Development of Structurally Related Viscosity Model for Silicate Melts

 

Ling Zhang and Sharif Jahanshahi

G K Williams CRC for Extractive Metallurgy

CSIRO-Division of Minerals,

Box 312, Clayton South, Vic. 3169,  Australia

Fax: 61-3-95628919

Email: ling.zhang@minerals.csiro.au

 

 

 

ABSTRACT

 

A structurally related model for the viscosity of multi-component silicate melts has been developed based on the general behaviour of viscosity found by analysing an extensive collection of experimental data. It was found that the temperature dependence of viscosity can be adequately described by Arhenius type of equations. The effect of composition can be modelled by incorporating structural parameters in the activation energy term.  The novelty of the model is its simplicity, i.e., only binary parameters need to be determined. The viscosity of higher systems was calculated by assuming linear combination of binary parameters of basic oxide components. The structural information obtained by molecular dynamics simulations was used to guide the construction of the model. For example, the extension of the model for melts containing alumina was based on the improved understanding of structural role played by alumina. In the present paper the approach taken for the development of the model will be discussed. The predictive power of the model will be demonstrated by recent modelling results for ZnO containing systems.