA). Then, the methodology of combining the simulation results with virtual reality was introduced, and a virtual aluminum reduction cell was created. The demonstration showed that a computer-based world could be created in which people who are not analysis experts can see the detailed cell structure in a context that they can understand easily. With the application of the virtual aluminum reduction cell, even people who are familiar with aluminum reduction cell operations can gain insights that make it possible to understand the root causes of observed problems and plan design changes in much less time.
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Acknowledgements
The authors would like to thank CIVS research center at Purdue University Calumet for their support for this research. The authors are also grateful for the financial support of the National Natural Science Foundation of China (51104187) and the Specialized Research Fund for the Doctoral Program of Higher Education of China (20100162120008) for this work.
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Zhang, H., Zhou, C.Q., Wu, B. et al. A Virtual Aluminum Reduction Cell. JOM 65, 1452–1458 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11837-013-0743-8
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11837-013-0743-8