Constellation, le dépôt institutionnel de l'Université du Québec à Chicoutimi

Résumé

One important step of the primary aluminum production, is anode manufacturing and its baking is the most expensive step of anode manufacturing process. The challenge for the anode industry is to produce good quality baked anodes while keeping the energy consumption, environmental emissions, and cost to a minimum. A mathematical model can be a useful tool to overcome these challenges and achieve the objectives for the industry.

A transient process model of a horizontal anode baking furnace has been developed. The model represents all the important phenomena such as fuel combustion, generation and combustion of volatiles (tar, methane, and hydrogen), air infiltration, and heat losses to the atmosphere and the foundation. The model consists of two coupled sub-models (flue sub-model and the pit) was validated using the plant data. It simulates the transient behavior of the open ring furnace and predicts furnace operation and performance. In this article, the modelling is described, and the results are presented for an industrial furnace.