Impact of the Usage of a Slotted Cathode Carbon Block on Thermoelectric Field in an Aluminum Reduction Cell

Abstract

The horizontal current in a metal pad of an aluminum reduction cell is critical because of its effect on the fluctuation of the metal pad. In this study, a novel cathode with a slotted cathode carbon block was proposed to decrease the horizontal current. The effects of the slotted cathode carbon block on the horizontal and vertical currents in the metal pad, cathode voltage, and temperature distribution in the cathode were calculated using the finite-element method. The results show that the slotted cathode carbon has great potential to decrease the horizontal current. When the length of slot b equals 400 mm, the maximum horizontal current density decreased by 50.4%. However, the cathode voltage in the cathode with the slotted cathode carbon was ~43 mV higher than that in a conventional cell, and the temperature in the slotted cathode carbon was slightly higher than that in a conventional carbon cell. Moreover, with increasing length of slot b, the maximum horizontal and vertical currents in the metal pad moved toward the cell center. The result of this study may provide the database in understanding the effect of the slotted cathode carbon on cell.