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BIA-Brukerstyrt innovasjonsarena

BEST

Alternative title: BEST

Awarded: NOK 12.2 mill.

Project Number:

269634

Project Period:

2017 - 2020

Funding received from:

Partner countries:

The overall idea in the project BEST is to continue to deliver the best metal quality from Norwegian aluminium foundries. Customer requirements have typically to date been no inclusions larger than 50 µm. New demands from these customers now is to guarantee that products have no inclusions larger than 10 µm. This is not possible with the currently available technology. The adaptation must therefore be gradual, and the project BEST will therefore strive to develop technologies and methods for producing metal without inclusions larger than 30 µm. New technologies to produce even cleaner metal must be further developed and implemented. BEST main focus is: - introducing product and process innovations that reduce formation of carbide and oxide inclusions, and - introducing product and process innovations that reduce the amount of metal that is oxidized. The project has during its first year both established a better understanding of the correlation between furnace atmosphere and hydrogen content of the molten metal, as well as tested new methods to remove carbides from the molten metal and for visualising impurities using 3D X-ray tomography. During the second year the project has developed a better understanding for the removal mechanism of carbides from liquid aluminium. A cooperation between gas supplier AGA-Linde and BEST has been established. The project has designed equipment that was used in AGA-Linde's laboratory in Sweden. The experiments give a unique possibility to study process parameters that control the oxidation of molten aluminium in atmospheres relevant for the aluminium industry. Therefore, the third year another two tests at AGA have been conducted. This has given us the unique opportunity to study how real industrial furnace atmospheres influence the metal quality. We have also confirmed that false air increases oxidation and that oxy-fuel burners have the potential to minimize oxidation. The project partners have developed a twice as efficient cleaning station for potroom metal to the foundry. We have also studied different filter types in a new filter box partly developed in this project. This filter box has been shown to be able to preheat a special type of filter which have the potential for achieving even higher quality goals than defined in BEST. A final seminar with about 40 participants was arranged at the end of the project for disseminate results between the companies. The project has also written open detailed reports on some of the experimental work. This ensures that the new knowledge generated can benefit more than just the project partners, and the feedback is also valuable to ensure that we are on the research front internationally. In addition, we have published several articles and given presentations at international conferences.

The project has targeted aluminium quality from many angles. Mechanisms of carbide formation and carbide-oxide agglomeration have been studied. Formation of oxide from the laboratory, in pilot and full scale have been extensive and thoroughly investigated. Measures to reduce carbide during pre-treatment has been tested in pilot scale. Removal of inclusions by new filters in a new fileter box has also been tested and documented. The quality of the final metal was recorded by the customer. In the BEST pilot scale solutions have been tested - successful, but more research and development are needed. It has not been found a final solution to the quality requirement

Hovedmålet med det foreslåtte prosjektet er å skape økt verdi for Hydro og Alcoas aluminium støperier, deres leverandører og kunder ved å: -innføre produkt- og prosess-innovasjoner som reduserer karbid- og oksidformasjon som danner innelutninger - økt kvalitet - innføre produkt- og prosess-innovasjoner som reduserer mengden metall som blir oksidert og tapt metall i dross - økt utbytte De viktigste produkt- og prosess innovasjoner som skal til for å oppnå den beste metallkvaliteten er gjennom raffinerings-operasjonene der man ønsker å forstå, gjøre nødvendige tiltak og kontrollere sluttkvaliteten med avseende på karbider og oksidpartikkler i tillegg til å maksimere metallutbyttet. Summert ønsker BEST å oppnå: -Mekanismeforståelser av partikkeldannelse på mikronivå og oppførsel av partikkler på makronivå (agglomerering, vekst, transport) i raffineringsprosessen -Implementering av tiltak for å enten unngå dannelse eller fjerne partikkler dvs. raffinering. -Evaluering av nytt oppvarmings (brenner) system for cast-house ovn for å redusere tiden av oksidasjon og evaluere hvor mye oksidasjon det blir ved bruk av oxy-fuel. -Testing av miljøvennlige gassbaserte spylesystemer for å redusere oksidasjon (drossdannelse) som ikke kompromitterer metallkvalitet -Lage nye retningslinjer for dagens raffineringsprosedyrer -Etablering av nye metoder for å karakterisere mengde partikler <30mikrometer I tillegg vil bedre kontroll av prosessparametre og utslipp fra støperiet føre til redusert miljøbelastning og bedre datarapportering gjennom kontinuerlig overvåking av avgasser fra ovn (inkludert fluor).

Publications from Cristin

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Funding scheme:

BIA-Brukerstyrt innovasjonsarena