Mathematical modelling of electrical, thermal, and chemical processes occurring within a silicon furnace

Thesis

Silicon is produced in submerged arc furnaces (SAFs), with the heat needed for the endothermic chemical reactions provided by an electric current. The interacting physical processes occurring in SAFs are tightly coupled, and vary over a range of timescales. As a result, SAF modelling efforts have generally neglected to include many of the chemical, thermal, and electrical effects. In this thesis, we develop a mathematical framework to understand the mechanisms by which these processes inte...

Expand abstract

Authors: Luckins, EK

• Type of award: DPhil
• Level of award: Doctoral
• Awarding institution: University of Oxford
• Language: English
• Keywords: heat radiation; reacting flow; asymptotic analysis; magnetohydrodynamics; electromagnetism; heat and mass transfer; silicon furnace; mathematical modelling; electric arc
• Subjects: Applied mathematics