Methods for Decreasing the Electrical Energy Consumption in the Aluminum Production

Abstract—The results of testing cathode blocks with cast iron casting carried out at the series of electrolysis of the JSC Kazakhstan Electrolysis Plant are presented. The behavior of cathode blocks with cast iron casting during operation was studied; the effect of these blocks on the technical and economic performance of electrolysis cells was analyzed with the goal of decreasing the energy consumption. As a result, it was shown experimentally that application of cathode blocks with cast iron casting would decrease the voltage drop across the bottom by 20 mV and, hence, this would reduce the electricity consumption by 80 kW h per ton. The productivity was 0.2% higher for electrolysis cells equipped with cathode blocks with cast iron casting than for the cells with carbon-sealed cathode blocks.