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Abstract
The local anode-cathode distance in aluminum cells, as well as the
local superheat, depends strongly on the local concentration of
alumina dissolved in the bath. Based on the idea that it is
beneficial to have a uniform alumina concentration, a
measurement campaign aiming at a redistribution of the alumina
feeding was undertaken at the SU4 potline, Hydro Aluminium
Sunndal. By using AlF3 as a tracer, the path of each alumina dose
could be followed by measuring the current pick-up rate at each
individual anode. This enabled mapping of the connection
between each of the alumina feeders and anodes. Based on the
measurements, the rate of each individual alumina feeder was
optimised in test cells. The change turned out to be highly
successful with respect to improved operational results, such as
higher current efficiency, reduced anode effect frequency, and
less anode problems. Optimised alumina feeding has now been
implemented in the entire potline.
Introduction
Increasing global competition gives a steady demand to reduce
production costs in all parts of aluminum smelters. In this context,
increasing the amperage in existing potlines represents the
cheapest way of producing more aluminum. Increasing the
amperage has therefore been a continuous and major activity in
most aluminum companies for the last two decades. It has been
claimed that the low-hanging fruits already have been taken [1],
and further success in increasing the amperage requires that
operational difficulties can be avoided. Typical problems
following amperage increase are loss of current efficiency (CE),
increased frequency of anode problems, increased anode effect
frequency, and increased cathode wear leading to shorter cell lives.
There is no doubt that more efficient cell control has been a key
factor in the drive towards higher anode current density. Besides
needing more precise control, modern cells need quicker
intervention because the cell dynamics are faster than earlier. In
this context, the ratio between bath volume and amperage is a
relevant measure. Martin et al. [2] recently showed that this
parameter had decreased from about 13 l/kA at the introduction of
the AP30 technology to less than 8 l/kA in the present AP3X cells.
These numbers may be representative for other technologies as
well. The decrease in the bath volume can be attributed to the use
of larger anodes, as well as reduced anode-cathode distance (ACD)
to keep the net energy input to the cell constant.
461
0.23
Metal
Al
hAl
0.19
0.20
0.20
0.19
0.21
0.22
2
4
[Al2O3 ] / wt%
(1)
(2)
960 oC
0.21
0.18
0.18
0.22
hAl(av)
Bath
hav
h = h av
0.17
[Al2O3 ] av = 3.5 wt%
(3)
Equation (3) tells us that the local metal height will be lower and
the local bath height will be higher (higher ACD) if the local bath
density is higher than the average value.
The density of a bath with a NaF/AlF3 molar ratio (r) of 2.18 and
5 wt% CaF2 was computed as a function of the Al2O3 content [4].
The average bath and metal heights were taken to be 0.2 m, and
the metal density was fixed at 2300 kgm-3. The data were then
inserted into Equation (3). From the result shown in Figure 2 it
appears that a small e.g., one percent variation in the alumina
concentration gives a change in the location of the metal-bath
interface that represents a large fraction of the ACD. This may
seem surprising, and it is likely that this effect has been
overlooked or neglected in the past.
Kobbeltvedt and Moxnes [9] mapped the bath flow in the upper
part of the bath zone in modern prebake cells. They concluded
that the main bath flow is out of the centre channel and directed
towards the short ends of the cell. From operational practice in the
SU4 potline, the following was also known,
462
Current efficiency
Anode-cathode distance
The six test cells were not followed up in any special way during
the experiments, before collecting and analyzing the data.
Excessive attention may sometimes render an experiment
worthless; this is commonly known as the yellow pots
syndrome. The rest of the potline was used as reference cells.
463
Original feeding
30
Flow-adapted feeding
20
10
3
Feeder no.
The data given in Table II clearly indicate that the test cells with
flow-adapted alumina feeding operate more steadily than the
reference cells.
Test
cells
0.076
Reference
cells
0.105
0.012
0.017
0.063
0.066
1.0
3.37
5.9
43.3
Test
cells
4.11
94.04
1.85
955.4
7.4
11.2
1.8
78.2
9.0
0.017
0.008
Reference
cells
4.11
93.57
2.27
955.8
7.2
11.2
1.8
76.7
9.4
0.017
0.010
464
other operational data (not shown here) that indicated that the test
cells should have the higher CE than the reference cells.
No. of anode adjustments per day
2.5
Downstream
Original feeding
Flow-adapted feeding
2.0
1.5
1.0
0.5
Upstream
10
15
20
Anode position no.
25
30
465
9.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
466