Ural Aluminium (UAZ), a SUAL Group company, launches a new 300 kA pre-baked anode test section.

UAZ has six 300 kA pre-baked anode cells in their test section. The cells were designed by SUAL engineers. Scientists and engineers of the SibVAMI institute, UAZ metallurgists and specialists from managing company SUAL Holding participated in the development of the cells.

The 300 kA pre-baked anode cells are being operated to evaluate the design of anode, cathode, alumina feeding system and bus bar design. The evaluation will monitor the hydromagnetic characteristics and develop the optimal technological processes for operation. The goal is to develop these cells so that they can be used to upgrade existing facilities or for the construction of new ones. Environmentally, the cells will be leading edge as well. Connected to the test section is a gas scrubber, which will achieve world class emission standards.

SUAL Holding President Brian Gilbertson said, ‘the construction of this test workshop is an important event, not only for the SUAL Group, but for the entire Russian aluminium industry. Creating the new high-tech potline is the result of the combination of the efforts of both science and industry and the application of the practical experience of Russian engineers. Without a doubt, this will open possibilities and create new potential for the Russian aluminium industry.'

SUAL Holding Senior Vice President Downstream Vladimir Skornyakov stressed, «The test workshop is a significant milestone in the development of the Russian aluminium industry. This establishes a scientific foundation for SUAL that, until now, no Russian or Soviet aluminium producer had ever had. Very few companies in the world can be proud of such testing areas. The main goal of the workshop is to test the new 300 kA -and-higher electrolysis in order to facilitate the construction and roll-out of potlines to both our new and modernised smelters. This creates unlimited possibilities for SUAL's scientists and engineers as well as our partners to develop new carbon materials for automated production.»

SUAL Holding Senior Vice President Upstream Wayne Hale said, «This project demonstrates SUAL's commitment to upgrading its production assets. This section will give us more testing abilities and opportunity to apply our unique experience to bring all SUAL’s production facilities into a substantially higher level of operation.»

UAZ General Director Boris Smolyanitsky said at the launch, ‘Today we see the results of the hard work by the entire SUAL team. The launch of the test workshop is a transition to a new quality standard in aluminium production. The use of the newest technologies will allow us to strengthen our leading positions on the global aluminium market.' Smolyanitsky also stressed, ‘our experience with installing pre-baked anode potlines in buildings 1N and 2N in December 2003 was a great help in launching the new test potlines.'

Notes to editor:

SUAL Group is a vertically integrated company that ranks among the world’s top ten aluminium producers. It comprises businesses involved in the production of bauxite, alumina, silicon, aluminium semi-finished and finished products.

Annually, SUAL Group mines more than 5 million tonnes of bauxite and produces about 2.1 million tonnes of alumina, more than 920 thousand tonnes of primary aluminium, about 60 thousand tonnes of silicon and more than 135 thousand tonnes of aluminium products.

Ural Aluminium (UAZ) — The plant, situated near Kamensk-Uralsky, the third largest town in Sverdlovsk Region and 100 km south-east of Yekaterinburg, was originally opened in 1939 and has been extensively modernised and expanded since then. Ural Aluminium's quality control system is ISO 9001 certified.