Electrolysis Calculator
Calculate the energy, time and cost of an electrolysis process.
About Electrolysis Calculator
Aluminium smelting needs about 13 to 15 kWh per kilogram, which the defaults reproduce closely. That energy intensity is why smelters are sited next to cheap hydroelectric power. Electrolysis cost is dominated by electricity, so a fraction of a cent per kWh determines the competitiveness of an entire plant.
Formula
Electrolysis
Charge = (m ÷ M) z F; energy = charge × voltage ÷ 3.6 × 10⁶ kWh
- kWh per kg
- The standard efficiency measure for industrial electrowinning
Worked example
With the default values below, Electrolysis Calculator returns Energy Required of 13.4106. Change any input above and every figure here is recalculated in your browser.
Inputs used
- Mass to produceminimum 0 g
- 1,000 g
- Molar massminimum 0 g/mol
- 26.98 g/mol
- Electrons per ionaccepts 1–10
- 3
- Cell voltageminimum 0 V
- 4.5 V
- Currentminimum 0.01 A
- 100 A
- Energy price per kWhminimum 0
- 0.08
Results
- Energy Required
- 13.4106 kWh
- Time Required
- 29.8014 h
- Charge Required
- 10,728,502.6 C
- Energy Cost
- $1.07
- Energy per Kilogram Produced
- 13.411 kWh
Step by step
- 1Values used
- 2Electrolysis
- 3Energy Required= 13.4106 kWh
- 4Time Required= 29.8014 h
- 5Charge Required= 10,728,502.6 C
- 6Energy Cost= 1.07
- 7Energy per Kilogram Produced= 13.411 kWh
Assumptions and limits
- The result is derived only from the 6 inputs listed above. Anything not among them is not part of the calculation.
- In particular, this calculator does not take inflation, tax, fees or charges or compounding frequency into account.
- Figures are rounded for display to 4 decimal places, so totals built from several rounded parts can differ slightly from the unrounded arithmetic.
How these calculators are built and tested is described on the Methodology page. If a figure looks wrong, please report it.
Frequently Asked Questions
How is Electrolysis calculated?
Charge = (m ÷ M) z F; energy = charge × voltage ÷ 3.6 × 10⁶ kWh Aluminium smelting needs about 13 to 15 kWh per kilogram, which the defaults reproduce closely. That energy intensity is why smelters are sited next to cheap hydroelectric power.
Why does Electrolysis matter?
Electrolysis cost is dominated by electricity, so a fraction of a cent per kWh determines the competitiveness of an entire plant.
What values do I need to enter?
This calculator takes 6 inputs: Mass to produce, Molar mass, Electrons per ion, Cell voltage, Current, Energy price per kWh. The pre-filled defaults are a realistic starting point — replace them with figures from your own environment for a result you can act on.