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This work has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under Grant Agreement N degrees 869268. It was also partially supported by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033/FEDER, UE through grant PID2021-122625OBI00 and by Xunta de Galicia funds under grant GRC GI-1563-ED431C 2021/15. The authors are particularly grateful to Elkem (especially to Veronika Djupvik and Krister Engvoll) for providing the experimental data used in this paper, and to Fundiciones Rey (especially to Luis Rey and Susana Rey) , as well as to Javier Bullon and Jacobo Otero, for their valuable input and the many insightful discussions throughout the project.

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Perez-Perez, L JAuthor

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May 27, 2025
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Multiphysics simulation of slag melting in an induction furnace for sustainable silicon production

Publicated to:Applied Mathematical Modelling. 145 116107- - 2025-09-01 145(), DOI: 10.1016/j.apm.2025.116107

Authors: Bermudez, A; Crego, O; Ferrin, J L; Garcia, B; Gomez, D; Martinez, I; Perez-Perez, L J; Salgado, P

Affiliations

Ctr Invest & Tecnoloxia Matemat Galicia CITMAga, Santiago De Compostela, Spain - Author
Univ Politecn Madrid, Madrid 28003, Spain - Author
Univ St iago Compostela, Dept Matemat, CITMAGA, Santiago De Compostela 15782, Spain - Author

Abstract

This work presents a multiphysics mathematical modelling and numerical simulation of the slag melting process in an induction furnace, with a focus on the production of sustainable silicon through the EU SisAl Pilot project. The mathematical model incorporates electromagnetic, thermal and hydrodynamic phenomena in a coupled axisymmetric framework to simulate the melting of a CaO-SiO2 slag, a key component in the aluminothermic reduction process for silicon production. The model addresses the challenge of heating the poorly electrically conductive slag using a graphite crucible and it also accounts for buoyancy-driven convection in the molten slag. The numerical simulations are validated against experimental data from pilot scale trials at Elkem's plant in Norway. In addition, sensitivity analyses are carried out considering both the progressive filling of the furnace and the inclusion of surface-to-surface radiation models.

Keywords

Induction furnaceMultiphysicMultiphysicsNumerical simulationSlag melting

Quality index

Bibliometric impact. Analysis of the contribution and dissemination channel

The work has been published in the journal Applied Mathematical Modelling due to its progression and the good impact it has achieved in recent years, according to the agency WoS (JCR), it has become a reference in its field. In the year of publication of the work, 2025, it was in position 22/170, thus managing to position itself as a Q1 (Primer Cuartil), in the category Mechanics.

Impact and social visibility

From the perspective of influence or social adoption, and based on metrics associated with mentions and interactions provided by agencies specializing in calculating the so-called "Alternative or Social Metrics," we can highlight as of 2025-07-07:

  • The use of this contribution in bookmarks, code forks, additions to favorite lists for recurrent reading, as well as general views, indicates that someone is using the publication as a basis for their current work. This may be a notable indicator of future more formal and academic citations. This claim is supported by the result of the "Capture" indicator, which yields a total of: 1 (PlumX).