The fluewall is a key element of an anode baking furnace as its design has an impact on both the investment and the operating costs of a baking furnace. It also has an influence on the process control and therefore on the energy consumption of the anode baking step.The internal geometrical arrangement of the fluewalls of an anode baking furnace has marginally been developed from the 1970s to the 1990s, towards the increased strength, in order to improve the lifetime of the refractory.However, its basic principle has not been significantly challenged over that period.The development presented in this paper describes a new innovative concept, proposing a compromise between the different functions of a fluewall, and ends at the industrial validation and deployment of this new fluewall design, that is now available to both build a complete furnace or to replace progressively the fluewalls of an existing furnace.This new design allows a significant reduction of the investment cost, the maintenance cost, as well as the energy consumption of a baking furnace.
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