In the last years ALRO Slatina plant was subject to the modernization of the technological process of aluminum production by changes in the electrolysis cell, which led to superior economic and technological performance. The increase in the electrical power per cell is accompanied by the increase in the size (and weight) of the cathode and anode blocks that, in turn, may enhance the strain of the supporting anodic frame and, implicitly, the strain of the connections between it and the omnibus bars. To better understand these effects and to highlight the possible risk areas, we investigate – by mathematical modeling and numerical (finite element) simulation – the thermally induced mechanical stress for the anodic frame and the flexible beam.

Keywords: Aluminum electrolysis, Electro-thermal stress, Heat transfer, Numerical modeling, Finite element