Cleaning spent anodes obtd. in mfg. aluminium by electrolysis - in jig where hydraulic chisels are used to knock electrolyte residues off carbon anode stumps

摘要

In mfg. Al by the Hall-Heroult process, spent anodes, i.e. carbon stumps, are obtd., which are attached by lugs to anode suspension bars. The spent anodes are covered with electrolyte residue. To reclaim both the spent anodes or stumps, and the residue, the latter is knocked off the stumps by percussion chisels or picks. In the pref. cleaning jig, the stumps are located on supports while their suspension bars are vertical. The supports are then swivelled through an arc of 90 deg. so the stumps can be cleaned by hydraulic chisels. The electrolyte residue removed from the stumps falls through a grid into a collector bin. All the parts of the spent anodes are reclaimed and re-used.