India / Russia May 22: RUSAL has developed and deployed proprietary software to automate control of anode baking furnaces at its Sayanogorsk Aluminium Smelter as part of a wider modernisation programme to improve production efficiency, process flexibility, and operational performance.
The software, created by RUSAL‘s Engineering Department, controls burners and furnace systems used in anode production. According to the company, the solution improves furnace operation efficiency and enables production teams to adapt and extend system functionality to meet evolving operational requirements.
The implementation formed part of a phased modernisation of all three anode baking furnaces at Sayanogorsk, completed this year with a total investment of approximately $200 million. Following the upgrade, annual baked-anode production capacity is expected to rise from 480,000 tonnes to 535,000 tonnes.
Baking is one of the most energy-intensive and technically sensitive stages of anode production; process stability directly affects anode quality, furnace efficiency, and overall smelter performance. Automated control systems are being adopted across the aluminium industry to optimise energy use, improve process consistency, and reduce operational downtime.
RUSAL says the software architecture supports further development of advanced process-control methods, including neural-network-based approaches for furnace management and optimisation.
This development reflects broader industry efforts to digitalise core production processes through advanced automation and AI-assisted optimisation technologies. Carbon anodes are a critical consumable in aluminium smelting: they conduct the electric current used to convert alumina into aluminium. During operation, anodes are gradually consumed and must be replaced, so production stability and process efficiency are essential for reliable smelter operations.
The company added that the software may be implemented at its other anode production facilities.