| Abstract Scope |
Design optimization of the anode-to-stub connection represents an opportunity for energy savings to the primary aluminum production industry. To facilitate such design efforts, a fully coupled thermal-electrical-mechanical model for the simulation of the operating behavior of the rodded collar connection was developed and is presented here in. The model, developed using COMSOL Multiphysics 6.3, showcases state-of-the-art simulation features that minimize computational cost while maximizing result accuracy. These features include full coupling relevant physics, temperature dependence of material properties, pressure dependence of collar-to-carbon electrical contact resistance, the enforcement of contact constraints through an Augmented Lagrangian method, and the exploitation of cyclic symmetry to minimize the size of the simulated domain |