Electrolytic cell intended for the production of aluminium and electrolytic smelter comprising this cell

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10697074-B2
Application number	US-201414911164-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 30, 2014
Priority date	Aug 9, 2013
Publication date	Jun 30, 2020
Grant date	Jun 30, 2020

Abstract

This cell ( 1 ) comprises a pot shell ( 2 ) having two longitudinal sides ( 18 ) which are symmetrical in relation to a longitudinal median plane (P) of the electrolytic cell ( 1 ), an anode assembly which can only move in vertical translation with respect to the pot shell ( 2 ), the anode assembly comprising an anode block ( 100 ) and a transverse anode support ( 200 ) extending at right angles to the longitudinal sides ( 18 ) of the pot shell ( 2 ), from which support the anode block ( 100 ) is suspended. The anode support ( 200 ) comprises two connecting portions ( 202 ) from which electrolysis current is supplied to the anode support ( 200 ), and the cell ( 1 ) comprises electrical connection conductors ( 20 ) electrically connected to the two connecting portions ( 202 ) of the anode support ( 200 ), the two connecting portions ( 202 ) being located on either side of the plane (P).

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An electrolytic cell configured for the production of aluminum by electrolysis, in which the electrolytic cell comprises a pot shell having two opposite longitudinal sides, an anode assembly configured to only move in vertical translation with respect to the pot shell and designed to be removed and replaced periodically, the anode assembly comprising at least one anode block and a transverse anode support extending substantially transversely to the longitudinal sides of the pot shell from which the at least one anode block is suspended, the transverse anode support comprising two connecting portions through which the transverse anode support is provided with electrolysis current, the electrolytic cell further comprising electrical connection conductors that are not configured to be removed and replaced periodically with the anode assembly, the electrical connection conductors being electrically connected to the two connecting portions of the transverse anode support, characterized in that the two connecting portions are at a distance from each other in a substantially transverse direction of the electrolytic cell, wherein the anode assembly is removably connected to the electrolytic cell such that the two connecting portions of the transverse anode support are removably connected to the electrical connection conductors, and wherein the anode assembly is supported by the electrical connection conductors and moveable with the electrical connection conductors.

2. The electrolytic cell according to claim 1 , characterized in that the two opposite longitudinal sides are substantially symmetrical in relation to a longitudinal median plane of the electrolytic cell and characterized in that the two connecting portions are located on either side of the longitudinal median plane.

3. The electrolytic cell according to claim 2 , characterized in that the transverse anode support comprises two end portions, and characterized in that the connecting portions are located on the end portions of the transverse anode support.

4. The electrolytic cell according to claim 1 , characterized in that the transverse anode support comprises a first structure made of a first electrically conducting material and a second structure made of a second electrically conducting material, the second material having an electrical conductivity which is substantially greater than an electrical conductivity of the first material.

5. The electrolytic cell according to claim 4 , characterized in that the first structure comprises a transverse bar extending substantially transversely from one connecting portion to the other connecting portion.

6. The electrolytic cell according to claim 5 , characterized in that the transverse bar extends between the end portions in a single piece.

7. The electrolytic cell according to claim 4 , characterized in that the second structure is attached to the first structure in such a way that the first structure mechanically supports the second structure.

8. The electrolytic cell according to claim 4 , characterized in that the second structure at least partly forms the connecting portions of the anode support.

9. The electrolytic cell according to claim 4 , characterized in that the second structure comprises two separate parts each at least partly forming one of the two connecting portions.

10. The electrolytic cell according to claim 9 , characterized in that the two separate parts are distant from each other in the substantially transverse direction of the cell.

11. The electrolytic cell according to claim 10 , characterized in that the two opposite longitudinal sides are substantially symmetrical in relation to a longitudinal median plane of the electrolytic cell, and in that the two separate parts are located on either side of the longitudinal median plane.

12. The electrolytic cell according to claim 11 , characterized in that the two separate parts are substantially symmetrical in relation to the longitudinal median plane.

13. The electrolytic cell according to claim 10 , characterized in that the transverse anode support comprises a plurality of stubs attached to the first structure designed to be sealed in voids formed in a surface of said at least one anode block, and characterized in that a distance between the two separate parts in the substantially transverse direction is equivalent to a distance between two adjacent stubs of the plurality of stubs.

14. The electrolytic cell according to claim 10 , characterized in that the transverse anode support comprises a plurality of stubs attached to the first structure and that each of the two separate parts is attached to the first structure only at a location where the stubs and one of the connecting portions are attached.

15. The electrolytic cell according to claim 9 , characterized in that the anode assembly comprises two adjacent anode blocks in the substantially transverse direction of the electrolytic cell, the two anode blocks being supported by the same first structure and located beneath the two separate parts of the second structure.

16. The electrolytic cell according to claim 4 , characterized in that the first structure forms a ring, and in that the second structure is located within the ring formed by the first structure.

17. The electrolytic cell according to claim 16 , characterized in that the ring has U-shaped ends, the second structure comprising two parts, each having a corresponding U-shape matching the U-shape of the ends of the ring, and characterized in that at ambient temperature a length of an outer perimeter wall of curved portions of the corresponding U-shape formed by each part of the second structure is shorter than a length of an inner perimeter wall in curved portions of the U-shape formed by the end of the ring matching the corresponding U-shape.

18. The electrolytic cell according to claim 1 , characterized in that the anode support forms a ring bounded by two transverse bars connected together at ends thereof, the transverse bars extending substantially parallel to each other and perpendicular to the longitudinal sides of the pot shell.

19. The electrolytic cell according to claim 16 , characterized in that the anode assembly comprises two adjacent anode blocks in a longitudinal direction of the electrolytic cell, each anode block being supported by one separate transverse bar of the two transverse bars.

20. The electrolytic cell according to claim 1 , characterized in that the anode assembly comprises a plurality of stubs extending between the anode support and the at least one anode block, and characterized in that the anode support comprises a portion which is elbowed in a vertical plane at each end of the portion in such a way that the connecting portions of the anode support are located above the top surface of the stubs.

21. The electrolytic cell according to claim 1 , characterized in that the anode assembly comprises a plurality of stubs extending substantially vertically between the anode support and the at least one anode block, and in that the stub comprises a substantially horizontal sealing end sealed within the at least one anode block.

22. The electrolytic cell according to claim 1 , characterized in that the longitudinal sides extend in a substantially longitudinal direction, and each of the at least one anode block has a length extending in the substantially transverse direction and a width extending in the substantially longitudinal direction, wherein the length of each of the

Assignees

• Rio Tinto Alcan Int Ltd

Inventors

• Renaudier Steeve
• BARDET Benoit
• Rochet Yves
• Laroche Denis
• Martin Olivier

Classifications

• C25C3/10 Primary

  External supporting frames or structures · CPC title

• C25C3/16

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

• C25C7/007 Primary

  of cells comprising at least a movable electrode (C25C7/002, C25C7/02 - C25C7/06 take precedence) · CPC title