Challenges and Opportunities of Vacuum Compaction: Lessons Learnt from Retrofitting EGA-JA Paste Plant to Vacuum Compaction

Abstract

The application of vacuum during forming was first introduced to anode manufacturing in the early 1970s. Using vacuum has become quite widespread more recently since it allows anodes to be formed at higher temperatures with a lower risk of cracking, thus helping to increase anode density and improve other related properties. As a part of a larger anode project, the two vibroformers in Emirates Global Aluminium’s Jebel Ali Paste Plant were upgraded with the addition of vacuum units. These retrofits gave the opportunity to study the impact of forming under vacuum in the green and baking stages of anode production. This paper summarizes the key lessons learnt on how vacuum forming affects green and baked anode properties and the process changes made to take advantage of the higher densities achieved with vacuum while maintaining good anode electrical resistivity.