Separation of Low-Melting Metal Melts in a Thin Inclined Capillary

Abstract

Direct numerical simulation of the process of separation of binary low-melting metal melts in a thin nonuniformly heated inclined capillary is carried out. A physical model which describes the macroscopic motion in the melt and the process of separation of the liquid mixture in components is constructed on the basis of laws and equations valid for the multiphase hydrodynamic systems. The calculation results are compared with the experimental data. The separation time is compared for various angles of inclination of the layer, the characteristic concentration fork which demonstrates separation dynamics is reproduced, and the qualitative agreement with the experiment is obtained for the component concentrations in the cross-section. In the course of numerical simulation, that replicates the succession of experimental actions with the maximum precision, the presence of the specific maximum for the difference between the end-face concentrations at a certain angle of inclination of the channel is confirmed. The radical difference between the calculation results obtained within the framework of the model considered and the conclusions made earlier in explanation of the experiment by other authors is demonstrated.