ALUMINA CONCENTRATION GRADIENTS IN ALUMINIUM REDUCTION CELLS

The length of aluminium electrolysis cells have constantly increased over the last decades. The drive to increase productivity resulted in the need to feed and dissolve more alumina in less electrolyte. There is mounting evidence that these two trends are pushing the electrolysis cells above their capability to maintain alumina concentration, through time and space, at levels preventing both conventional and non-propagating anode effects. Alumina concentration gradient measurements were performed within large industrial cells and showed that large gradients occurred between locations in cells.