More of a geography question but, sadly, still part of what you need to know for chemistry!
Think of what needs to come in, go out and what is needed for the process.
In: bauxite (from overseas) so being near a seaport is useful, especially if the bauxite can be transferred directly from ship to factory without being loaded onto trucks / train.
Out: aluminium (some products can be manufactured on site but most is shipped out as ingots) so access to a seaport is good but rail / road access is good because the aluminium is most likely going to lots of different customers.
Process: big cost is electricity. Access to cheap electricity is vital. Electricty can be "transported" quite easily but having your own cheap power station (eg hydro-electric) would be really good. The process cannot stop. If there is a break in production, the cells would become useless. So it is a good idea to have a back-up electrical supply, even if it is a bit more expensive. Modern plants often have an arrangement with their National Grid so that during peak demand times (eg advert break in Coronation St!) aluminium smelter power can be diverted to National Grid to cope with all the kettles being turned on without having to start up a major power station for those few minutes.
So: Ideal place would be a seaport with a hydroelectric power station nearby and good rail / road links. In Britain, Anglesey (North Wales) and also a place in West of Scotland (sorry, can't remember the name...Lochaber??) fit the the bill.
please can somebondy help me with this one too please, teachers havent gone over it in class again.
thankyou
More of a geography question but, sadly, still part of what you need to know for chemistry!
Think of what needs to come in, go out and what is needed for the process.
In: bauxite (from overseas) so being near a seaport is useful, especially if the bauxite can be transferred directly from ship to factory without being loaded onto trucks / train.
Out: aluminium (some products can be manufactured on site but most is shipped out as ingots) so access to a seaport is good but rail / road access is good because the aluminium is most likely going to lots of different customers.
Process: big cost is electricity. Access to cheap electricity is vital. Electricty can be "transported" quite easily but having your own cheap power station (eg hydro-electric) would be really good. The process cannot stop. If there is a break in production, the cells would become useless. So it is a good idea to have a back-up electrical supply, even if it is a bit more expensive. Modern plants often have an arrangement with their National Grid so that during peak demand times (eg advert break in Coronation St!) aluminium smelter power can be diverted to National Grid to cope with all the kettles being turned on without having to start up a major power station for those few minutes.
So: Ideal place would be a seaport with a hydroelectric power station nearby and good rail / road links. In Britain, Anglesey (North Wales) and also a place in West of Scotland (sorry, can't remember the name...Lochaber??) fit the the bill.