READY TO USE CATHODE RUC

DC2 confidential - (Garciaos)

READY TO USE CATHODE RUC®

General presentation

Oscar A. Vera GarciaWiesbaden, January 22nd , 2020

COBEX | RuC® for Hindalco Aditya| Novemberr 4th, 2019| Page 2TOKAI COBEX | RuC® General presentation| January 21st, 2020 |DC2 confidential - (Garciaos)

The aluminium production is a complex and expensive process

1 Supplied by Harbor Aluminum 2 Include steel bar and rodding process

How can Tokai COBEX help you increase your operational margin?

Alumina 38%

Anodes 16%

Other Raw Materials

3%

Labor & Administration

4% Energy29%

Other Operating

Costs

9%

Aluminum Smelting Costs Q1 - 20191Industry statistics

• Aluminium Production cost1: [$1 250 , $2 200] /t Al

• Electricity contribution: [$360 , $640] /t Al

• Rodding costs2: [$1 100 , $2 000] /block

• Cathodes have small cost but high impact on

energy consumption

Cathodes:

Only 1 → 2%


• In February 2016, Tokai COBEX & Novalum started an exclusive collaboration agreement for the next

generation cathodic solution.

• The Ready to use Cathode (RuC®) solution is protected by a patent application filed on May 2015

(PCT/IB2015/054325).

Towards the next generation of cathodic solutions

Cathodic solution without rodding

+

cost saving & productivity benefits


Towards the next generation of cathodic solutionsExample

Conventional cathode design compared

to RuC® solution:

• Same cathode dimensions

• Same external machining

• Same cross section of end of steel

bar

• Same end connection to flexibles

Same cathode assembly

design!


RuC® will increase your operational margin

• Rodding Elimination

• Significantly reduced health and

safety risks

• Installation & connection

unaffected

• Increased consistency of

cathodic assembly

• Reduced Specific Energy

Consumption (SEC)

• Reduced cathodic resistance whilst

maintaining thermal balance

• Improved current density

distribution enabling improved

Current Efficiency (CE)

• Increased production

• Additional cathode material and

more even current density

distribution extend pot life

Fields of

Improvement

Econom

ic

Benefits

Rodding Energy

Productivity Lifetime


Rodding and Installation

Ru

C®

Co

nv

en

tio

nal

Conventional Cathode Delivery Date

time

Delivery Date

Target Installation

date

Hazardous Rodding

process

RuC® Assembly

No Customer rodding! Customer’s rodding risks eliminated.

Significant improvement in time from Delivery to Installation.

Customer Scope

Customer Scope

Target Installation

dateConventional Cathode material

Supplier Scope


Energy Consumption – Measured Benefit example

CA ½

CVD and Pot voltage measurements

Reduced CVD and Pot Voltage → Lower Energy Consumption

• Example 3: 3.57 kA/bar, 36% CVD savings, average of 48 mV saved in the pot voltage after stabilization

-70.0

-60.0

-50.0

-40.0

-30.0

-20.0

-10.0

0.0

0 30 60 90 120 150 180 210 240

Savi

ngs

(mV

)

Age (d)

ΔPot Voltage savings

ΔPot V (RuC-Stnd)

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

110%

120%

130%

0 30 60 90 120 150 180 210 240 270 300

CV

D (%

)

Age (d)

CVD comparison

RuC Standard


Lifetime – Estimated Benefit example

Estimated extra 2 - 3 years lifetime

• More even current density distribution at the

cathode working surface

➢ Less localised erosion

➢ Lower average wear rate

• Additional cathode material between

aluminium and collector bar

➢ Leading to improved usage cycle

Fewer linings gives a reduced average annual lining cost

Standard cathode top view

RuC® solution top view

[A/cm2]

Modelling comparison of current density distribution

Δh

Δh: additional cathode material → extended lifetime!

Cross section showing differences in Collector bar dimensions


Productivity – Estimated Benefit example

• Better current density distribution

➢ Potential Current Efficiency (CE) improvement (0,5 – 1 %)

• Enables current creep

CA ½

max. 1,9 A/cm² max. 1,0 A/cm² (-45 %)

• Conventional current density distribution:

➢ Standard Current Efficiency (CE)

• Limited current creep

Conventional cathodic solution RuC® solution

Higher Current Efficiency (CE) → Additional metal production

Modelling shows current density

distribution v ectors


RuC® Benefit general estimation

* Estimated benefit based on Tokai COBEX cost assumptions of Al production, specifically; energy, alumina & Al LME price. Current creep not considered

Rodding Energy Lifetime Productivity

Full Rodding

avoidance

20-150 mV Pot

voltage reduction

Additional lifetime:

estimated 2-4 years

+0,5% up to +1%

CE Improvement

Significantly

reduced Health and

Safety risk

25 – 55 $/mt Al cost

saving in production

process

High Cu recycling

value

>80% of Cu-LME

Additional metal

output

Plug & Play solutionSpecific CO2

reductionPotential current

creep ~10%

Value creation → Overall SEC reduced by [100, 600] kWh/t Al

→ Range $6 000 - $15 000 of additional value per cathode block over lifetime*


Customer Specific SolutionsTypical RuC® project

Technical Exchange

Basic Design

Advanced Modelling*

Manufacture

Delivered Plug & Play RuC® solution

• Gathering of input data

• Estimation of potential

benefits with RuC®

benefit calculator

➢ Define targets

• Consideration of

basic input

parameters.

➢ Customer specif ic RuC®

design w ith benefits:

➢ No rodding.

Signif icantly reduced

health and safety risks.

➢ Extended lifetime

• Use of all input

parameters and lining

design

➢ Customer specif ic RuC®

design w ith further

benefits:

➢ Low er energy

consumption

➢ Additional metal

production

• Fully managed &

manufactured by

COBEX

• Assembly

Benefits:

• No rodding

• Lower energy

consumption

• Extended lifetime

• Additional metal

production

* Advanced modelling requires additional information from customer and a detailed thermo-electrical analysis of l ining design

Small package if lining

design is not given


Overview of RuC® worldwideStatus January 2020

▪ RuC® projects already in operation for a wide range of technologies (Söderberg, AP,

GAMI, Alusuisse, Kaiser, NEUI, VAW) and line currents (110 kA, 180 kA, 220 kA, 330 kA,

400 kA and coming soon 600 kA).

▪ >500 RuC® blocks delivered to 9 customers.

▪ Intermediate autopsy after 1.6 years confirmed the robustness of the design and the

good energy performance.

▪ Measured SEC savings up to 400 kWh/t, CVD savings up to 100 mV.

▪ Oldest RuC®-G1 cell: 3.5 years.

© Copyright SGL CARBON SE Registered trademarks of SGL CARBON SE®

© Copyright COBEX GmbHRegistered trademarks of COBEX GmbH®


© Copyright Tokai COBEX GmbHRegistered trademarks of Tokai COBEX GmbH®


Thank you for your attention!

This document is based on our best current knowledge a nd it is intended to provide information on specif ic properties of ourproducts and their applications. This information shall not be taken as guaranteeing specif ic properties , performance, or thesuitability of the product for a specific application under working conditions unknown to us. Pa rticularly, the data shall not betaken as a warranty for the lifetime or performance in the given applica tion. Tokai COBEX does not assume any lia bility withrespect thereto.

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