A new process is presented for low-cost one-step production of pure solid silicon from natural quartzite by molten salt electrolysis. At a process temperature of 1100°C, a techno-economic model including detailed mass and energy balances estimates energy consumption below 15 kWh/kg, with operating cost of $1.74/kg and capital cost around $10,500 per t/a (tonne annually) of production capacity for a 160,000 t/a plant. Use of an inert solid oxide membrane anode results in a pure oxygen by-product and no direct emissions. Finite element analysis estimates the current density distribution and total current to inform the design of slab-shaped solid silicon cathodes.

中文翻译：

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太阳能硅熔盐电解的有限元分析与技术经济建模

提出了一种通过熔盐电解从天然石英岩中低成本一步生产纯固体硅的新工艺。在 1100°C 的过程温度下，包含详细质量和能量平衡的技术经济模型估计能耗低于 15 kWh/kg，运营成本为 1.74 美元/kg，资本成本约为 10,500 美元/吨/年（每年吨） 160,000 吨/年工厂的生产能力。使用惰性固体氧化物膜阳极会产生纯氧副产品并且不会直接排放。有限元分析估计电流密度分布和总电流，为板状固体硅阴极的设计提供信息。