Anode assembly and associated production method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10480089-B2
Application number	US-201515111722-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 23, 2015
Priority date	Jan 27, 2014
Publication date	Nov 19, 2019
Grant date	Nov 19, 2019

Abstract

The present invention relates to a manufacturing process for an anode assembly intended for cells for the production of aluminum by electrolysis, the anode assembly being of the type having an anode rod, a longitudinal member interdependent with one end of the anode rod and a carbon anode including a cavity in which is housed the longitudinal member, the method comprising a formation phase of at least one sealed area filled with sealing material and at least one unsealed area devoid of sealing material, said at least one unsealed area extending to one of the longitudinal ends of the longitudinal member.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method of manufacturing an anode assembly intended for cells for production of aluminum by electrolysis, the anode assembly having an anode rod, a longitudinal member interdependent with one end of the anode rod and a carbon anode including a cavity in which is housed the longitudinal member for sealing the longitudinal member to the carbon anode, the longitudinal member having longitudinal ends, characterized in that the method comprises a formation phase comprising forming at least one sealed area within a gap between internal walls of the cavity of the carbon anode and the longitudinal member filled with sealing material and at least one unsealed area within the gap devoid of sealing material, the at least one unsealed area extending directly from and in contact with one of the longitudinal ends of the longitudinal member, wherein the formation phase includes fitting a shuttering material into the gap so as to define at least one sealing area and at least one non-sealing area, and filling the sealing area by casting of the sealing material in liquid or viscous state.

2. A method according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one sealing area comprises a first sealed area and the at least one non-sealing area comprises a first and a second unsealed areas, and the formation phase further comprises:
forming the first sealed area filled with sealing material, the first sealed area extending between longitudinal side faces of the longitudinal member and longitudinal internal walls of the cavity, and
forming the first and second unsealed areas at both longitudinal ends of the longitudinal member, each of the first and second unsealed areas extending between a transverse side face of the longitudinal member and a transverse internal wall of the cavity.

3. A method according to claim 1 , wherein the fitting step comprises:
placing the shuttering material at at least one of the longitudinal ends of the longitudinal member so that the shuttering material extends on longitudinal side faces of the longitudinal member, and
inserting the longitudinal member with the shuttering material into the cavity so that the shuttering material defines, with the internal walls of the cavity and the side faces of the longitudinal member, the at least one sealing area and the at least one non-sealing area.

4. A method according to claim 3 , wherein the placing of the shuttering material comprises gluing or tying of at least one mat around the longitudinal side faces and a lower side of the longitudinal member.

5. A method according to claim 1 , wherein the formation phase further comprises removing the shuttering material after the filling of the sealing area.

6. A method according to claim 1 , wherein the formation phase further comprises packing the unsealed area with packing material.

7. An anode assembly intended for cells for production of aluminum by electrolysis, the anode assembly having an anode rod, a longitudinal member interdependent with one end of the anode rod and a carbon anode including a cavity in which is housed the longitudinal member for sealing the longitudinal member to the carbon anode, the longitudinal member having longitudinal ends, characterized in that the anode assembly further comprises a gap between the cavity and the longitudinal member, the gap including at least one sealed area containing a sealing material and at least one unsealed area devoid of sealing material, the at least one unsealed area extending directly from and in contact with one of the longitudinal ends of the longitudinal member.

8. An anode assembly according to claim 7 , wherein the at least one unsealed area comprises at least a first and a second unsealed areas at both longitudinal ends of the longitudinal member, and the at least one sealed area comprises at least a first sealed area between longitudinal side faces of the longitudinal member and longitudinal internal walls of the cavity.

9. An anode assembly according to claim 8 , wherein the first sealed area further extends between a lower face of the longitudinal member and a base of the cavity.

10. An anode assembly according to claim 7 , wherein the at least one unsealed area comprises packing material, the packing material being compressed to a nominal value sufficiently lower than its maximum compression ratio to allow expansion of the longitudinal member.

11. An anode assembly according to claim 10 , wherein the packing material is rock wool.

12. An anode assembly according to claim 7 , further comprising a support to which is attached the anode rod and a plurality of additional anode rods, a plurality of additional longitudinal members each interdependent with one end of one of the additional anode rods, and a plurality of additional carbon anodes, each including a cavity, wherein the additional longitudinal members are housed in the cavities of the additional longitudinal members.

13. An anode assembly according to claim 12 , wherein the support extends horizontally perpendicular to the longitudinal member and the additional longitudinal members.

14. An anode assembly according to claim 7 , wherein the at least one unsealed area further comprises a second unsealed area extending directly from an opposite one of the longitudinal ends of the longitudinal member.

15. An anode assembly according to claim 7 , wherein the longitudinal member is not contacted by the sealing material in the at least one unsealed area.

16. An anode assembly intended for cells for production of aluminum by electrolysis, the anode assembly having an anode rod, a longitudinal member interdependent with one end of the anode rod and a carbon anode including a cavity in which is housed the longitudinal member for sealing the longitudinal member to the carbon anode, the longitudinal member having first and second opposed longitudinal ends, characterized in that the anode assembly further comprises a gap between the cavity and the longitudinal member, the gap including at least one sealed area containing a sealing material and a first unsealed area devoid of sealing material, the first unsealed area extending directly from and in contact with the first longitudinal end of the longitudinal member.

17. An anode assembly according to claim 16 , wherein the gap further includes a second unsealed area extending directly from the second longitudinal end of the longitudinal member.

Assignees

• Rio Tinto Alcan Int Ltd

Inventors

• Caratini Yves
• Laroche Denis
• Vallet Julien
• Allano Bertrand
• Hacini Lyes

Classifications

• C25C3/16

  Electric current supply devices, e.g. bus bars · CPC title

• C25C3/125 Primary

  based on carbon · CPC title