Bell Bay aluminium smelter
{{Use Australian English|date=May 2024}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2019}}
The Bell Bay aluminium smelter is located on the Tamar River at Bell Bay, Tasmania, Australia. The smelter has a production capacity of 178,000 tonnes of aluminium per year.{{cite web
|url=http://www.riotinto.com/documents/investors_databook/RTdatabook.pdf
|title=Rio Tinto 2006 Data Book
|accessdate=2007-08-19
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927001135/http://www.riotinto.com/documents/investors_databook/RTdatabook.pdf
|archive-date=27 September 2007
|url-status=dead
}}
It is owned and operated by Pacific Aluminium, a wholly owned subsidiary of Rio Tinto Alcan.
History
The Bell Bay smelter commenced production in 1955 as a joint venture between the Commonwealth and Tasmanian governments. The smelter was the first built in the Southern Hemisphere primarily to overcome difficulties importing aluminium during wartime. Bell Bay was chosen as the location because of the available hydroelectric power and deep water facilities. Rio Tinto Aluminium purchased the smelter in 1960, when production was about 12,000 tonnes per year.
{{cite book
| last = Peterson
| first = Warren S.
| title = Hall-Heroult Centennial
| publisher = The Metallurgical Society
| date = 1986
| location =
| isbn = 0-87339-540-9}}, p22
The original potline (Line 1) used British Aluminium
Söderberg technology. It
was converted to use
prebake anodes in 1965 and shut down in 1981.
Technology
The smelter currently comprises three potlines of
Kaiser P-57 reduction cells{{cite web
|url=http://www.tms.org/pubs/journals/JOM/0002/Tabereaux-0002.html
|title=Alton Tabereaux - 'Prebake Cell Technology: A Global Review', JOM, 52 (2), pp 22-28.
|accessdate=2007-08-19
| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20070814083829/http://www.tms.org/pubs/journals/JOM/0002/Tabereaux-0002.html| archive-date= 14 August 2007 | url-status= live}}
|title=Current increase, power efficiency improvement and PFC reduction at RTA Bell Bay Smelter
|first=Geoff | last=Bearne
|url=http://www.tms.org/meetings/annual-09/PDFs/TMS2009-GeoffBearne.pdf
|series=TMS 2009
|year=2009
|accessdate=2011-08-15
}}
Line 2 and Line 3 were built in the early 1960s. Line 4 was built
in two stages in the early 1980s.
See also
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [http://www.riotinto.com Rio Tinto] corporate web site
- [http://www.themercury.com.au/news/tasmania/bell-bay-in-its-element-as-aluminium-smelter-powers-on/story-fnj4f7k1-1226782793469 Bell Bay in its element as aluminium smelter powers on], Bruce Mounster, 14 December 2013, The Mercury.
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Category:Industrial buildings in Tasmania
Category:Aluminium smelters in Australia
Category:1955 establishments in Australia
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