EGA new D20+ technology with reduced energy consumption

Abstract

Following the successful design, development and industrial implementation of the low energy D18+ cell technology, Emirates Global Aluminium has initiated a new project to upgrade the CD20 and D20 cell technologies to D20+ with the aim to further reduce energy consumption and perfluorocarbon emissions. This project again demonstrates the company’s vision and commitment to lowering our environmental footprint and increasing our economic competitiveness. The work in this paper details the main retrofit changes in seven D20+ test cells with improvement in busbar design, retrofitting process, superstructure and the introduction of copper insert cathode collector bars which have resulted in lowering the cell ohmic resistance, improved the anode current density and magnetohydrodynamic stability resulting in lowering energy consumption from 14.00 to 12.99 DC kWh/kg Al. Further process optimization and feasibility analysis are in progress to fully assess the best way forward for industrial implementation of the D20+ technology.