To withstand molten aluminum at about 960 degrees Celsius, the relining, preheating, and startup of the cell are very important, and the materials used are very costly.
Challenge
- Proper preheating of the cell is a crucial part of the startup process to ensure optimal operation and extended lifespan.
- The lining material and cathode carbon in the cell must be heated slowly and controlled before theย cell can be filled with molten bath.
- If bath is added to a cell with too low temperature, the lining and cathode can suffer from thermalย shock, and the risk of crack formation is significant.ย This will reduce the cellโs lifespan.
- Another effect of poor preheating is the risk of unwanted incidents such as startup anode effects (AE) and thus increased emissions of greenhouse gases (PFC and CO2).
- Therefore, it is desirable to be able to monitor the cathode temperature during the startup process. The conditions at the measurement points are challenging with high heat and a lot of electromagnetic noise that the sensors are exposed to. In addition to this, manual reading of temperature is labor-intensive work where operators must spend time connecting and disconnecting manual reading equipment.
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Solution
- By using Neuron Thermocouple Type K sensors, stable temperature measurements are collected throughout the preheating process.
- You get an early warning as soon as theย temperature is outside defined limits.
- This can be used to control e.g. the electrical load for optimal preheating.
- Neuron Thermocouple Type K provides accurate measurements wirelessly, so electromagnetic noise minimally affects the measurement results, as can happen with wired measurement points.
- Sensors are simply connected to standard Type K measuring probes already in use at most plants today.
What you get
- Reduced risk of thermal shock when bath is added, extending the lifespan of the cell.
- Proper preheating leads to fewer startup anode effects (AE) when the bath is added, which in turn reduces emissions of PFC andย CO2.
- Optimal start temperature leads to faster normal operation in the cell, which in turn increases the cellโs yield over its lifespan.
- Early warning at temperature values outside set limits.
- Continuous measurements provide a good data foundation for further optimization of operations, and historical data can be used for quality assurance.
- Wireless sensors allow for faster and easier connection of sensors.
- Connection via standard Type K contact on measuring probes.