Experiences with alstom’s new alfeed system at emal

Abstract

Alstom’s new pot feeding system (Alfeed) was successfully installed and commissioned on Emal’s 756 pots during 2009-2010. The Alfeed system consists of 15 km distribution and pot airslides, manufactured in standard sections for maximum ease of installation and use. Alfeed on Emal is connected to 8 enriched alumina silos, each feeding two sections with 48 pots. Each section is 300 m long. The nominal flow rate to each pot is >200 kg/h, and to each section >10 ton/h. The main issue encountered during start-up was dusting from the pot’s alumina hopper lids. Small puffs of dusty air would leak through a narrow opening, eventually leading to build-ups of alumina on the superstructure. This was resolved through implementation of a clamp to the lid as well as a gasket. As with all new systems, some challenges were encountered as well as possibilities for optimisation. These are discussed in detail in the paper.