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Study on the Inter-electrode Process of Aluminum Electrolysis

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Abstract

The voltage distribution between carbon anode and aluminum cathode in cryolite electrolyte saturated with alumina was determined using a scanning reference electrode to investigate the inter-electrode process during aluminum electrolysis. The results showed that the anode–cathode-distance (ACD) is consisted of three parts: a relatively stable cathode boundary layer, bubble-free electrolyte layer, and gas–liquid layer near the anode. The aluminum diffusion layer with high electronic conductivity as well as the crystallization of cryolite was observed at the cathode boundary layer. The thickness of the aluminum diffusion layer varied with current density, which further determined the critical ACD. The thickness, coverage, and releasing frequency of the bubbles on both laboratory and industrial prebaked cells were derived, and it is found that the average bubble coverage decreases with current density, and the average coverage at 0.8 A cm−2 is approximately 50 pct.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to express their gratitude for the financial support provided by the National Key Technology Research and Development Program of the Ministry of Science and Technology of China (Grant No. 2012BAE08B01), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 51322406, 51434005, 51474060, 51574070, 51529401), and the NEU foundation (No. N130402011).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Materials and Metallurgy, Northeastern University, Mail Box 117, Shenyang, 11004, P.R. China

    Youjian Yang (PhD Candidate), Bingliang Gao (Professor), Zhaowen Wang (Professor), Zhongning Shi (Professor) & Xianwei Hu (Associate Professor)

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  1. Youjian Yang
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  2. Bingliang Gao
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  3. Zhaowen Wang
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  4. Zhongning Shi
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  5. Xianwei Hu
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Correspondence to Bingliang Gao.

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Manuscript submitted on November 22, 2014.

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Yang, Y., Gao, B., Wang, Z. et al. Study on the Inter-electrode Process of Aluminum Electrolysis. Metall Mater Trans B 47, 621–629 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11663-015-0508-6

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