It is also well known that it is better to use two collector bar slots
per block instead of one. So for this fifth design change, the single
174 mm x 174 mm square collector bar has been replaced by two
87 mm wide x 174 mm high rectangular collector bars. The
average cast iron thickness on the two sides of the two collector
bars has been decreased to 11.5 mm which adds up to 46 mm of
cast iron as opposed to a total of 26 mm in the single collector bar
slot per block design. Figure 13 is presenting the resulting model
geometry. That it is still the same model topology but this time the
model represents 1/8 of a full cathode block instead of 1/4 as in all
the previous cases. Typically, the two collector bar slots are
located a bit closer to the block centerline than the two block
quarter points in order to have thicker carbon wings, but it is not
possible to test this case using the current model topology of
course.
setup and 172 mV while using the temperature- and pressure-
dependent contact resistance setup.
So as far as the constant contact resistance version of the model is
concerned, replacing a single 174 mm x 174 mm collector bar by
two 87 mm x 174 mm should result in a reduction of 21 mV while
the variable contact resistance version of the model is predicting a
reduction of 20 mV. So the two versions of the models are in fairly
good agreement.
available to the whole aluminium industry through GeniSim Inc.
edit the APDL model input file to change the model geometry and
submit another run.
around 5200 CPU seconds on a 64 bits dual core Intel Centrino T
9300 Cell Precision M6300 portable computer running ANSYS®
and collector bar slot design.
possible to reduce the cathode lining drop of a typical single
collector bar slot per block design having a square collector bar
section of 160 mm x 160 mm by 40 mV or about 19%. This is
done by keeping the same amount of carbon above the collector bar
by shifting to a double collector bar slots per block design. This
design is obtained by removing the cast iron above the bars with an
increase of the bar height while keeping the same collector bar slot
height and also reducing the cast iron thickness on the bar sides by
increasing the bar width while keeping the same slot width.
design had some influence on the cathode lining drop. Performing
a true collector bar slot profile optimization study would have
required the development of a multitude of alternative model
topologies which was not done in the present study.
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Increase Lauralco's Smelter Productivity", Proceeding of the
ANSYS® 8th International Conference, volume 2, 2.233-2.240,
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(1992), 779-787.
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(2000).
anodes", in Proceedings of TMS Light Metals, (2009), 1067-
1072.