The high magnetic field created by the high currents of the aluminum electrolysis cells within the cells and in the pot-room is a menace to the stability of the cells. Significant electrodynamic body forces are acting on the electrolyte and molten aluminum layers, promoting magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) forced convection flows. The MHD process can influence significantly the performance of the cell and its knowledge is important in any optimization scenario. This study is concerned with the mathematical modeling and the numerical simulation of the MHD flow in the aluminum and electrolyte layers.

Keywords: Aluminum electrolysis, Magnetohydrodynamic flow, Numerical simulation, Finite element