Patent ID: 6855241

Claim:
A method of smelting aluminum, the method comprising: a. intermixing cryolite with alumina in a melting furnace; b. heating the alumina and cryolite mixture to a temperature that is higher than the melting point of cryolite and mixing the cryolite and alumina until the alumina dissolves in molten cryolite; c. transferring the molten cryolite and dissolved alumina from the melting furnace to an electrolytic cell in a discontinuous manner; d. passing sufficient electrical current through the molten cryolite and dissolved alumina to cause the alumina to separate into aluminum metal and oxygen; e. removing the molten cryolite and aluminum metal from the electrolytic cell and separating the aluminum metal from the molten cryolite; and f. returning the molten cryolite from which aluminum has been separated directly to the melting furnace.