Expansion of the Russian aluminium smelting is foreseen by using high amperage Rusal prebaked pot technology. For a high productivity of such modern smelters - thanks high amperage but also high current efficiency, but also for low energy consumption - the performance of the prebaked anodes is decisive.

Bench mark anode quality is therefore critical for low metal production cost. The intrinsic quality of anodes depends on the raw materials, mainly on the coke properties, and on the production equipment and their operating parameter conditions.

Based on a review of the domestic available green cokes, a prediction of the corresponding calcined coke blend and of the prebaked anode properties has been performed. Provided that a state of the art carbon plant installation is available, including the rodding shop for the butts quality, the bench mark quality of the prebaked anodes made with a representative coke blend has been defined. This forecast of the best achievable anode quality will be the basis for technical assessments of the performance of existing and future Russian carbon plants.