About this Abstract |
| Meeting |
2027 TMS Annual Meeting & Exhibition
|
| Symposium
|
Aluminum Reduction Technology
|
| Presentation Title |
Energy Consumption of an Aluminum Reduction Cell with Inert Electrodes at Low Anode to Cathode Distance |
| Author(s) |
Andri Isak Thorhallsson, Jon Hjaltalin Magnusson, Daniel Thor Gunnarsson, Rauan Meirbekova, Kamaljeet Singh, Gudmundur Gunnarsson |
| On-Site Speaker (Planned) |
Andri Isak Thorhallsson |
| Abstract Scope |
Extracting aluminum by electrolysis with an inert-electrode technology is an energy-intensive process. In this study, aluminum reduction with inert electrodes was conducted with a short anode-to-cathode distance in an attempt to run the Al production process at low energy consumption (<13.5 kWh/kg Al. Tests at 400 and 600 A were conducted in a KF-NaF-AlF3 electrolyte at 800°C in a ledge-free cell with Cu-Fe-Ni anodes and TiB2 cathode. Elements in the electrolyte were analyzed with an Inductively Coupled Plasma with Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS) and with Optical Emission Spectroscopy (ICP-OES). Anodes were analyzed with a Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) and X-ray Dispersive (EDX) analyzer. Oxygen concentration, and hence alumina concentration, in the electrolyte was done in LECO analyzer. The test cells were operated down to 13.7 kWh/kg Al, indicating that a cell with inert electrodes could be an economically feasible option to the Hall-Héroult process in the future. |
| Proceedings Inclusion? |
Planned: Light Metals |
| Keywords |
Aluminum, Sustainability, Environmental Effects |