Bubble driven flow in narrow channels between the electrodes of an aluminium electrolysis cell

今天的生产技术消耗的电能大约是理论上将氧化铝还原为金属铝所需电能的两倍。在电流通过的过程中，过剩能量的重要部分在熔融的电解液中消散。氧化铝在电化学还原过程中产生的气泡占据了水平电极间空间的一部分，并增加了引起寄生热产生的电阻。减少过热的一种方法是减小极间空间，即所谓的阳极-阴极距离，即ACD。然而，阳极下的气泡层的厚度限制了ACD的降低，因为气泡会扰乱电解液-金属界面，导致电解槽的电流效率降低。

Today's production technologies consume about twice of the electrical energy needed theoretically to reduce alumina into metallic aluminum. An important part of the excess energy is dissipated in the molten electrolyte during the passage of the electrical current. The gas bubbles that are generated during the electrochemical reduction of alumina occupy a part of the horizontal interelectrode space and increase the electrical resistance provoking a parasite heat generation. One method of reducing that excess heating is by reducing the interelectrode space, the so-called anode-cathode distance, ACD. However, the thickness of the bubble layer under the anode sets a limit to the reduction of the ACD as the bubbles can perturb the electrolyte-metal interface, causing a reduction in the current efficiency of the electrolysis cell.