SIMULATION OF MULTIPASS ZONE-REFINING PROCESSES WITH VARIABLE DISTRIBUTION COEFFICIENTS

The effects of variable distribution coefficients on the separation ef ficiency in zone refining processes have been simulated by operating l iquid analog simulators. During the operation processes of liquid anal og simulators, properly adjusting the area of zone tube along the oper ating procedure to simulate the operation with variable distribution c oefficients, will obtain the liquid level redistribution in ingot tube s, resulting in the simulation of separation processes. The structure, operation and mathematical representation of liquid analog simulators are discussed. Performance of the proposed multipass zone-refining si mulators are in excellent agreement with numerical solutions.