Abstract: A process for refining aluminum using a segregation solidification process under a positive pressure inert gas protecting atmosphere comprising, maintaining the temperature of molten aluminum in the vessel by a plurality of electric heater sections arranged around the periphery of said vessel in vertically superposed relationship to each other, cooling a narrow peripheral portion of the inner surface of said vessel beneath the level of the molten aluminum therein by means of a peripheral cooling section arranged around the periphery of said vessel between adjacent heater sections to crystallize the molten aluminum onto said peripheral portion of the inner surface of said vessel, scraping off the refined and solidified aluminum on said peripheral portion by scraping and tamping means having a cross-sectional configuration complementary to that of the inner surface of said vessel, tamping the heaped aluminum by said scraping and tamping means, and deenergizing some of said heater sections located at positions a

Abstract: An aluminum electrolytic cell wherein, in a sealed type electrolytic cell having a raw material aluminum chloride feeding port and chlorine gas discharging ports in a top section and a molten metal reservoir in a bottom section and provided with an electrode element in the intermediate section so that a molten salt electrolytic bath containing aluminum chloride is electrolyzed in the cell and molten aluminum is collected from the metal reservoir in the bottom section, the electrode element is formed of funnel-shaped electrodes laminated at a fixed distance between the electrodes or a pair of right and left electrode plate groups opposed to each other at a fixed separation between them and inclined to be lower inward at least one intermediate bi-polar electrode is provided between both cathode and anode and a gas rising passage is formed between the outer edges of the funnel-shaped electrodes or the electrode plates and inner wall of the cell to prevent the rechlorination of the aluminum after electrolysis.