Abstract
A cathode with an inclined surface (5°) and increased bar collector height (230 mm high) was incorporated into two 300-kA industrial aluminum-reduction cells. The voltage of the cells with the modified cathode was reduced by approximately 200 mV when compared with that of a conventional cell with a flat cathode. Through the use of simulations, the reduction in the cell voltage was attributed to the cathode modification (40 mV) and a reduced electrolyte level of 0.5 cm (160 mV). As a result of reduced anode cathode distance (ACD), the ledge toe was extended to the anode shadow by 12 cm. This caused a large inverted horizontal current and a velocity increase. The ledge profile returned to the desired position when the cells were insulated more effectively, and the metal velocity and metal crest in the modified cells were reduced accordingly.
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Acknowledgements
The authors are grateful for the financial support from the National Nature Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 51434005), the National Key Technology R&D Program of China (No. 2015BAB04B03), and the Fundamental research funds for the central universities (N15024013 and N162502002).
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Jianping, P., Yang, S., Yuezhong, D. et al. Increasing the Energy Efficiency of Aluminum-Reduction Cells Using Modified Cathodes. JOM 69, 1767–1772 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11837-017-2460-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11837-017-2460-1