Startup and Tuning of Material Distribution System at Aluminium

Smelter in Qatar

Mr. Julian Sowah – QatalumMr. Vivek Shroff – Qatalum

Mr. Santosh Kumar – Qatalum

Mr. Arne Hilck - Claudius PetersMr. Jan Paepcke - Claudius Peters

Content of Today

• Introduction of Claudius Peters• Aerated Distribution System for

Potroom Feeding (ADS) – Basics• Claudius Peters - Outlook for 2015• Introduction of Qatalum• Startup and Tuning - Results• Summary and Outlook 2015

Outlook TMS 2013 for 2014

• FLUIDCON: Attrition factor testing

• ADS: Results of Qatalum Smelter

• AS – System: Commissioning of Boguchany and Results

Claudius Peters•Worldwide acting Engineering Company (born 1906) •Main Business Areas: Aluminium, Cement, Steel, Gypsum, Power•More than 550 employees worldwide•Deliverer for AIRBUS Industries•Turnover 150 Mio €•Offices in Germany, USA, France, China, BrazilUK, Spain, Italy, Romania, Singapore, India

Introduction – Claudius Peters

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The ADS Principle

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The ADS Principle

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The ADS Principle

Introduction - Who are we?

Qatalum

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JanuarySite preparation start-up

JulyFinal approval

NovemberConstruction commences

DecemberHeads of agreement

2004

MarchJoint venture agreement and approval of feasibility

OctoberInvestment decision

AprilPower from grid

OctoberFirst raw material ship

NovemberCommissioning of cast house

December 18First Metal from potlineFirst Export of PFA

JanuaryFirst EI Export

Fuel gas for power plant gas turbines

Initial power available from power plant

2007

2009

2010

2006

MarchProject completion

September 21Qatalum achieved full production of 585,000 tonnes

2011

Introduction Qatalum: Our Milestones

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39 Nationalities at Qatalum

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Qatalum: About Us

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Designed for low specific energy consumption, high labour productivity, low emissions, no SPL landfill

1.2 kmx 704 pots

314 kA

Reduction (Potlines) - Qatalum

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Qatalum

Aerated Distribution Systemin operation since 2009

Qatalum Pot Line Design Parameters

Design Parameter (704 pots)

Name Template Capacity

AmperageNumber of

Pots

Design 585,000 t/y 300 kA 704

Present Day + 605,000 t/y 314 kA 704

ADS desgin parameters

Distribution Air slide

Inclination Cell Airslide Inclination

Design 50 t/h 1 ° 10 [t/h] 0.5 °

Present Day 100 t/h 1 ° 10 t/h 0.5 °

Qatalum ADS Design Parameters

CHALLENGES

• 16

• Constant Flow into System with varying Material Properties– Silo fluidisation– Silo aeration timing– Material overflow from Silo to Coarse Particle Separator (CPS)

• Coarse Particle Separator (CPS) Accessibility & Performance• Air supply nozzles (blockages)• De-aeration of transport system• Fine tuning of operational settings

Modifications carried out

• Modification CPS for accessibility

• Repositioning of Level switches

• Conversion of level switches to adjustable types.

• Installation of additional manual valves on 750t

secondary alumina silo

• Filling time optimization

• Provision of continous venting (2015)

Coarse Particle Separator

Improvements•Baffle plates for flow control•Vibrator design•Silo fluidisation adjustment•Aeration nozzle size repositioning•Easier access for daily inspections

•18

Coarse Particle Separator- Improvement Results

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MonthNo. of CPS overflows

Jul-12 26

Aug-12 32

Sep-12 34

Oct-12 28

Nov-12 29

Dec-12 30

Jan-13 11

Feb-13 5

Mar-13 2

Apr-13 5

May-13 4

Jun-13 0

Jul-13 5

Aug-13 2

Sep-13 5

Oct-13 13

Nov-13 3

Dec-13 3

Other Modifications Carried Out

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Modification of CPS for accessibility Repositioning of Level switches on airslides

Installation of adjustable level switches Additional manual valves on alumina silo

Verification of Improvements

How the improvements were measured

Alumina spills on CPS

Maintenance cost- No significant wear can be seen on the airslide fabric

- Spare / Wear parts consumption is extremely low

Timing of aeration system(Small increaments of 10s resulted in more consistent filling)

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ADS – Results & Advantages

• NO RISK for Potline – Easy catch up after stoppage.• Easy maintenance. Low manpower. • 2013 Maintenance cost = 0.126 USD/ton of alumina• Operational activities: Cleaning of CPS and visual inspections!• System availibility is more than 98%; • The buffer silosensures constant material supply to pots.• Dust free system (environmentally friendly)• No accumulation of coarse particles in the system, as material is

screened out in the beginning.• Little variations in alumina grain size distribution during conveying

Variations in alumina grain size distribution during conveying

Longest Conveying

distance = 280m

Particle Size Distribution/ Check

Ø 8,1% < 45µm

Ø 8,3% < 45µm

Ø 7,9% < 45µm

Ø 8,21% < 45µm

No Effect on PSD and Anode effect distribution

Material

Number of AE

ADS Maintenance

• No significant wear has been seen on the airslide fabric since the plant startup

• Spare / Wear parts consumption is extremely low

No Scaling

• No build-up of scales inside Airslides

• No Coarse particle accumulation.

Lessons Learned

Material Flow from silo•Control of alumina flow out of silo / inlet box by optimization of aeration air.•Coarse particle seperator upgrade

Quality of aeration air/Aeration nozzles•Flushing of the air system before start-up is helpful•Selection of air filtration system for compressed air

Stability of deaeration pressure is crucial for the system operation

Thank you for your attention