Arrangement of conductors for electrolytic furnaces

Claim 1

IN AN ALUMINUM PLANT THE COMBINATION OF A PLURALITY OF SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL POT LINES, EACH POT LINE COMPRISING A PLURALITY OF FURANCES, EACH OF WHICH IS AN ELECTRILYTIC CELL COMPRISING A POT SERVING AS A CATHODE AND HOLDING THE BATH TO BE OPERATED ON AND MOLTEN ALUMINUM REDUCED IN SUCH POT, AND EACH OF SAID FURNACES FURTHER COMPRISING A MOVABLE ANODE WHICH GOES DOWN INTO THE BATH, SAID FURNACES IN EACH POT LINE BEING CONNECTED TOGETHER IN SERIES, CONDUCTORS FROM A SOURCE OF DIRECT CURRENT LEADING TO SAID POT LINES AND SO ARRANGED THAT THE FLOW OF CURRENT IN ADJACENT POT LINES IS IN OPPOSITE DIRECTIONS, CONDUCTORS BETWEEN ADJACENT POTS IN A LINE, EACH SUCH CONDUCTOR COMPRISING A PORTION RUNNING FROM THE CATHODE OF A POT IN TOWARDS THE CENTRAL ZONE BETWEEN ADJACENT POT LINES, A PORTION RUNNING THROUGH SAID CENTRAL ZONE IN A DIRECTION PARALLEL TO THE POT LINES AND A PORTION RUNNING OUT FROM SUCH CENTRAL ZONE TO THE ANODE OF AN ADJACENT POT, SUCH CENTRAL PORTIONS OF THE CONDUCTORS OF ONE POT LINE WHICH RUN THROUGH SAID CENTRAL ZONE BEING SO POSITIONED THAT THEY ARE ADJACENT AND PARALLEL TO CORRESPONDING CENTRAL PORTIONS OF CONDUCTORS BETWEEN POTS IN ANOTHER POT LINE THROUGH WHICH THE CURRENT FLOWS IN AN OPPOSITE DIRECTION TO THE FLOW IN SAID FIRST POT LINE SO THAT THE MAGNETIC EFFECT OF THE FLOW OF CURRENT THROUGH ONE POT LINE IS OFFSET BY THE MAGNETIC EFFECT OF THE FLOW OF CURRENT IN SUCH OTHER POT LINE.