Electro‐Thermal Coupling Analysis and Optimization of Chloride Molten Salt Electrolysis Cells

Abstract

Despite the significant advantages of parallel electrodes in chloride molten salt electrolyzer, research addressing their structural design remains critically underexplored. This paper utilizes the finite element method (FEM) to develop a 3D electric‐thermal model of the electrolysis cell. Multiphysics coupling simulations are employed to investigate the distribution of the electric and thermal fields within a lithium electrolysis cell featuring 50 kA flat electrodes. Based on the thermal balance of the electrolyzer, the study measures the impact of various structural parameters on current intensity and resistance voltage in different regions. Factorial analysis is used to determine the optimization direction for each structural parameter. Ultimately, an effect equation describing the influence of each structural parameter on the thermal equilibrium of the electrolyzer is derived. Furthermore, this study employs the Central Composite Design (CCD) within the Response Surface Methodology (RSM) framework to investigate the influence of structural parameters on the thermal equilibrium of the electrolyzer. The results validate the accuracy of the derived equations and demonstrate their applicability in optimizing the electrolyzer model. By integrating multi‐physics coupling analysis with CCD‐based parametric optimization, this work provides a robust methodology for enhancing operational efficiency and reducing energy consumption in industrial‐scale lithium electrolysis processes.