Modelling HF generation in aluminium reduction cell

Abstract

Fluoride emissions especially hydrogen fluoride from the aluminium smelting process present the potential for significant environmental damage and the care is, therefore, taken to remove them from the gas stream that leaves the plant. While previous work has focused on improving the scrubbing efficiency, more recent research has investigated the generation of fluoride emissions during the reduction process, in part to understand seasonal changes in fluoride emissions (summer syndrome). Several models have been developed to estimate the amount of hydrogen fluoride generated, but these do not consider the individual sources of fluoride generation and cannot be easily used to assess the impact of changes in relative humidity. This paper presents a new model, still under development, which simulates the hydrolysis of pot gas from an open feeder hole. During the course of this research, it has become clear that the major sources of moisture for hydrogen fluoride generation appear to be alumina, in the form of structural hydroxides and the ambient humidity. It is thought that summer syndrome can be explained by the changes in the ambient humidity. Initial results suggest that, in an open feeder hole, a 3000–5000 ppm hydrogen fluoride (HF) background in pot gas presents, the ambient moisture could account for 30–55% maximum of total HF emission, varying with ambient humidity, CO flaming and bath chemistry. However, the anode hydrogen and adsorbed alumina moisture only have limited contribution to the gaseous fluoride.