Energy is often a major component of the variable costs of metallurgical processing.
Electricity constitutes 40 per cent of the total operating costs of the process. The energy requirements of each project must be carefully assessed to determine whether savings can be made without sacrificing performance. This is done by investigating in detail the energy balance across the entire operation. The cost of energy is an escalating factor, and estimates of the energy consumption of a project, both at its start and during its operating life, can have a great influence on its viability and location. Mintek has investigated the effect of possible changes in technology on these requirements, taking into account the projected demand for metals, particularly aluminium, and the effect of various factor on energy consumption.