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Universal Approach to Estimate Perfluorocarbons Emissions During Individual High-Voltage Anode Effect for Prebaked Cell Technologies

  • Reducing Al Production Impact: GHG Emissions, Energy Reduction & Recovery
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Abstract

Recent investigations on aluminum electrolysis cell demonstrated limitations to the commonly used tier-3 slope methodology to estimate perfluorocarbon (PFC) emissions from high-voltage anode effects (HVAEs). These limitations are greater for smelters with a reduced HVAE frequency. A novel approach is proposed to estimate the specific emissions using a tier 2 model resulting from individual HVAE instead of estimating monthly emissions for pot lines with the slope methodology. This approach considers the nonlinear behavior of PFC emissions as a function of the polarized anode effect duration but also integrates the change in behavior attributed to cell productivity. Validation was performed by comparing the new approach and the slope methodology with measurement campaigns from different smelters. The results demonstrate a good agreement between measured and estimated emissions as well as more accurately reflect individual HVAE dynamics occurring over time. Finally, the possible impact of this approach for the aluminum industry is discussed.

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Notes

  1. Some HVAEs were not considered in this study if they occurred simultaneously within different cells due to their overlapping profile.

  2. Individual C2F6 measurements were not available for campaign C and F. Thus, the average error could not be calculated..

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Acknowledgements

Part of this work was financed by a BMP-Innovation grant from a partnership composed of “Fonds de Recherche du Québec – Nature et Technologies” (FRQNT), “National Science and Engineering Research Council of Canada” (NSERC), and Aluminerie Alouette Inc. The authors would like to thank Aluminerie Alouette Inc. and Rio Tinto for allowing them to perform in situ measurements as well as for granting the permission to present these results. Additional thanks go to Dr. Jerry Marks for providing advice and the FTIR equipment used during some of the experimental campaigns.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Rio Tinto—ARDC, 1955 boul. Mellon, Jonquière, QC, G7S 4K8, Canada

    Lukas Dion & Simon Gaboury

  2. Rio Tinto—Energy and Climate Change, Montreal, QC, Canada

    Frédéric Picard

  3. Université du Québec à Chicoutimi, 555 boul. de l’Université, Chicoutimi, QC, G7H 2B1, Canada

    Lukas Dion, Laszlo I. Kiss & Sandor Poncsak

  4. Aluminerie Alouette, 400 chemin de la Pointe-Noire, C.P. 1650, Sept-Îles, QC, G4R 5M9, Canada

    Nadia Morais

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  1. Lukas Dion
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  2. Simon Gaboury
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  3. Frédéric Picard
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  4. Laszlo I. Kiss
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  5. Sandor Poncsak
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  6. Nadia Morais
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Correspondence to Lukas Dion.

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Dion, L., Gaboury, S., Picard, F. et al. Universal Approach to Estimate Perfluorocarbons Emissions During Individual High-Voltage Anode Effect for Prebaked Cell Technologies. JOM 70, 1887–1892 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11837-018-2848-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11837-018-2848-6

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