Cathode Inspection and Repair Procedure Improvements in ALBRAS

In February 2022, a power outagePower outage in Potline 2 in ALBRASALBRAS shut down 223 cellsCell. As part of the restarting process, a methodology for the evaluation and classification of cathodesCathode was developed to support the decision on which ones to restartRestart or not. As inspections proceeded, some cellsCell presented damage to the rammed slope that required repairs. A methodology for patching was standardized, aiming to avoid potential future ironIron contamination. 211 cellsCell were inspected, 186 were restarted, and 108 were repaired according to the new methodology. This group performed better in the subsequent year: only 10% had to be relined, against 32% in the not-repaired group; 9% of the cellsCell were restarted due to failure, against 14% in the other group. The same group also performs better in terms of ironIron contamination of operating cellsCell. ALBRASALBRAS extended the new methodMethod to all four potlines after the end of the restartRestart.