Discussion on alumina dissolution and diffusion in commercial aluminum reduction cell

Abstract

Dissolution model for smelting grade alumina (SGA) in the commercial reduction cell should take into account both thermodynamic and kinetic factors because of the specific dissolution environment in the cell referring to bath chemistry condition and feeding strategy. Earlier dissolution model are mainly focused on the dissolution mechanism and laboratory kinetics, while few considerations on the effects of industrial dissolution kinetics. This paper presents measurements on the velocity (by adding traceable element—strontium ‘Sr’) of the bath were carried out on two 400 kA commercial cells, and the effects on the SGA dissolution rate are discussed to support an initial investigation for the establishment of an advanced dissolution model for alumina.