Arvida Aluminum Smelter — AP60 Technological Center, Start-Up Performance and Development of the Technology

Techno-economic assessment of aluminum as a clean energy carrier to decarbonize remote industries

“…12 MWh e /t Al 20,36 but the average modern smelters consume closer to 13 MWh e /t Al , consistent with the voltage drop and current efficiency presented in Fig. 1.…”

“…In modern pots, up to 600 kA flow from the carbon anodes, through a cryolite bath kept at around 940-970 1C, onto the cathode where aluminum is reduced. 19,20 SGA is added to the bath periodically to maintain proper alumina concentration, therefore achieving maximal energy efficiency. Low alumina concentration also induces the occurrence of the so-called ''anode effect'', a phenomenon characterized by a sudden surge in pot voltage that results in thermal instability and the emissions of harmful perfluorocarbon (PFC).…”