Archive > Metal Asia > September-October 2011

Metal Asia September October 2011 Issue

A Complete Metal Magazine

SPECIAL COVERAGE

Tracing history and growth of Hindalco
Aluminium is celebrating its 125th Anniversary this year after being commercially produced in the year 1886 by Charles Martin Hall in the U.S. and Paul Louis Toussaint Heroult in France. Inspite of being the most abundant metal (8% ) in the earth’s crust, it is still a very new young member in the metals category.

COMMENT

India’s aluminium demand will continue to grow
India’s requirement of aluminium is expected to continue to grow yearly at a much higher speed than the growth in gross domestic product (GDP). The government is targeting an annual GDP expansion of nine per cent during the twelfth plan, which will start in April 2012.

NATIONAL TRENDS

• SAIL eyes manganese ore supply from Rajasthan

  India's largest integrated steel producer Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL) is eyeing manganese ore from Rajasthan to meet the raw material requirement for its plants located across the country.

• NALCO's Q1 net profit up 32% at Rs. 377 cr

  National Aluminium Company Limited (NALCO), the Navratna PSU under Ministry of Mines, Govt. of India and country's leading producer and exporter of alumina and aluminium, has reported impressive results in the 1st quarter ended June 30.

• CIL plans 5% output growth this fiscal

  Coal India Limited (CIL) is planning to attain a 5% growth in production this fiscal against 431.32 million tonne (MT) output achieved in 2010-11.

• Vedanta Aluminium finally gets a nod for Odisha Refinery Expansion

  The Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) has finally cleared Vedanta Aluminium's expansion plan for its 1 million tonne refinery project at Lanjigarh, Odisha to 6 million tonnes, but with some 70 conditions. The company may also be asked to conduct a fresh public hearing.

• Nalco seeks EoI for downstream units in Angul Aluminium Park

  National Aluminium Company Ltd. (Nalco) has invited potential entrepreneurs/manufacturers to setup ancillary and downstream units at its Angul Aluminium Park in Odisha.

• MCL to build 1600mw power unit in Odisha

  Mahanadi Coalfields Limited (MCL), a subsidiary of Coal India Ltd. (CIL), plans to build a 1,600-Mw power plant in Odisha. The total investment set to flow into the project is Rs. 9,000 crore.

INTERNATIONAL TRENDS

• New Orders for VHE Hall Effect Ammeters

  The VHE Hall Effect Ammeter continues to be in demand by those smelters paying increased attention to pot performance. Recent orders shipped include three ammeters configured for cathode riser bar measurements to Aluar in Argentina, and one configured for anode rod measurements to an European smelter.

• VHE to supply Stub Straightener to ALRO

  VHE has been awarded a contract to supply a stub straightening machine to the ALRO aluminium smelter in Romania.

• UC Rusal is to increase its stake in Alpart to 100%

  Aluminium producer UC RUSAL announced that it has entered into an agreement to acquire the remaining 35% stake in the Alumina Partners of Jamaica, (Alpart) from Norway's Norsk Hydro ASA. Following completion of the USD 46 million deal, Alpart will be 100% owned by UC RUSAL.

• UC RUSAL and Irkutsk Region Government sign agreement on construction of housing for Taishet Aluminium Smelter staff

  UC RUSAL, and the Irkutsk Region Government have signed a cooperation agreement to build a housing settlement for Taishet Aluminium Smelter staff and their families providing housing for 7,000 people.

• Sapa to acquire extrusion plant in China

  Sweden’s Sapa Group an aluminium maker, signed an agreement with China’s Jiangyin (Haihong) Non-Ferrous Materials Co., Ltd. (“Haihong”), to acquire the assets and the business of its aluminium profiles facility in Jiangyin, located 150 km North-East of Shanghai.

IN FOCUS

• A New Flooring System for Alumina Plant at Hindalco Industries, Renukoot

  Alumina plant is a process plant, where, millions liters of liquor, rich in caustic, is being circulated in the system. During these two and half day cycle, lot of liquor is splashed and drained on floor. These caustic leaks below the floor and pores on the concrete and hence under soil contaminated. Due to chemical reaction of caustic with soil ingredients, volume increases and it get expanded. Due to expansion of underneath soil, the upward force gives huge thrust on floor. This uneven upward pressure damage the floor and frequently re-flooring work required.

COMPANY NEWS

KONECRANES SMARTON® Crane: Now comes with revolutionary “Truview® Remote Monitoring services” - A more Safer and Maintenance friendly feature

Condition monitoring, remote monitoring service, wizard-assisted start-up - all standard features in the new SMARTON process crane - take safety and reliability to a new level. The objective for the SMARTON crane is to take the calculation of the service life of critical components to a new level. SMARTON can help you to prepare for the future by analyzing the past.

Siempelkamp: New press raises the quality of titanium used in the aerospace industry

The UKTMP Ust-Kamenogorsk Titanium and Magnesium Plant JSC in Kamenogorsk, Republic of Kazakhstan, commissioned Siempelkamp to modify an existing press in such a manner that it will cut titanium sponge gently. This new order once again proves that Siempelkamp can provide solutions for all forming processes in titanium production.

REFRACTORY

Refractories for Molten Aluminium Contact

Selection of appropriate refractories, for any application, is the most important “Step” for getting the best performance/ maximum life. The operational parameters as well as working environment are the major selection criteria of refractories.

ALUMINIUM INDUSTRY

Waste Utilisation in Aluminium Industry : the Indian Perspective

Aluminium Industry generates mainly two types of wastes viz. Red Mud in the Alumina Refinery and Spent Pot Lining Materials (SPL) in the Aluminium Smelter Plant. For carrying out smelting operations, Indian Aluminium Industry fully depends on coal-based Thermal Power Plants generating huge quantities of Fly Ash which is pumped in the slurry form in to the nearby Ash Pond for necessary storage & disposal. Around 4.2 million tonnes of Red Mud are generated by the Alumina Refineries of India which are safely disposed and stored in the nearby Red Mud Pond. Various technological options have been studied for utilization of Red Mud and many Red Mud-based value added products/ processes have been developed and patented. Similarly, SPL generated in different Aluminium Smelter Plants of India is stored in concrete pits as per the guidelines stipulated by the Environmental Statutory Authorities. Some SPL-based value added products and processes have been successfully developed in the laboratory /pilot plant scale and patented for commercialization. Around 100 million tonnes of Fly Ash is generated in India per annum from around 300 million tonnes of Coal consumed in different Thermal Power Plants for generation of around 98,000 MW of Power. Fly Ash have been successfully tried out in many application frontiers for development of different value added products/ processes and its bulk utilization.

AUTOMATION

Automation and Instrumentation : captivating metal industry to a new height

The division of Automation and Instrumentation forms an integral part within the sphere of metal industry. With passing days, this same division is helping the metal sector to scale up and gain new heights. There are umpteen numbers of companies which possess the division including various tools of automation and instrumentation. In this article, we will look upon some of those companies which provide a series of automation and instrumentation appliances having effective implementation properties.

TECHNOLOGY FOCUS

SGS Technologies main business line is COMBUSTION SYSTEMS BUSINESS

SGS Technologies activities include i) marketing these burners to government sectors government undertakings, semi government companies public limited companies and even to private originations in small sectors, ii) indigenously making the burners & combustion systems, iii) supplying & commissioning these burners & systems in India, iv) providing solutions for improving productivity & energy saving.

TECHNOLOGY/PROCESS REVIEW

Manufacture of Detergent Grade Zeolite-A from Sodium Aluminate Liquor of Alumina Refinery, Damanjodi: Nalco’s experience & success story

A cost-effective Technology has been developed for manufacture of Detergent Grade Zeolite-A from the Sodium Aluminate Liquor of Nalco's Alumina Refinery, Damanjodi. The technology was developed jointly by Nalco and Central Salt and Marine Chemicals Research Institute (CSMCRI), Bhavnagar, India through extensive Laboratory work as well as Pilot Plant trials. Based on the technology so developed, Nalco have setup a commercial plant to produce Detergent Grade Zeolite-A .The Plant has been positioned directly in the liquor loop of its 1.575 mln.tpy alumina refinery. The Nalco-CSMCRI technology is based on their internationally patented process. The uniqueness of the process is its adaptability to integrate into the operational loop of a Bayer Process based technology without disturbing the alumina production cycle. Use of in-process aluminate liquor as the main feedstock material results in excess 20% reduction in cash cost of production as compared to the conventional route of sodium hydroxide and alumina to produce aluminate liquor. The Detergent Grade Zeolite-A plant was commissioned in 2001 and is in steady commercial operations since thea Zeolite-A produced at Nalco matches well with that of the international standards and has been well accepted by detergent manufacturers for producing a wide range of domestic and industrial grade detergents. Nalco and CSMCRI are now in a position to offer technology and project consultancy globally for setting up of Zeolite-A plants in Bayer Process based primary alumina producing industries.