Constellation, le dépôt institutionnel de l'Université du Québec à Chicoutimi

Résumé

The electrical resistance of an electrolytic cell requires a voltage drop of about 4.5 V for a current of 300 kA of which 7% is attributable to the anode assembly. Reducing this voltage drop is one of the most challenging research topics for the aluminum industry. Over the past decades, there has been much research on the minimization of this loss using the same assembly configuration. In this work, a new approach, which consists of inserting elements into the carbon paste during the anode production, was developed. This approach would provide a significant reduction in the voltage drop mainly through the improvement of the contact quality at the anode connection and the current distribution in the anode. Laboratory tests simulating the baking as well as the operation of small-scale assembly were carried out to estimate the resistance. The results demonstrate that it is possible to decrease the resistance at the anode connection under the conditions similar to those used by industry.