ALCOA STARPROBE™ – UPDATE IN FURTHER DEVELOPMENT FOR MEASURING CRYOLITE PROPERTIES

摘要

Efficient aluminum smelting operation requires routine butrnnecessary measurement and control of individual cell keyrnparameters. Two of the critical measurement and controlrnparameters are cell temperature and bath chemistry. Bathrnchemistry of interest for the cryolitic bath is cryolite molar ratiornand other components such as CaF_2 and Al_2O_3, and sometimesrnother additives such as LiF and MgF_2. Determination of thesernproperties requires various analytical equipment and rigorousrnprocedures from tedious sampling to analytical preparation.rnSTARprobe™, an Alcoa proprietary instrument specificallyrndeveloped and designed for use in aluminum smelters, combinesrntedious time-consuming sampling procedures and all expensivernanalytical equipment into one simple portable instrument forrnpotroom operators on potroom floor. Now, the STARprobe™,rntogether with Alcoa proprietary Integrated Pot Control system,rnbecomes an integral technology component in Alcoa smelters forrnan efficient operation. This paper will update our furtherrndevelopment in more accurately measuring aluminarnconcentration, and also addition of property measurementrnincluding %CaF_2 and %LiF when needed.