cathode block to ensure the correct amount of current flows into the anode and the cathode
parts.
A full line load preheating is compared to an arbitrary scenario involving the use of shunts, as
shown in Table 2. A preheating time of 48 hours was chosen for the comparison basis to ensure
a sufficient cathode surface temperature is achieved.
Table 2 - Shunt Removal Schedule.
Time
Number of
Shunts
Fraction of
current into cell
0 5h
4
60%
5 10h
3
70%
10 15h
2
80%
15 20h
1
90%
20 48h
0
100%
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Thermal
The thermal and electrical results are not significantly affected by the mechanical boundary
conditions on plane P3 (Figure 5a). For the full line load case, the initial power input is very
large compared to the case with shunts, as can be seen from the anode beam-to-cathode flex
voltage drop in Figure 6. The total energy input to the cell is also larger in the full line load case.
1
1.2
1.4
1.6
1.8
2
2.2
2.4
2.6
2.8
3
0
8
16
24
32
40
48
Time (h)
V
o
l
t
a
g
e
a
t
F
l
e
x
(
V
)
With Shunts
Full Line Load
Figure 6 Anode Beam to Cathode Flex Voltage Drop.