Abstract: A 2D full cell thermo-electric model of 160kA drained cell was set up using finite element code to calculate its freeze profile, then the drained cell model was modified according to the freeze profile computed and its heat balance was calculated. Compared with that of a 160kA conventional Hall-Heroult cell (H-H cell), though the melts volume of the drained cell reduced greatly, the whole heat loss from it didn't drop down apparently, and an analysis was presented in the paper. On the other hand, the anode- cathode distance (ACD) of a drained cell was much less than that of a H-H cell, so the voltage drop on it and heat produced decreased too, steps should be taken to keep a workable heat balance on a drained cell.

Key words: drained cell, freeze profile, heat balance,