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TMS2013 Aluminum Keynote Session Examines Supply Chain Impurities |
By Lynne Robinson
Posted on: 11/23/2012 12:00:00 AM... The focus of the TMS2013 Aluminum Keynote Session surfaced during a discussion about common issues facing the industry during a TMS Aluminum Committee meeting. “Whether impurities are introduced through raw materials, in the smelting process or through recycling of aluminum, they have an impact and some are more difficult to deal with than others,” said Les
Edwards, vice president of Technical Services, Rain CII Carbon, and session chair.
Reflecting the multi-faceted nature of these challenges, the session will assemble experts representing a range of perspectives on managing impurities in the aluminum supply chain. “The primary goal is to bring people together from the bauxite/alumina, reduction, electrode, and cast house areas to make the point that we need to think about impurities holistically rather than something that affects each area separately,” said Edwards. “Taking this approach can change the way we develop solutions to impurity problems. While we would all like impurities to go away, the reality is that they will not and we need to learn how to deal with them.”
The Aluminum Keynote Session will take place on Monday, March 4, from 8:30 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. in the Lila Cockrell Theatre of the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center. Technical
papers presented in this session will be published in the 2013 Light Metals proceedings. Speakers and topics slated for the event are:
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Stephen Lindsay
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Raw Material Impurities and the Challenge Ahead
Stephen Lindsay,
Alcoa Inc.
The impurities contained in the raw materials that are used by the aluminum industry pose challenges that must be managed from various perspectives. These include: product qualities, costs, and impact upon the work environment and that of the surrounding area. As the industry continues to change, changes in impurities will take on greater meaning for process control, metal products, and environmental, health and safety considerations.
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James Metson
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Impacts of Impurities Introduced into the Aluminum Reduction Cell
James Metson,
University of Auckland
A focus of this presentation will be impurities entering the aluminum reduction process through both raw materials and operational practices. Specific issues covered include the declining quality of petroleum cokes, the increasing efficiency in the capture and recycle of pot fumes, and aluminas as sources and contributors to impurities. Impurity reduction strategies and their effectiveness will also be discussed.
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Karl Bartholomew
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Changes in Global Oil Refining and Its Impact on Anode Quality Petroleum Coke
Karl Bartholomew,
KBC Advanced Technologies, Inc.
The global oil refining industry has undergone a dramatic upheaval over the past decade. This presentation will review the main economic drivers for refining, including the impact on petroleum coke production. How the markets (and decisions) have changed over the past decade will be examined, and scenarios of what’s ahead will be covered. Also discussed will be the rapid development of shale oil production, along with changes in global refining capacity (and
coking capacity). These factors could soon have profound implications for the quality and quantity of calcinable anode grade petroleum coke.
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John Gavin
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Impact of Higher Vanadium Levels on Smelter Operations
John Gavin,
RTA Sebree
In early 2011, the RTA Sebree smelter experienced a significant increase (~100ppm) in calcined coke vanadium levels to levels around 410–440ppm.
This was driven by crude oil changes at a refinery producing one of the primary cokes used in the coke blend supplied to the smelter. This presentation discusses the impact of the change on carbon consumption and some of the actions taken by the smelter to respond to the change, which was managed effectively with an appropriate understanding of key performance drivers and a focused technical improvement plan.
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Stewart Hamilton
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Impact on Smelter Operations of Operating High Purity Reduction Cells
Stewart Hamilton,
New Zealand Aluminium Smelters
Over the last 15 years, New Zealand Aluminium Smelters Limited (NZAS) has developed and implemented technology and operating practices to produce high purity (Al 99.90+) and ultra-high purity (Al 99.97+) ingot. The NZAS journey to high purity production and the impact that this strategy has had on the complexity of smelter operations are outlined in this presentation.
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Muhammad Akbar Rhamdhani
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Management of Impurities in the Aluminium Cast House
Muhammad Akbar Rhamdhani,
Swinburne University of Technology
The concentration of impurities in raw materials are increasing and testing the ability of cast houses to meet customer chemical specifications. This presentation reviews options for removing impurities in the cast shop. Classical melt treatment processes of salt fluxing, degassing, and filtration used to remove alkali metals and solid particles are discussed. Current work on the mechanisms of aluminum boride treatment to remove titanium, chromium, and vanadium is also examined, and an investigation into the potential for a melt nickel removal process is recapped.
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John Grandfield
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An Initial Assessment of the Effects of Increased Ni and V Content in AA6063 and A356 Alloys
John Grandfield,
Grandfield Technology
Changes in calcined coke composition associated with different crude oil sources have caused nickel and vanadium levels in aluminum to rise. To ensure cast product quality is not compromised, an understanding of the effects of these changes is needed. This presentation outlines an initial investigation for two commonly used alloys, AA6060/6063 and A356.
The TMS 2013 Annual Meeting and Exhibition (TMS2013) will take place from March 3-7 in San Antonio, Texas. For additional information and to register, go to the conference website.
Lynne Robinson is a news and feature writer for TMS.
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