Alumina Solubility and Diffusion Coefficient of the Dissolved Alumina Species in Low-Temperature Fluoride Electrolytes

Abstract

The solubility of alumina was measured by rotating an alumina cylinder (~500 rpm) in a high-purity melt for ~3 to 6 hours, crushing and sampling the frozen melt, and determining the oxygen content in a Leco analyzer. The alumina solubilities determined were as follows: (1) 3.2 ± 0.3 wt pct in NaF-AlF3 eutectic at 1023 K (750 °C); (2) 3.0 ± 0.3 wt pct in NaF-AlF3-CaF2 (5 wt pct) at 1023 K (750 °C); and (3) 5.2 ± 0.5 wt pct in a KF-AlF3 eutectic at 1003 K (730 °C). The alumina solubility in the KF-AlF3 eutectic was 2 wt pct more than in the sodium analogue, offering the possibility of operating a low-temperature aluminum smelting cell without the need for an alumina slurry. The diffusion coefficient of the dissolved alumina species was determined in the NaF-AlF3 eutectic at 1023 K (750 °C) using the rotating disc method and applying the Levich equation. Through a limited range of rotation rates, the system seemed to be mass-transfer controlled, and the diffusion coefficient was estimated to be in the range 1.8 to 2.2 × 10−6 cm2 s−1. This value is about five times lower than the values encountered at traditional aluminum smelting temperatures (~1233 K (960 °C)) and would result in relatively low mass transfer coefficients.