(2) The following processes are performed in structures annotated in Figure 2-
11.
(a) The demand for large amounts of electric power means plants are often
located near large hydroelectric power plants to take advantage of abundant cheap
power (Annotation 1).
NOTE: 10 to 15 kilowatts of electric power are needed to produce one pound of
aluminum metal.
(b) Alternating current (AC) from the source is received at the plant's
substation (Annotation 1) and directed into a rectifier building (Annotation 2)
where the AC current is converted to direct current (DC).
requisite for operating the electrolytic furnaces. Four pounds of bauxite ore are
needed to produce two pounds of alumina, and two pounds of alumina are reduced in
an electrolytic furnace to produce one pound of aluminum metal. The furnace uses
carbon electrodes, and in the process of producing one pound of aluminum metal, 3/4
of a pound of carbon is consumed by the oxygen freed by the alumina.
Figure 2-11. Aluminum Reduction Plant Flow.
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IT 0673
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