Recent Advances in Electrical Resistance Preheating of Aluminum Reduction Cells

ABSTRACT

There are two mainpreheating methods that are used nowadays for aluminum reduction cells. One is based on electrical resistance preheating with a thin bed of small coke and/or graphite particles between the anodes and the cathode carbon blocks. The other is flame preheating, where two or more gas or oil burners are used. Electrical resistance preheating is the oldest method, but is still frequently used by different aluminum producers. Many improvements have been made to this method by different companies over the last decade. In this paper, important points pertaining to the preparation and preheating of these cells, as well as measurements made during the preheating process and evaluation of the performance of the preheating, are illustrated. The preheating times of these cells were found to be between 36 h and 96 h for cell currents between 176 kA and 406 kA, while the resistance bed thickness was between 13 mm and 60 mm. The average cathode surface temperature at the end of the preheating was usually between 800°C and 950°C. The effect of the preheating methods on cell life is unclear and no quantifiable conclusions can be drawn. Some works carried out in the mathematical modeling area are also discussed. It is concluded that there is a need for more studies with real situations for preheated cells on the basis of actual measurements. The expected development in electrical resistance preheating of aluminum reduction cells is also summarized.