Stena utilises oxyfuel for furnace improvements
Linde Gases has announced an agreement with Stena Aluminium in Sweden for the installation of its low-temperature oxyfuel technology.
Stena Aluminium is a producer of recycled aluminium and the installation, scheduled for end of February this year, will be for improvements to one of the company’s alloying and casting furnaces at its Almhult plant.
Benefits to Stena of the Linde low-temperature oxyfuel solution include increased productivity as the technology will more efficiently supply the energy needed for dissolution of added alloys and superheat the melt.
Additionally, emissions of greenhouse gases, CO2 and NOX, will be reduced.
Increasing throughput of existing furnaces represents a challenge for the aluminium industry.
Producers need to constantly improve process yields, cut fuel consumptions and reduce emissions of gases, such as CO2 and NOX.
Low-temperature oxyfuel combustion technology is designed to meet these challenges.
It typically boosts capacity by up to 30-50 per cent, delivers uniform furnace temperatures to avoid hot spots, and reduces fuel consumption and emissions by up to 50 per cent.
The technology is currently employed at four plants, including Hydro in Norway and Sapa in Sweden, where it has boosted production capacities by up to 60 per cent.
http://www.manufacturingtalk.com/news/lhn/lhn111.html