The Application of Intelligent Breaking and Feeding Technology for Aluminium Reduction Pot

Reducing voltage to achieve lower energy consumption has been a constant goal for aluminium pot line operators. However, voltage reduction could be accompanied with breaker jam and elephant leg, having many disadvantages. In this paper, three different breaker jam identification solutions have been tested based on analysis of the core parameters that have the greatest impact on breaker jam and elephant leg. On the foundation of site practices and experiments, a new intelligent breaking and feeding technology, which consists of following key features, has been developed: breaking in groups + single-point feeding + use pressure sensor to identify breaker jam + unlink breaking and feeding sequence + intelligent feeding technology + energy compensation technology. This technology has been applied to some Chinese smelters and has achieved good results. Hence, breaker jam and elephant leg can be reduced by 80%, breaker and cylinder life can be prolonged by 20–30% and energy consumption can be saved by 0–50kWh/t-Al.