Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

In Situ Monitoring of Pit Gas Composition During Baking of Anodes for Aluminum Electrolysis

  • Published:
Metallurgical and Materials Transactions B Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Carbon anodes, which are consumed in aluminum electrolysis, are fabricated in separate anode plants where coke and pitch are mixed and vibrocompacted to green anode blocks before being baked in anode baking furnaces. The chemical environment inside an anode baking furnace is found to play an important role in the degradation of the furnace refractory lining. In this work, the pit gas composition was recorded during anode baking by a Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) spectrometer and a gas chromatograph. The temperature dependence of the concentration of gas species during baking was obtained based on three measurement campaigns. The concentrations of CO and CO2 were found to be dependent on temperature, where the concentration of CO peaked around the maximum firing temperature. In addition to varying concentrations of CH4 and HF, water was found in large amounts in the first part of the baking cycle. The water originates to some extent from the cooling of the green anodes after vibrocompaction and is potentially important with respect to the chemical stability of the refractory lining. The variations in pit gas composition are related to operational parameters and are discussed in relation to refractory degradation phenomena.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5

Similar content being viewed by others

Notes

  1. Teflon is a trademark of Chemours, Wilmington, DE

References

  1. E.H.M. Moors: J. Clean. Prod., 2006, vol. 14, pp. 1121–38.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. H.-G. Schwarz, S. Briem, and P. Zapp: Energy, 2001, vol. 26, pp. 775–95.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. F. Becker and F. Goede: Ring Pit Furnace for Baking of High Quality Anodes—An Overview, Riedhammer, Nürnberg, 2006. http://www.riedhammer.de/system/00/01/42/14219/633776329561250000_1.pdf. Accessed 7 Dec 2018.

  4. P. Prigent and M.L. Bouchetou: Interceram, 2009, vol. 58, pp. 202–09.

    Google Scholar 

  5. P. Prigent and M.L. Bouchetou: Interceram, 2009, vol. 58, pp. 121–26.

    Google Scholar 

  6. T. Brandvik, A.P. Ratvik, Z. Wang, and T. Grande: Light Metals, Springer, Cham, 2017, pp. 1281–88.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  7. T. Brandvik, A.P. Ratvik, and T. Grande: Travaux 45, CB11, Proc. 34th Int. ICSOBA Conf. 2016.

  8. T. Brandvik, Z. Wang, A.P. Ratvik, and T. Grande: Int. J. Appl. Ceram. Technol., 2018. https://doi.org/10.1111/ijac.13108.

    Google Scholar 

  9. F. Brunk: Light Metals, TMS, Warrendale, PA, 1995, pp. 641–46.

    Google Scholar 

  10. N. Oumarou, D. Kocaefe, and Y. Kocaefe: Ceram. Int., 2016, vol. 42, pp. 18436–42.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  11. T.A. Aarhaug, T. Brandvik, O.S. Kjos, H. Gaertner, and A.P. Ratvik: Light Metals, Springer, Cham, 2018, pp. 1379–85.

    Google Scholar 

  12. T.A. Aarhaug, T. Brandvik, H. Gaertner, A.P. Ratvik, and O.S. Kjos: Proc. 12th Australasian Aluminium Smelting Technology Conf. 2018.

  13. D. Trommer, D. Hirsch, and A. Steinfeld: Int. J. Hydrogen Energy, 2004, vol. 29, pp. 627–33.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  14. F. Grégoire and L. Gosselin: Int. J. Therm. Sci., 2018, vol. 129, pp. 532–44.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  15. T. Brandvik, A.P. Ratvik, and T. Grande: Travaux 47, CB06, Proc. 36th Int. ICSOBA Conf. 2018, pp. 555–62.

  16. Z. Wang, S. Rørvik, A.P. Ratvik, and T. Grande: Light Metals, Springer, Cham, 2017, pp. 1265–74.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  17. C. Sommerseth, R. Thorne, A. Ratvik, E. Sandnes, H. Linga, L. Lossius, and A. Svensson: Metals (Basel), 2017, vol. 7, p. 74.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

Financial support from the Norwegian Research Council and the partners Hydro Aluminium, Alcoa, Elkem Carbon, and Skamol through the project “Reactivity of Carbon and Refractory Materials used in metal production technology” (CaRMa) is acknowledged. Technical support from Roger Moen, Morten Aanvik, Martin Aufles, Mona Aufles Hines, and the other staff at Alcoa Mosjøen during the measuring campaigns is acknowledged and highly appreciated.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Materials Science and Engineering, NTNU Norwegian University of Science and Technology, 7491, Trondheim, Norway

    Trond Brandvik & Tor Grande

  2. SINTEF Industry, 7465, Trondheim, Norway

    Heiko Gaertner, Arne P. Ratvik & Thor A. Aarhaug

Authors
  1. Trond Brandvik
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Heiko Gaertner
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Arne P. Ratvik
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Tor Grande
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Thor A. Aarhaug
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Thor A. Aarhaug.

Additional information

Manuscript submitted October 11, 2018.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Brandvik, T., Gaertner, H., Ratvik, A.P. et al. In Situ Monitoring of Pit Gas Composition During Baking of Anodes for Aluminum Electrolysis. Metall Mater Trans B 50, 950–957 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11663-018-1500-8

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11663-018-1500-8

Search

Navigation