Optical Monitoring of the Condition of Steel Anode Pins in Soderberg Electrolysis Cells

This article examines the problem of the wear of anode pins in a Soderberg electrolysis cell with a top current feed. Wear of the pins reduces the efficiency of the electrolysis operation. Automated monitoring of the geometry of the current-conducting pins is discussed and a method that might be used to monitor their geometric parameters is found. Methods are also found to compensate for the systematic and random errors in the process in order to achieve the required accuracy under the present conditions in an electrolysis shop. A scheme in which elements of the monitoring system are installed on the pin crane is described and a simplified algorithm is developed for the monitoring process.