Abstract:Finite element simulation calculations were employed to simulate the electric field of a 330 kA aluminum electrolytic cell with both traditional and shaped cathode carbon block structures. The main focus was on analyzing the horizontal current distribution in the molten aluminum. The study reveals that compared to the traditional structure, the shaped cathode carbon block structure can reduce the horizontal current density with a minimal impact on the voltage drop. The simulation results indicate that adding partitions on the surface protrusions of the shaped cathode carbon block and altering the protrusion angles has an obvious effect on reducing the horizontal current in liquid aluminum, which can reduce the maximum horizontal current density of aluminum melt by 27.8% and the average horizontal current density by 34.3%, and effectively improve the current efficiency of aluminum electrolytic cell.