Aluminum Reduction Technology: Cell Design and New Processes
Sponsored by: TMS Light Metals Division, TMS: Aluminum Committee
Program Organizers: Kristian Etienne Einarsrud, Norwegian University of Science and Technology; Stephan Broek, Kensington Technology Inc; Mertol Gokelma, Izmir Institute of Technology; Dmitry Eskin, Brunel University

Thursday 8:30 AM
March 3, 2022
Room: 209B
Location: Anaheim Convention Center

Session Chair: Camilla Sommerseth, SINTEF Industry


8:30 AM Introductory Comments

8:35 AM  
Preparation of Aluminum Master Alloys by Electrolytic Co-deposition in Hall-Héroult Cells: Xiangwen Wang1; 1Alcoa Corporation
    Producing aluminum alloys in Hall cells can be an economical alternative to meet ever-increasing light weight alloy applications. Alcoa has carried out comprehensive studies over past years using Hall cells to produce aluminum-silicon, aluminum – scandium, and aluminum – rare earth alloys. The studies were performed in 300A lab scale with multiple electrolysis campaigns for each alloy with kilo scale of alloys produced. For the Al-Si, over 7.0% Si foundry alloy was produced by feeding Hall cell with alumina-sand mixture. For the Al-Sc, a master alloy of 3.5% Sc was produced with introducing scandium oxide and alumina. For Al-Re, 8.5% Re alloy was obtained by feeding rare earth oxides and alumina. This paper summarizes our lab scale studies for each of the Al alloy systems. Electrolysis operating conditions and key parameters were obtained which are considered a critical step toward commercial application in producing such alloys in Hall cells.

9:00 AM  
Direct Production of Aluminum Manganese and Silicon Alloys in Aluminum Reduction Cells, A Laboratory Test: Gudrun Saevarsdottir1; Omar Awayassa2; Rauan Meirbekova3; Geir Haarberg2; 1Reykjavik University; 2NTNU; 3DTE
    Aluminum smelters produce pure aluminum in reduction cells by the Hall Héroult process, but supply a variety of alloys to their customers. The alloys are produced in the cast house, as master alloys containing the desired alloying elements are added to the primay aluminum from the potroom before casting. In this paper the concept of producing silicon or manganese containing master alloys direcly in the aluminum reduction cells, by feeding titanium, silicon or manganese oxides into the electrolyte, along with the alumina raw material. The results in this paper are obtained from a laboratory cell, and the current efficiency for the alloy deposition is estimated. Results for aluminum titanium alloys are reported in a separate paper.

9:25 AM  
Trace Elements in Aluminium Smelting Carbon Dust and Their Extraction: Aleksandr Shimanskii1; Andrei Iasinskii1; Vladimir Losev1; Olga Buyko1; Yakov Kazantsev1; Nataliya Simonova1; 1Siberian Federal University
    Gallium and germanium are practically important trace elements used in different high-tech areas. New secondary raw materials for their extraction are a subject of a thorough search. In this study, new evidence of the presence of germanium and gallium in the wastes from the Hall-Heroult process was demonstrated and comprehensively discussed. The method of their extraction was proposed. After the processing of carbon dust, the concentration of trace elements is drastically increased. The carbon concentrate being a product of carbon dust processing can be combusted to accumulate gallium in the ash while germanium distributes between the ash and the sublimates due to the volatility of monoxide GeO. The concentration of gallium in the ash reaches 0.5 wt.% and the concentration of germanium highly depends upon the combustion temperature and the partial pressure of oxygen. The results of trace elements extraction in the acidic and basic environment are shown.

9:50 AM Break

10:05 AM  
Developing and Implementing an Efficient Forced Cooling Network at Aluminerie Alouette: Diego Oitaben1; Jules Côté2; Marc Gagnon2; Alain Charbonnier3; Patrice Verdu3; Olivier Martin3; François Riffaud1; Alexandre Lamoureux1; André Felipe Schneider1; Julien Samson1; Simon Poirier1; 1Hatch; 2Aluminerie Alouette; 3Rio Tinto
     Aluminerie Alouette started in 2017 a project for implementing the AP40 technology at their aluminum smelter in Sept-Iles, Quebec, Canada. Part of this technology consisted of installing a Forced Cooling Network (FCN) for regulating the cell thermal balance by cooling down the potshells of their 594 pots. The design of this system was divided into two main components: the pot duct networks for each pot; and the main collector networks that provide the required air flow to each of the pot duct networks.This paper explains the development of this Forced Cooling Network from concept design to installation and start-up of the best optimized and efficient solution. An integrated team formed by Alouette, Rio Tinto – AP Technology and Hatch specialists have worked together using a continuous improvement approach to make this project a success.