Abstract
The relationships of dissolution rate to alumina specifications and bath chemistry including electrolyte composition, operating temperature and superheat were investigated. The key physiochemical properties of industrial alumina samples were tested including moisture content, loss on ignition, surface area and phase composition. The dissolution of these samples in several bath compositions was observed through a quartz crucible equipped with a visual recording system. The dissolution rate increased with increasing loss on ignition and surface area. The operating temperatures and existing alumina concentration in the electrolyte had a greater impact on the alumina dissolution rate than the minor change of the bath compositions and superheat. Same trends were also obtained for the lab-calcined alumina samples.
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Acknowledgements
The authors would like to express their gratitude for the financial support provided by the National Key Technology Research and Development Program of the Ministry of Science and Technology of China (Grant No. 2012BAE08B01), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 51074045, 51074046, 51228401, 51322406, 51434005, 51474060), the NEU foundation (No. N130402011).
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Yang, Y., Gao, B., Wang, Z. et al. Effect of Physiochemical Properties and Bath Chemistry on Alumina Dissolution Rate in Cryolite Electrolyte. JOM 67, 973–983 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11837-015-1379-7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11837-015-1379-7