Monday, March 30th, 2008

‘Green’ anode the key to first aluminium target

AN IMPRESSIVE string of key successes in Sohar Aluminium’s Carbon Department during March has ensured that the company’s target date of mid-June 2008 for its first hot metal production is eminently achievable.

On 26 March, the department produced its first ‘good green anode’ – an integral component of aluminium smelting and the first step in on-going metal production.

“From the production of the first anode, less than a week of process tuning and equipment adjustments were necessary to produce the quality of ‘good green’ anode that will suit our requirements,” said General Manager - Operations, Michel Huot.

“This success is the result of a tremendous team work between Bechtel, Solios Carbon and Sohar Aluminium Company, supported by our APT experts.”

Three days later, on 29 March, another milestone was achieved when the smelter’s new Anode Baking Furnace was successfully started, along with the Solios Fume Treatment Centre and the Innovatherm’s Firing System.

“To get to this point, there was a lot of planning, engineering, construction, commissioning, port support, supply chain and pre-operation team involvement. Bechtel, Solios, Innovatherm, NKM and Sohar Aluminium worked together to reach this milestone,” said Mr Huot.

Anodes are specific to individual smelters and are formed using a mix of petroleum coke and liquid pitch. The mixture is heated to 160 degrees Celcius until it forms a paste, then it is cooled and pressed into a mould to form an anode block.

The ‘green’ anodes are then transferred by conveyor to the anode baking furnace, where they are baked at temperatures of up to 1,150°C in a pre-heating, firing and cooling cycle which takes 18 to 20 days.

“With the start-up of the baking furnace we are on course to produce the first good baked anode, from green anode produced by SA, by the second half of May, which supports first hot metal on the scheduled date of mid June,” Mr Huot said.

The Sohar Aluminium smelter is in the process of being handed over by the company’s EPCM contractor, Bechtel. To date, the smelter construction is around 85 per cent complete and commissioning in most areas is well underway.