Thermal Behavior of the early Life of an Aluminum Electrolysis Cell

Abstract

The electrolytic production of aluminium starts after the completion of the cathode lining and the baking process. After that, the cell start-up period is followed by the early operating period. During the early operating period, the following parameters (cell voltage, metal height, electrolyte height, cryolite ratio, electrolyte temperature, and ledge formation) were measured and investigated. The required times for these parameters to reach the steady-state have been investigated. The cell voltage, metal height, electrolyte height, cryolite ratio, and electrolyte temperature were stabilized after 35, 25, 24, 86, and 45 days, respectively from cell start-up. These cells took four months to form a stable ledge at a thickness of 10 cm. Also, the thermal behavior of the sidewall carbon blocks was studied during the early operating period by inserting twenty thermocouples at these locations in three prebaked cells. The cell instability during the early operation period for these cells was illustrated.