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A Numerical Assessment of Anodic Large Bubble on Horizontal Current in Metal Pad of Aluminum Electrolytic Cells

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Abstract

This study reports on an assessment of an anodic large bubble on the horizontal current in the metal pad of an aluminum electrolytic cell using a numerical model. The effects of bubble position and coverage on the horizontal current were investigated. The predicted results show that large bubbles have a significant impact on the horizontal current: The horizontal current with a bubble located at the right part of carbon anode (cell side) will provide coverage of 33.3% up to 30,174 A m−2 compared with 13,001 A m−2 without bubble at the upper surface of metal pad; For a fixed bubble position, the maximum horizontal current increases and the location of the maximum horizontal current density shifts from the anode center to the cell center with increasing the bubble coverage; The bubble position (for a fixed bubble coverage) significantly influences horizontal current. When the bubble varies from the cell center to the cell side, the maximum horizontal current density will increase and the location of the maximum horizontal current density shifts from the cell center to the cell side. When the whole anode is covered with a large bubble, a large inward horizontal current appears on the cell side and the maximum inward horizontal current can reach up to 35,575 A m−2.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to express their gratitude for the financial support 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 No. 51322406, 51434005, 51474060, 51574070, 51529401).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Materials and Metallurgy, Northeastern University, Shenyang, 110819, China

    Wenju Tao, Tuofu Li, Zhaowen Wang, Bingliang Gao, Zhongning Shi, Xianwei Hu & Jianzhong Cui

  2. Key Laboratory of Electromagnetic Processing of Materials, Ministry of Education, Northeastern University, Shenyang, 110819, China

    Wenju Tao & Jianzhong Cui

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  1. Wenju Tao
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  2. Tuofu Li
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Correspondence to Zhaowen Wang.

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Tao, W., Li, T., Wang, Z. et al. A Numerical Assessment of Anodic Large Bubble on Horizontal Current in Metal Pad of Aluminum Electrolytic Cells. JOM 68, 600–609 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11837-015-1713-0

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