Increasing the Power Modulation Window of Aluminium Smelter Pots with Shell Heat Exchanger Technology

Lavoie, Pascal; Namboothiri, Sankar; Dorreen, Mark; Chen, John JJ; Zeigler, Donald P; Taylor, Marilyn

doi:10.1002/9781118061992.ch66

Cited by 12 publications

(10 citation statements)

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“…A sidewall heat exchanger design was recently developed with the specific goal of implementing a power modulation strategy in primary aluminium smelters. The heat recovery is achieved with heat exchangers installed on the electrolytic cell sidewalls.…”

Section: Waste Heat Recovery Opportunitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Techno‐economic assessment of CO₂ capture from aluminum smelter emissions using PZ activated AMP solutions

et al. 2016

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In order to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions without drastically changing currently-used processes, the primary aluminum industry will need to consider capturing CO 2 released in the electrolytic cells. In order to make the capture more economically attractive to the aluminum industry, the possibility of using a blended amine absorption solution which combines the advantages of two different amines (a fast reactivity from a cyclic polyamine, piperazine (PZ), and a high absorption capacity and low regeneration cost from a sterically-hindered alkanolamine) is considered in this work. Specific to an aluminum plant, not only the costs and benefits of a CO 2 capture facility are evaluated, but also the possibility and cost of coupling the capture process with a waste heat recovery strategy. A mixture of 0.08 g/g PZ and 0.32 g/g AMP appears to be the most appropriate, reducing the capital costs by 25 % and operating costs by 29 % compared to the use of MEA (monoethanolamine) solutions. The capture cost is evaluated to be 65.10 $/ton of CO 2 avoided (without carbon tax). A thermal integration of the capture plant within the primary aluminum smelter could further reduce the cost to 57.57 $/ton of CO 2 avoided, or equivalently, 69.56 $/ton of Al produced (without carbon tax).

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Section: Waste Heat Recovery Opportunitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Techno‐economic assessment of CO₂ capture from aluminum smelter emissions using PZ activated AMP solutions

et al. 2016

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“…In recent TMS Meetings, the shell heat exchanger technology of Light Metals Research Centre in Auckland has been presented [10,11] in 2009 and 2011, respectively. This technology was originally aimed at extracting more heat from the sidewalls of high amperage cells but in the last 3 years has been developed further for the purpose of reducing sidewall and cell heat loss under conditions of reduced amperage.…”

Section: Recent Research In the Field Of Smelting Cell Energy Balancementioning

confidence: 99%

“…The sidewall heat exchanger technology of LMRC [11] in combination with a designed feeder hole fume extraction system [12] to lower total cell draught may be one solution to this problem. Both of these technologies have been conceived to give a controlled reduction in the heat extraction from the cell.…”

Section: The Case For Flexibility In the Energy Balancementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Given that 90 pct of this reduction must come from the sidewalls and top of the cell, it is evident from Table I that a 44-pct reduction in heat extraction must occur from both locations. This appears to be feasible at least on a laboratory scale through close control of the convective heat transfer from the sidewalls inside their heat exchanger envelop, [11] but achieving the same saving in heat loss from the anode rods and crust above the cell has not yet been physically tested. It does appear to be feasible theoretically.…”

Section: The Case For Flexibility In the Energy Balancementioning

confidence: 99%

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Energy Balance Regulation and Flexible Production: A New Frontier for Aluminum Smelting

Taylor

Etzion

Lavoie

et al. 2014

Metallurgical and Materials Transactions E

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Through a critical review of recent literature on aluminum smelting cell energy balance, this paper defines specific energy constraints which govern the feasibility of cell operation in practice. Using these constraints as a basis, the objective of reducing energy consumption per kilogram of aluminum produced was examined, again with reference to published data and modern cell developments over the last 5 years. Both incremental and quantum steps in cell design are considered in this analysis, in pursuit of a pathway to lower energy consumption in a process where energy efficiency has not yet risen above 50 pct. In Section V and VI of this work, a generic high amperage cell technology is examined using a computational model of the cell energy balance, in which the resultant electrolyte phases and their thermal, electrical, and physical states can be determined. Using a series of trial energy balances, a feasible operating point emerges, and the possibility of flexible cell amperage and production rate is tested in a preliminary way. The specific energy consumption and market implications of this new technology direction are examined. I. RECENT RESEARCH IN THE FIELD OF SMELTING CELL ENERGY BALANCEUNDERSTANDING and improvement of the energy balance of aluminum smelting cells continue to be a limiting factor in both cell design and operation and in final performance. Modern, high amperage cell designs still suffer habitually from localized sidewall failures due to lack of understanding or control of the rate of thermal convection to the walls. Cathode deposits build up on modern cell cathodes causing horizontal currents and electromagnetic instability, increasing energy usage, and reducing efficiency. Why this is the case now, after more than one hundred years of publications and excellent industry developments and training on this subject ? The answer can only be that the problem of achieving an acceptable energy balance is extremely difficult, especially in the context of the need to constantly increase production rate and reduce electrical energy consumption. The mind set of constantly increasing production is one which needs to be questioned in the context of international and local market signals, and this has been discussed in a recent market analysis.[1] This analysis concludes that structural oversupply and growing available stocks of aluminum will continue to drive lower prices despite healthy demand for the metal.Recent studies of cell energy balance [2,3] have focused on building superior three dimensional hydrodynamic field models to predict heat transfer coefficients for the electrolyte and metal phases.[2] This excellent computational work has confirmed previous experimental studies [4] in terms of the magnitude of heat transfer coefficients from the electrolyte, but unfortunately, the resultant electrolyte conditions (temperature field and superheat) were not determined in these models-rather they were inputs to the simulation. The result is an unrealistic sidewall heat flux and ledge profile becaus...

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“…This implies the fact that heat dissipation through the side walls is adjustable only by means of a variation in cell power input as demonstrated in Figure . In other words, the cell power modulation frame, which is the power input range, is limited through cell heat dissipation capability and its re‐heating characteristics within a certain ledge thickness range …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A waste heat recovery system development and analysis using ORC for the energy efficiency improvement in aluminium electrolysis cells

2017

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Summary The present work investigates an active waste heat recovery system for the side walls of the aluminium electrolysis cells, enabling utilization of the extracted heat in power generation. This will potentially lead to energy efficiency improvement in the primary aluminium production industry and an enhanced aluminium production rate. An experimentally validated loop thermosyphon heat pipe model was used for heat extraction from the cell side wall. Boosting system thermal efficiency through waste heat recovery, by means of a heat utilization system, and increasing the level of control, as well as thermal equilibrium, stand as the main addressed objectives of the current study, which consequently result in an increased aluminium production rate. An organic Rankine cycle is incorporated into the system, and its performance is evaluated, taking into consideration the operating situations in terms of available temperature and thermal power range.

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Increasing the Power Modulation Window of Aluminium Smelter Pots with Shell Heat Exchanger Technology

Cited by 12 publications

References 1 publication

Techno‐economic assessment of CO₂ capture from aluminum smelter emissions using PZ activated AMP solutions

Techno‐economic assessment of CO₂ capture from aluminum smelter emissions using PZ activated AMP solutions

Energy Balance Regulation and Flexible Production: A New Frontier for Aluminum Smelting

A waste heat recovery system development and analysis using ORC for the energy efficiency improvement in aluminium electrolysis cells

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Increasing the Power Modulation Window of Aluminium Smelter Pots with Shell Heat Exchanger Technology

Cited by 12 publications

References 1 publication

Techno‐economic assessment of CO2 capture from aluminum smelter emissions using PZ activated AMP solutions

Techno‐economic assessment of CO2 capture from aluminum smelter emissions using PZ activated AMP solutions

Energy Balance Regulation and Flexible Production: A New Frontier for Aluminum Smelting

A waste heat recovery system development and analysis using ORC for the energy efficiency improvement in aluminium electrolysis cells

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Product

Resources

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Techno‐economic assessment of CO₂ capture from aluminum smelter emissions using PZ activated AMP solutions

Techno‐economic assessment of CO₂ capture from aluminum smelter emissions using PZ activated AMP solutions