Abstract:Compared with a conventional Hall-Heroult cell(H-H cell), the interpolar distance of a drained cell can be reduced significantly and the cell voltage and heat produced in the electrolysis will decrease greatly as well, which makes it crucial to achieve a new heat balance in the drained cell. A half anode-cathode slice model of a hypothetical drained cell retrofitted from a 160kA currently used in H-H cell was developed for the thermo-electric calculation and simulation. The results were presented and analyzed and possible approaches for setting up a new heat balance in a drained cell were discussed.

Key words: drained cell; thermal-electrical calculation and simulation;half anode and cathode slice model; heat balance