This paper describes electrode design, velocity and interpolar resistance measurements in a physical model of advanced Hall-Heroult cells that use inert anodes and aluminum wcttable cathodes. The principal experimental tool has been a #x201C;water#x201D; model wherein gas generation was simulated by forcing compressed air through porous graphite and the fine bubbles characteristic of inert anodes were produced by adding butanol to water. Measurements were carried out with two different anode designs#x2014;one that is flat and the other that has grooves. The results show that energy-efficient operation of advanced Hall cells can be achieved by using grooved anodes that are fully submerged in the electrolyte in the near-horizontal electrode configuration.
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