Water-model study of the ledge heat transfer in an aluminium cell

Abstract

A heat transfer probe was developed for studying the ledge heat transfer in a full-scale 3-D air-water model. Quantitative measurements were conducted to determine the bath/ledge heat transfer characteristics at various positions and different operating conditions. A similitude analysis was carried out to relate the measured point results to data available in the literature. A suggested range of heat transfer coefficients for the reduction cell is presented. Variation of the heat transfer were examined as a function of the anode bottom inclination, the position on the side ledge relative to the anode slot, and positions in the vertical direction.