Aluminium International Today Highlights 2015

THE JOURNAL OF ALUMINIUM PRODUCTION AND PROCESSING

TODAY

2015 HIGHLIGHTS

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CONTENTS

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LEADER

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NEWS

MINING Digital issue No. 2 – 2015 Highlights Editorial Editor: Nadine Firth Tel: +44 (0) 1737 855115 nadinefirth@quartzltd.com

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Bridging the bauxite supply gap

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EGA’s bauxite alumina strategy

PRIMARY

COVER

10 The AP60 Project

THE JOURNAL OF ALUMINIUM PRODUCTION AND PROCESSING

13 Sohar: Potline upgrade

Consulting Editor: Tim Smith PhD, CEng, MIM

TODAY

Production Editor: Annie Baker

CASTHOUSE We hope you’ve enjoyed

Sales

this free digital 14 Re-melt expansion project

Sales Manager: Anne Considine anneconsidine@quartzltd.com Tel: +44 (0)1737 855139

issue of

SECONDARY

Sales Director: Ken Clark kenclark@quartzltd.com Tel: +44 (0)1737 855117

16 Best practice in dross management 17 The value of scrap

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2015

18 Formation of Global Foil Association

HIGHLIGHTS

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20 Modern slitting lines 23 Improving rolling mill process control

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AUTOMOTIVE 26 Aluminium used in Jaguar Land Rover

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vehicles helps meet sustainability targets

28 How lighter can be safer

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EXTRUSION 30 Reshaping the GCC aluminium downstream industry 32 Adding value to the UK extrusion market

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2015 Highlights

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48 Rigaku Aluminium International Today

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INDUSTRY NEWS

COMMENT 1

Kitimat smelter begins production Rio Tinto is preparing its first shipments of metal from its world-class Kitimat aluminium smelter in Canada following an extensive modernisation of the facility.

The modernisation of the aluminium smelter will increase production capacity by 48% and result in Kitimat becoming one of the lowest cost smelters in the world.

Having achieved first production in June 2015, Rio Tinto is now focused on safely ramping up to-

wards its annual production rate of 420,000 tonnes.

The modernised smelter, which was delivered in line with the revised schedule and budget, is powered exclusively by Rio Tinto’s wholly owned hydro power facility and uses the company’s proprietary AP40 smelting technology which will effectively halve the smelter’s overall emissions.

Aluminium chief executive Alf Barrios said, “The modernisation

of Kitimat will fundamentally transform its performance, moving it from the fourth quartile to the first decile of the industry cost curve. At full production, Kitimat will be one of the most efficient, greenest and lowest-cost smelters in the world.

“Positioned in British Columbia on the west coast of Canada, Kitimat is well placed to serve rapidly growing demand for aluminium in the Asia-Pacific region and to serve the North American market.”

Alba: Line 6 approved

The approval for the Line 6 Expansion Project will make the company the largest single site smelter upon project completion.

The Line 6 Expansion Project, expected to begin production in early 2019, will boost the per-annum production by 514,000 metric tonnes upon full ramp-up.

This would bring Alba’s total production capacity to approximately 1,450,000 metric tonnes per year.

One of the biggest industrial projects in the Kingdom of Bahrain, the Line 6 Expansion Project is expected to have a big impact on the economy and new job creation. In addition, at least 50% of the new metal production is expected to be sold to existing and new Bahrain downstream customers.

The Line 6 Expansion Project will allow Alba to continue its market-

ing strategy of maintaining its core presence in the GCC and, leverage its global sales offices to directly market the additional metal produced to meet the growing international demand for aluminium.

Actual construction of Line 6 is estimated to commence in 2016 upon the completion of final engineering designs, selection of project EPCM for Line 6 and EPC for the Power Station 5.

Alcoa becomes two companies Alcoa has announced that its Board of Directors has unanimously approved a plan to separate into two independent, publicly-traded companies, culminating Alcoa’s successful multi-year transformation.

The separation will launch two industry-leading, Fortune 500 companies.

The globally competitive UpAluminium International Today

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stream Company will comprise five strong business units that today make up Global Primary Products - Bauxite, Alumina, Aluminium, Casting and Energy. The innovation and technology-driven Value-Add Company will include Global Rolled Products, Engineered Products and Solutions, and Transportation and Construction Solutions.

The transaction is expected to be completed in the second half of 2016. At that point, Alcoa shareholders will own all of the outstanding shares of both the Upstream and Value-Add Companies.

The separation is intended to qualify as a tax-free transaction to Alcoa shareholders for U.S. federal income tax purposes.

2015 Highlights Welcome to this free digital issue of Aluminium International Today, which includes a round up of news stories from 2015, as well as a selection of the most popular feature articles.

This year seems to have flown by and I think it is because the aluminium industry has kept me busy with so much going on!

We’ve seen a number of joint ventures announced, largescale investments and innovation across the aluminium value chain. But 2015 hasn’t been without its challenges, which unfortunately in some circumstances have lead to curtailments and closures.

Despite this, we look positively towards 2016 and Aluminium International Today will continue to keep you up-todate with all the latest industry news and views.

There are now lots of ways to make sure you receive your own copy of the magazine, whether it is in a printed or digital format. We are currently offering 20% off one and two-year subscriptions. To find out more, visit www.aluminiumtoday.com and click on ‘Subscribe’. Enter 20AIT1YR or 20AIT2YR at the checkout and click ‘recalculate’.

I hope you enjoy this issue, which includes features on mining, refining, primary production, heat treatment, casthouse technology, rolling, extrusion and much more.

On behalf of all of us here at Quartz Business Media, I’d like to take this opportunity to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. See you in 2016! nadinefirth@quartzltd.com 2015 Highlights

12/9/15 3:56 PM

2 INDUSTRY NEWS

Sapa teams with Novelis launches Ford F-150 evercycle Sapa has announced its partnership with Ford to supply the allnew F-150 with structural aluminium tubing, and provide on-going development support for future aluminium extrusion applications.

The 2015 Ford F-150 features a high-strength, military grade, aluminium-alloy body. Despite lighter weight, engineers indicate that a truck body using aluminium can equal or outperform steel in overall strength and dent resistance, depending on the type of material used, its thickness and

how the structure is designed and assembled. For the F-150, a global team of Sapa engineers and metallurgists rigorously tested and analysed the extruded aluminium before Sapa began production for Ford.

“Our metallurgy and production teams were really excited by this opportunity to show our development and manufacturing capabilities to a major automaker like Ford,” says Jack Pell, vice president of commercial sales for Sapa’s extrusion operations in the Americas.

Novelis has announced the first product in a new portfolio of certified high-recycled content aluminium for speciality applications called ‘evercycle’.

This new material will enable customers to produce infinitely-recyclable products with a lower carbon footprint.

The first product in the evercycle portfolio is designed for aluminium food containers. This product is certified by SCS Global Services to contain 100% recycled aluminium, made up of 90%

post-consumer content and 10% customer manufacturing scrap – the only material of its kind in the market.

Commercially available now in North America, evercycle is expected to become available globally as demand grows.

“The launch of evercycle marks an important next step in our long-term commitment to sustainable aluminium product innovation,” said Phil Martens, Novelis.

New Novelis President Novelis has named Steve Fisher as its President and Chief Executive Officer, following its period of rapid expansion.

Fisher previously held the position of Chief Financial Officer and recently Interim President and CEO. He will continue to serve as Chief Financial Officer until a successor is named.

Mr Kumar Mangalam Birla, Chairman of the Board of Directors

of Novelis believes that under the company’s focus on maximising the performance of the business, “there is no better person to lead Novelis, than Steve Fisher.” Whilst Fisher has already played a pivotal role in the company’s growth with extensive strategic and financial expertise, Mr Mangalam Birla also affirms Fisher will further aid Novelis to “prosper and continue to strengthen its global leading position in alumini-

JLR investment

Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) has reaffirmed its long-term commitment to the West Midlands, with confirmation of a £600m investment in the region to support product creation and advanced vehicle manufacturing.

The largest single investment has been made at the company’s Castle Bromwich plant, where more than £400m has been spent in new and upgraded facilities to support the introduction of the 2015 Highlights

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all-new Jaguar XF. Amongst the most notable investments at the Castle Bromwich site, in support of the all-new XF, is a £320m aluminium body shop, which completes the site’s transformation into a global centre of excellence for lightweight vehicle manufacturing. This is the largest single investment in the history of the Castle Bromwich site and highlights a remarkable turnaround in the fortunes of the company’s

um rolling and recycling.”

Regarding his new appointment, Fisher says he is “honoured” to lead Novelis and believes there are “immense opportunities ahead” for the company. Looking to the future for Novelis, he states that “we will remain focused on optimising our manufacturing and recycling operations, serving as the preferred partner to our customers, and continue our growth in West Midlands manufacturing operations, which were earmarked for consolidation during the height of the global economic downturn.

The introduction of the all-new XF completes an all-aluminium line-up at the Midlands plant, which has committed significant investment to every stage of the manufacturing process. Around £16m has been spent on a new blanker line, which will allow the plant to turn coils of aluminium into ‘blank sheets’ that will be pressed into body panels and parts on a new Aida £50m press line which is currently under construction.

This line will feed in to the new £320m body shop, the most flexible and versatile of its kind throughout JLR, capable of switching between Jaguar’s entire range of models mid-production.

Finally £30m has been invested in significantly upgrading the trim and final assembly hall.

the premium markets of can, automotive and speciality products.”

Hycast celebrates 25 years Hydro’s fully owned casthouse technology provider, Hycast, has recently celebrated 25 years.

Established in 1990, Hycast was set up to manage and assure that Hydro had a leading edge within melt refining and casting technologies.

“Not only are we celebrating our 25-year-long history, we are also celebrating 25 years without any work-related injuries to our employees,” says Jansen.

“Actually, 2014 turned out to be our best year yet,” says Jansen, adding that the outlook is promising.

Hycast’s premises are located in Norway, next to Hydro Sunndal, with its Casthouse Support team, a dedicated R&D department and a full-scale Casthouse Reference Centre.

Aluminium International Today

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INDUSTRY NEWS 3

Rio 2016: Going for aluminium The Rio 2016 Olympic torch has been unveiled by the Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff.

The torch is crafted from recycled aluminium and resin with a stain finish and has different segments, which expand when the Olympic flame is passed from one torchbearer to another. These segments represent the soil, sea, mountains, sky and sun and are coloured according to the Brazilian flag.

Organisers said lightweight materials were used to improve the experience of the torchbearers, as well as a design that induces a grip closer to the torch’s centre of gravity.

Beth Lula, the organising committee brand director, said: “The design of the Rio 2016 torch was inspired by the Olympic spirit, our country’s nature, and the harmonious diversity and energy of our people.”

2016 DIARY February 14 - 16 TMS

Following the traditional Olympic flame lighting ceremony in Olympia, Greece, the Olympic flame arrives in Brasilia in May 2016 and will be carried by 12,000 torchbearers across 300 cities and towns reaching an estimated 90% of Brazil’s population.

Hydro to sell rolling mill Hydro has entered into a binding agreement to sell its aluminium rolling mill in Cisterna di Latina, Italy, to Rolling Mills International GmbH. Hydro’s rolling mill in Cisterna di Latina produces aluminium rolled

products, mainly standard strip and sheet, as well as plain foil.

Through the agreement, Rolling Mills International GmbH will acquire 100% of the shares in Hydro Aluminium Slim S.p.A.

Rolling Mills International GmbH is controlled by Quantum Capital Partners AG, a Munich-based investment company.

The transaction is expected to close by end 2015.

Tiwai Point to stay open Fears the Tiwai Point aluminium smelter might close have receded for now but a new agreement only guarantees it will remain open until 2018.

In a deal, Meridian Energy has won an increase in the price it gets for the electricity it supplies to the company.

But it said the price was still less than the smelter would have paid if it had relied on the rest of the market to supply a big chunk of its power.

Under previous agreements the smelter had the right to do this.

Meridian will now supply most of the smelter’s 572 megawatts of power, but fuel 80 megawatts from Contact Energy into that mix.

It said the agreement commit-

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ted Meridian to cover the full 572 megawatts currently used at the smelter at more competitive rates for the smelter than would have applied if it had chosen to rely on other suppliers.

The smelter meanwhile reiterated that its power was still too dear and was pinning its hopes on a cut to its transmission costs.

This matter is being debated by the Electricity Authority.

Fives partners with ECL Fives has announced the acquisition of ECL, a specialist in the design and installation of equipment used to produce primary aluminium.

ECL will become a new entity within Fives and bring a high level of complementary technical

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strengths and sales strategies.

Frédéric Sanchez, Chairman of the Executive Board, said: “With the acquisition of ECL, Fives has strengthened its position as number one in the supply of key process equipment used in aluminium

production. ECL’s business perfectly complements that of Fives.

“The combined assets of our two companies will strengthen the quality of our offer to aluminium producers, in particular in the service sector.”

Free-of-charge exhibition and conference will demonstrate how the aluminium industry is making continuous improvements in the environmental efficiency of producing aluminium, as well as its sustainability benefits in end-use applications. www.alusolutions.com

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12/9/15 3:56 PM

4 MINING

Bridging the bauxite supply gap As demand for aluminium continues to grow across key sectors, the pricing power is shifting upstream to alumina and bauxite producers. Nadine Firth* met with Danny Keating** (pictured right) to discuss the projected global consumption of bauxite and a new mining project in Guinea, which plans to capitalise on this market demand.

‘Bauxite’ is currently the buzzword of the aluminium industry. Those in the know are aware of the part it plays in the production process, but the recent surge in demand and projected long-term growth of this ‘miracle metal’ has seen attention shift upstream. And it seems this change hasn’t gone unnoticed.

“Alufer Mining Limited started up five years ago, on the premise that we identified what we thought was a change in the industry,” says Danny Keating, CEO. “We started by looking at how the aluminium industry was changing, from massively integrated towards more fragmented; initially with independent smelters, then refineries, and finally nonintegrated or independent bauxite miners.

As with most commodities, the change was driven by China.”

Since 2006, global alumina refining capacity has expanded from around 30 Mtpy to 104 Mtpy in 2014.

“We picked up on this fundamental shift and noticed that in turn, China was turning the bauxite industry from what had been about 80 Mtpy to 250 Mt,” continues Danny. “This was the gamechanger for us. For anyone who was in the industry then, it’s like life before mobile phones. It’s a totally different world now.”

Alufer’s studies predicted that this pattern was going to continue and highlighted that bauxite was actually the only limiting factor.

“We spotted there was a constraint; mine development is difficult,” says Danny. “It’s not the shortage of bauxite that’s the problem, but because it has been an industry that historically has not had a lot of growth and has not been in favourable locations, it has not warranted much investment or development in infrastructure.

“Aluminium on the demand side is fantastic, there’s not a problem there!” continues Danny. “Demand is very strong and as long as it’s growing, it’s an industry

that is going to need bauxite. Mining will always be the thing that can’t catch up.

You can build a factory and a refinery a lot quicker than you can explore, develop and construct a new mine.”

The ban in Indonesia was the final contributing factor to Alufer’s development as a bauxite exploration and development company and secured its interest in a project in Guinea.

“As long as the material was coming out of Indonesia, it was holding the market in balance,” says Danny. “Then came the ban and we thought, now the industry will be really short and we will see sustained bauxite prices for longer.”

Alufer also saw this as a positive way to encourage investment in the project.

“Starting a project in somewhere like Guinea means that investors want to see sustained, high prices. Thankfully, being in year four now, if there was that point where we were going to see a massive flood of material from elsewhere, we would be seeing it now and that’s not the case.”

Bel Air Off the back of all this research and planning, Alufer has recently announced the completion and results of a bankable feasibility study (BFS) for its wholly owned project in the Republic of Guinea.

“The BFS economics have confirmed the Bel Air project to be the industry’s pre-eminent undeveloped bauxite project.

Bel Air’s potential scale demonstrates it will be a significant producer providing a high quality product to the market in the near term. The project is technically straightforward and can be fast tracked to production with just 12 months of construction. With a surprisingly low capex and opex, combined with immediate cashflow, the project is economically resilient and has competitive advantages over alternative sources of supply,” says Danny.

Project highlights t

A technically robust open-pit project that offers low capital and operating costs, rapid payback and strong financial performance at current bauxite prices; t Twin development strategy allows fast track to 4.8 Mtpa production for immediate cashflow generation; t 12 month initial construction phase; first production targeted for H1 2016; t Ramp up phase to 10.3 Mtpa maximises throughput and reduces operating costs without disruption to production; and t Includes development of dedicated export loading jetty infrastructure for transhipment of Direct Shipping Ore (“DSO”) to Capesize vessels.

“We have conducted a number of optimisation scenarios and believe that our mining plan will maximise profitability, minimise technical risk and manage both our capital and operating costs. We are delighted to have achieved this important milestone and we would like to thank the Government of Guinea for their continued commitment and support to the project.

We look forward to taking Bel Air into its construction phase in the coming months.”

Project overview The Bel Air bauxite project is located 15km from the coast near the Cap Verga peninsula, 120km north of Guinea’s capital, Conakry. For the past four years Alufer’s strategy has been the rapid advancement of Bel Air to production to capitalise on the strong fundamentals of the bauxite market. To date, Alufer has completed the project BFS, the Social and Environmental Impact Assessment (SEIA) and in September 2013, it was granted

*Editor, Aluminium International Today **CEO, Alufer Mining Limited 2015 Highlights

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MINING 5

purpose-built haul road to the Export Facility stockpile.

Transhipment and stockpiling In the initial phase, stockpiled ore will be loaded onto 40 tonne ADTs for transport along the causeway to the barge berth.

Ore will be tipped into two shiploader feed bins located parallel to the berth and loaded onto transhipment barges through a mobile shiploader. As part of the ramp-up phase, a fully-automated causeway conveyor will be installed to feed a longitudinal shiploader at design capacity of 5,000 tph.

Economic highlights t t t

Post-tax internal rate of return (IRR) of 72%; Post-tax net present value (NPV) of US$760 million (at a 12% discount rate); Initial construction capital requirement, including financing costs, of US$110 million; t Peak fundraising requirement of US$120 million with post-commercial production capex largely funded by internal cashflows; t LOM cash operating costs of US$22/tonne free on board (FOB); and t Breakeven price, including working capital, in-country taxes and royalties of US$25/tonne FOB. the Exploitation Licence (Mining Title) for Bel Air Mining Ltd. Bel Air has defined reserves and resources for a premium quality, tri-hydrate DSO bauxite. The ore lies at the surface and will be mined by surface miners, then trucked down a haul road to the coast for loading onto the transhipment barges at the dedicated export-loading jetty at Cap Verga. DSO will be loaded onto Capesize or Panamax class ocean-going vessels for delivery globally to China, Europe and North American customers.

The development of the project will be separated into two phases; an initial ‘rapid production’ phase based on a shorter causeway with semi-automated barge loading; this has a 12-month construction period including mobilisation. Without disrupting production, the causeway will be widened and extended and an automated materials handling unit will be added in order to increase throughput to 10.3 Mtpa and reduce the overall operating costs. The ‘ramp-up’ phase only requires incremental investment and, at current bauxite prices, will be almost entirely Aluminium International Today

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financed by the cash flows generated by the ‘rapid production’ phase.

“Everything about the project just makes sense,” says Danny. “Normally you don’t find assets this close to the coast and so we don’t have to build a railway line. The causeway is the only major piece of infrastructure we have to build.”

Mining and hauling Following detailed investigation, the use of surface miners has been selected as the optimal mining solution for Bel Air. By utilising surface miners rather than a drill and blast methodology, the dilution and mining loss can be minimised, the primary crushing requirement can be reduced and, importantly, there is an improvement in in-pit geotechnical conditions.

The surface miners will mine, crush and load ore onto 40 tonne Articulated Dump Trucks (ADTs), which will transport ore to temporary transfer stockpiles. Mobile stackers will be utilised to automate the management of the ore transfer stockpiles. Dedicated 65 tonne long haul trucks will transport ore along the

Multiple berth export facility The optimised solution for delivering rapid production, globally significant bauxite output and low operating costs requires the construction of a multiple berth export facility. Initially the causeway will be developed to sufficient depth to allow tide-assisted loading of transhipment barges. The widening and extension of the causeway will continue without interrupting production until the continuous loading of transhipment barges is possible. There will be an export conveyor, tripping conveyor and longitudinal shiploader built on the expanded causeway with an additional throughput capacity of 5.5 Mtpa.

Transhipment operations The shallow marine conditions at Cap Verga require transhipment to load oceangoing vessels (OGVs). The transhipment operation has been designed for the loading of both Panamax and Capesize vessels, similar to the practices employed in the iron ore and thermal coal markets.

For Bel Air, a contractor transhipment solution has been developed, with specially designed floating cranes and barges. By utilising this equipment, Alufer will be able to load Capesize vessels without incurring significant demurrage costs and this will offer a considerable economic advantage over projects that are only able to load smaller Panamax vessels.

“We currently see export opportunities in North America and Europe,” says Danny. “There are already customer bases there, but we also know there is new demand.”

Financial overview The project will fast track production within 12 months, initially at 4.8 Mtpa ramping up to 10.3 Mtpa utilising the internal cashflows of the business. The increased throughput will also significantly reduce operating costs through greater 2015 Highlights

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6 MINING

economies of scale and improved levels of automation of the haulage and export process.

Bel Air has an initial peak fundraising requirement of US$120 million with postcommercial production capex being almost entirely funded from project cashflows. According to Alufer, this is significantly less than other pending bauxite mine development plans, with the key advantage being the proximity to the port and its simple mining methodology.

Impact Clearly when undertaking a project such as this, there are environmental and social impacts that need to be identified and managed.

“We were very aware that because we wanted to work fast, we had to start all of the environmental and social work up front,” says Danny.

The nature of the land and its proximity to the coast means that there are a number of fishing and farming villages that the project development must be sensitive to.

“We sought the advice of a social and environmental consulting group that had extensive experience working throughout Africa as well as an experienced in-country team of Guinean specialists to undertake

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Government’s social welfare programmes.

“Because the aim is to be quick to production, once the project is underway, the government and people here will start to see a return. That will be on top of all the imports and job creation that will come from the development,” highlights Danny. the SEIA studies. We worked closely with the Ministry of Environment from day one,” he continues. “This enabled us to develop a relocation plan that will see a very small number of people who would need to be relocated.

“In some operational areas, we have tried to make things more manual rather than automated, so we can employ more local people where we can. However, this is also more complicated than it seems, as you have to go to each local village and cannot be seen to only be employing from one area. It has to be fair and all of the communities benefit from our activities.”

Support Bel Air enjoys strong support from local communities and national Government.

The project will have a material positive impact on Guinea’s GDP creating more than 500 permanent jobs and provide significant tax revenues for the

Other projects The Labé project is also currently on going with the potential to significantly increase the company’s bauxite resource base.

The Labé project is situated in the Guinea highlands, approximately 350km northeast of Conakry.

To date, a JORC compliant resource of 2.5 billion tonnes of high grade ore (43% Al2O3) (with 583 Mt at 50% Al2O3) has been defined on the property. Further, an Engineering Concept Study has been completed and Alufer expects to commence a Pre-Feasibility Study in 2015.

“We see Bel Air as the springboard to other assets like Labé,” says Danny. “Once production is ramped up here, we can look to leverage the project to develop the other assets.”  Contact For more information visit www.alufermining.com

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MINING 7

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EGA’s bauxite-alumina strategy Since its inception, Emirates Global Aluminium (EGA) has consistently stated its strategic intent to secure raw materials through upstream investments, specifically in alumina and bauxite.

One of the main motivators for this is that EGA is the only major global player with no operational alumina or bauxite assets. By contrast, all of the other major players have sizeable alumina and bauxite investments.

More importantly, securing its own raw material sources is considered by EGA management to be fundamental to the future security of the business. Not only has the number of companies owning bauxite and alumina resources reduced over the years due to consolidation activities; but the price of bauxite and alumina is also increasing. These factors underscore the need to mitigate the associated risks, especially given the huge volume of alumina required to fuel EGA’s midstream assets, namely DUBAL and EMAL. To produce more than 2.5 million tonnes of metal per annum, EGA will consume about 5 million tonnes of alumina and 12 to 15 million tonnes of bauxite annually.

Reserve secured for high quality EGA has already made good progress in realising its upstream investment strategy.

A case in point being Guinea Alumina Corporation S.A. (GAC), a wholly EGAowned mining development company that is currently focused on advancing its bauxite and alumina export project in the Republic of Guinea.

The decision to invest in Guinea is in itself strategic – Guinea is rich in mineral resources including iron ore, bauxite, diamonds and gold; and the country is home to about 7.4 billion tonnes of bauxite reserves (equivalent to 27% of the world total).

Moreover, Guinean bauxite is amongst the highest quality in the world – particularly in terms of high alumina grade and low silica levels – and is thus highly sought after by the international market.

Importantly, the GAC project centres on a high quality, export grade bauxite deposit of 1.3 billion tonnes – the concession being located in the Boké region of Aluminium International Today

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GAC management and village elders opened the bridge of the Kéwéwol River by cutting a ceremonial ribbon.

north-western Guinea at the heart of the country’s bauxite reserves.

GAC was established in 2001 when Global Alumina, then a Canadian publicly traded junior mining company, obtained Lease 149 from the Government of Guinea to build and operate an alumina refinery along with relevant infrastructure.

In 2007, Global Alumina sold a majority interest in the project to BHP Billiton (33.33%), Mubadala (8.33%), and DUBAL (25%), and retained a 33.33% stake.

The GAC Project The project advanced well through completion of a Bankable Feasibility Study (BFS) along with approval of the Environment and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA). Following a strategy change within BHP Billiton and Global Alumina in 2013, Mubadala and DUBAL acquired the remaining shares in the project in May 2013 and transferred the ownership of GAC to EGA. Then, in November 2013, an amendment protocol was signed with the Government of Guinea relating to the project being undertaken in two phases.

The amended GAC project scope was unanimously ratified by the National Assembly of Guinea at the end of June 2014, permitting the project implementation as follows:

Phase I t The development of a greenfield bauxite mine (the Bauxite Mine) in Sangaredi, Boké region, Guinea; t The construction of a multi-user port terminal (the GAC Port Terminal) and an import container quay (the Import Container Quay) at Port Kamsar; t An upgrade to the existing rail system (the Existing Railway) linking the Boké region with Port Kamsar, to allow for the transportation of the bauxite from the Bauxite Mine to the GAC Port Terminal; t Various harbour and channel works, including an expanded navigation channel and transhipment operation to enable export of bauxite by larger vessels (referenced together as the Port Marine); and t The construction of supporting infrastructure for the mining, rail, port terminal and marine operations.

Phase II t Expansion of the Bauxite Mine and the Existing Railway; t Construction of a 2.0 million tonnes per annum (tpa) alumina refinery in 2022 (the GAC Alumina Refinery); and t An expansion of the GAC Port Terminal, involving the construction of an additional berth.

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8 MINING

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GAC trainees graduate from Boké Vocational Training Center (CFP Boké)

The GAC project will be transformational for Guinea, which to date has had only one significant (+10 million tpa) export mine developed since its independence.

The benefits of the project include: t The GAC Bauxite Mine will be Guinea’s second significant bauxite mine, which will improve the positioning of Guinea on the world markets. t Development of the commercial quay at Port Kamsar, which will be completed during 2015, will unlock other regional opportunities for bauxite and agricultural exports, as well as material imports. It will provide a pillar and catalyst for the development of the Boké corridor as an alternative to the congested Conakry Port. t The unprecedented investment of approximately US$ 1 billion will increase Guinea’s visibility and improve international perception and business indices. t An incremental US$ 500 million per annum GDP contribution and US$ 250 to 300 million to the Guinean trade balance, given that 100% of GAC production is destined for export. t Training and up-skilling of Guinean employees at EGA’s UAE operations for subsequent redeployment in Guinea. t Job creation during construction, and subsequent operations (600 permanent jobs and 1,200 indirect jobs by 2020).

Social license to operate Moreover, GAC is committed to building strong and productive relations with the Government of Guinea and, as part of its social license to operate, works continually to improve the quality of life and living standards of those surrounded by and affected by its operations.

Diverse initiatives have been and are being developed and implemented via the support of local and international services providers such as NGOs, contractors, consultants and local government services.

These initiatives fall into several categories and include: 2015 Highlights

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GAC Unicef donation of USD250k signing ceremony.

Skills development GAC recognises the value of a skilled Guinean workforce and is committed to delivering long-term social and economic benefits to Guinea through both employment (including self-employment) and training programmes.

Livelihood Whilst employment will provide some measure of economic relief, a larger proportion of the local population will be required to find alternative means of subsistence and livelihood.

GAC has therefore also initiated several independent projects that cater for the long-term sustainability of the unemployable population.

Living conditions GAC recognises the limited number of resources available to the Government of Guinea to support community development, living conditions, education, health services and infrastructure. GAC believes that a healthier and better educated mainstream population will add to economic growth and long-term development within Guinea. With this in mind, GAC continuously invests in community infrastructure, health & safety and education projects.

Operating responsibly In keeping with EGA’s strong commitment to sustainability practices, GAC has implemented world-class environment, health and safety operating standards.

Aiming to minimise the impact of its operations on the environment and the surrounding communities, GAC promotes the efficient use of resources, the reduction and prevention of pollution and the enhancement of biodiversity protection through the life cycle of the project.

Having adopted the International Finance Corporation (IFC) Performance Standards in 2012 and the Equator Principles III in 2013, GAC’s environmental management plan includes among others:

Biodiversity Management Plan; Erosion and Sedimentation Control Management Plan; t Water Management Plan; t Rehabilitation and re-vegetation Management Plan; t Waste Management Plan; t Dredge and Disposal Management Plan; t Air Quality Management Plan; and t Noise and Vibration Management. t t

GAC’s concession includes areas of critical habitat for the West African Chimpanzee (Pan troglodyte verus) and the endangered Western Red Colobus (Procolobus badius).

The Biodiversity Management Plan ensures that GAC contributes to the protection of wildlife in general and the critical habitat of the two endangered species in particular. As required by the Performance Standard 6, residual impacts on critical habitat may be mitigated using biodiversity offsets.

GAC is currently working with the Wild Chimpanzee Foundation (“WCF”) to implement environmental education programmes about wildlife protection and endangered species management.

These include mitigation measures against hunting, slash and burn farming practices, uncontrolled bushfires, and collection of wood for human activities.

Health & safety GAC’s health and safety approach focuses on identifying and controlling hazards, reducing exposure to risks, and supporting the general health and well-being of all employees and contractors.

In September 2014, GAC achieved the significant milestone of 13 million manhours without a Lost Time Injury (LTI). This is a significant achievement in the field of construction, mining and infrastructure projects.  Contact www.ega.ae Aluminium International Today

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10 CASE STUDY

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The AP60 Project

AP60 Phase 1 is a new aluminium plant located in Jonquiere, Québec (464 km northeast of Montreal). The plant was designed to test and industrialise Rio Tinto Alcan’s (RTA) proprietary AP60 smelting technology – the platform for future generations of AP Technology™ reduction cells. The project is the first of its kind in the world and recently won the 2014 PMI Project of the year award recognising, honouring, and publicising project and team success achieved through the performance of project management practices.

Here, Aluminium International Today provides an exclusive case study.

The world class AP60 project was completed one month ahead of schedule and within the budget range. This project allows RTA to demonstrate at an industrial level, breakthrough aluminium smelter technology while employing a strong ‘Zero Harm’ HSE philosophy.

The project’s objective was clearly defined as to: “Safely deliver an industrial plant to demonstrate AP60 technology with minimal capital expenditure and a realistic schedule” Top three project achievements: 1. Novel technology implementation: The project team had to overcome a number of challenges that are unique to transfer of technology from a pilot plant level to an industrial application.

2. Exceeding the client’s expectations: The project was delivered one month ahead of the original control schedule and within the margins of the budget range.

3. Outstanding HSE culture: By striving to meet the client’s commitment to the highest standards for health, safety and environment, a world class standard for HSE was developed and implemented, setting a benchmark not only for RTA but also for the construction industry 2015 Highlights

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in Québec. The project’s lost time injury frequency rates (LTIFR) was 0.27. Between 2003 and 2009, the average LTIFR for the Québec construction industry was 23.5.

Scope management The project team maintained a sound and coherent view of the scope, schedule and cost. Whenever one variable changed, the project team made sure that the

two remaining variables would follow accordingly. This was a fundamental factor for timely and successful decision making on AP60.

The project scope was defined based on stakeholders’ vision, technology requirements and operating needs. The final scope of work was detailed in the Facility Description Document (FDD), agreed upon, signed off by the project’s

Information Client

Rio Tinto Alcan (RTA)

EPCM

SLH joint venture

SNC-Lavalin and Hatch consulting engineering firms

Started 2007 Full notice to proceed (FNTP)

December 2010

Handed over to RTA

December 2012

Commissioning

Ended in December 2013

Project key figures

$1.3 billion CAN

5 million site working hours

100 equipment suppliers

50 installation contractors

Project Scope 38 pots operating at

570 kilo amperes

Production capacity

60,000 metric tons of aluminium per annum (t/a)

Planned Expansion

Up to 460,000 t/a

Also included

gas treatment centre, primary material warehouse facility,

rodding shop, casting plant and anode pallet warehouse.

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major stakeholders, and distributed to the project team.

Following the FNTP granted in December 2010, the estimate was used as the baseline control budget. Rigorous control tools were implemented to manage cost aspects. At the core of these tools was an effective change management programme, which was launched at the prefeasibility phase to continuously track the TIC, even during early studies. During execution, this programme was vital for decision-making and corrective actions.

Key success factors Integrated team The project organisation was based on a matrix principle where the project was divided into three main areas created for management purposes. RTA and SLH deployed a classical mirror organisation where each party had its clearly defined role as per standard EPCM strategy.

The main difference is that the AP60 team was a model of integration at all levels; there was a clear delineation of roles and responsibilities and a clear alignment of objectives between all groups.

Risk management One of the comments RTA used to describe the AP60 team was that the project team had an ability to see the next problem, work on it before it becomes a problem and transform it into a value improvement opportunity.

Risk management was the key approach that allowed the project to achieve success, Constant dialogue on risks was maintained on the project. All level of risks were considered including: Corporate, Execution and HSE risks.

During execution, the execution risk register was used as a strong base to develop a pro-active mitigation. Open discussion of risks provided an open nonthreatening forum to discuss issues.

The project same risk management approach was adopted by the major turnkey suppliers. This combined effort allowed a breakthrough of commercial barriers and the implementation of a common mitigation plan.

Procurement The project team was responsible for the full range of procurement management services (purchasing, contracting and major packages, quality surveillance, expediting and transportation logistics).

To support the project schedule, 17 packages were identified as being critical and were issued for purchase during the FEL3 to allow early engineering to start.

This approach was conducted based on a blanket-type contract including two distinct stages of award. Engineering Aluminium International Today

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activities were to be completed during the FEL3; while the fabrication activities were approved to start once the FEL4 (execution phase) was approved by RTA. Once the packages were issued for fabrication, a global network of expeditors and inspectors ensured that materials and equipment were delivered on time and complied with equipment specification requirements. The quality inspector was responsible for establishing an inspection and test plan (ITP) with the vendor, compliant with the project quality assurance requirements.

Equipment and materials were inspected during the manufacturing period and again prior to shipment authorisation.

The DTC contracts were established to support the technological development of the project. The contracts were designed to remove this risk and ensure the best contribution from all parties, all in accordance with the IP management plan.

The closeout of purchase orders was carefully planned and a task force was formed by procurement, document control and project management representatives to expedite this intensive exercise. Three months after the final handover to operation, 97% of the 144 packages were commercially closed.

Change management Rigorous project control procedures were implemented throughout. One of the project’s effective change management factors, and also key to overall project success, is that the team didn’t wait for the execution phase in order to implement change management procedures. This allowed for tight control even when the scope was still taking shape and resulted in a healthy project from the start.

A major forecast exercise (Super Trend) was also held in March 2012 in order to meticulously review all forecasts and reevaluate the contingency required to complete the project. Contracting plan change request (CPCR) procedure was also put in place to manage changes to the contracting/purchasing plan (package register). The CPCR allowed the approval of a change to the project contracting and purchasing plan whenever there was no cost impact involved.

The benefit of AP60’s robust change management programme was best demonstrated when the growth of the aluminium industry created an opportunity to accelerate the future expansion of Phase 1. The Potline Busbar Expansion (PBE) was defined to facilitate future expansion without compromising the plant operation. This major scope change was requested by RTA during the execution stage of the project in July 2011, which was formally introduced into the project

scope in November 2011. This $75 million scope change was introduced at the most complex time of the project in terms of technology, critical path schedule and cost.

Lessons learned The experienced project management team recognised the value of analysing past experiences to improve processes.

The “Learning form our Predecessors” process, executed during the initial studies, included the following: t Identifying reference projects to obtain lessons learned; t Analysing the lessons learned applicable for the project at hand; t Incorporating the lessons learned into the project execution plan.

The team also documented all lessons learned to plan for the future. An example of a process that was developed during the project execution phase was the concept of prototyping. During the project, when complex and repetitive work was required, a prototype activity was scheduled in parallel. A prototype was done to determine the best way to perform quality work safely, while respecting the technology requirements.

Project complexity Strong commitment to ‘Zero Harm’ From the onset of the project, RTA was convinced that it was going to be possible to positively influence a culture shift on the project, even on a site with Quebecbased construction workers who were used to working in an environment with a certain rate of accidents.

Changing a culture does not happen overnight. The expression “Visible Leadership” applied not only to RTA and SLH management but also to each contractor and supplier. The goal was clear: That all workers adopt the “Zero Harm by Choice” value, where each person is responsible for their own safety and that of their co-workers.

The reporting and investigation of near misses and high risk situations by the workers proved to be the best way to prevent injuries and ensure a safe working environment. This proactive indicator is one way the team was able to achieve such strong results.

Economic crisis at the end of 2008 The global recession that started in 2008 temporarily stalled economic growth in Canada and had a significant impact on the construction industry. Its effects on the AP60 project included: t Major cash flow constraints; t Slow down on the execution; t Re-evaluating the project scope definition.

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12 CASE STUDY

The project execution plan was revised and short-term activities were rescheduled. Strategic decisions were taken, which meant the project will keep all key members in order to maintain continuity.

Outcome Building an aluminium plant that will operate the most advanced technology

in the world was an enormous challenge.

Not to mention the achievement of performing the work with a high level of excellence.

This is in fact what the AP60 Project Phase 1 workers achieved. Workers adopted rigorous practices, showed the courage to improve them, and the passion of their trade.

The daily actions of the people who

contributed to the project were guided by deep-seated values relate to occupational HSE. The men and women from Rio Tinto Alcan, SNC-Lavalin, Hatch, the AP Technology provider, contractors and equipment manufacturer in SaguenayLac-Saint-Jean and Québec can be proud to have contributed to this outstanding achievement. 

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Sohar: Potline upgrade A major revamp of Sohar Aluminium’s 1.2km long potline, which forms the centrepiece of the $2.4 billion smelter project, concluded at the end of November 2014, marking the culmination of a multimillion dollar initiative that is already contributing to productivity optimisation, energy efficiency, and enhanced safety.

The overhaul represents the first significant upgrade of the country’s largest industrial project since it came on stream in June 2008. As a result, all 360 cells – the individual production generation units that make up the giant potline – have now been replaced in a move that effectively revitalises smelting operations at Sohar Aluminium.

According to Serge Gosselin, Chief Operations Officer at Sohar Aluminium, pots typically have a six-year life span and must be replaced in order to sustain and improve productivity and safety.

However, as the 360 pots at SA’s plant form the backbone of the company’s production, replacing them in one go will necessitate a complete shutdown of operations for the duration of the revamp.

“Our team came up with a programme to change them gradually”, said Hamed Al Jabri, Reduction Services Manager.

“The programme began in January 2012 with replacements initially taking place at

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the rate of four pots per month and then ramping up to 19 pot changes in a month.

November 23rd mark the completion of the change-out of the last pot. Hundreds of contractors and employees were involved in the project,” Hamad explained.

The initiative extends the lifespan of the production line because fewer pots will need to be replaced from time to time thereby minimising any impacts to the smelter’s overall production capacity.

Importantly, accompanying the pot change-out process is a significant technological upgrade as well. Chris Murray, Operations General Manager said, “The previous pots are based on AP37 technology, and we were replacing them gradually with AP39 lining design.

Now, all pots are based on AP39, which provides better productivity and energy efficiency, and will increase our production capacity.”

Jason Moodley, Reduction Maintenance Manager added, “The process of

managing the end-of-life of the older technology pots also brought some challenges but was highly successful due to a benchmark system that was developed and introduced during the project. Furthermore, the teamwork displayed in all areas across the plant was exceptional in delivering this important milestone for Sohar Aluminium.”

A formal launch of the new pots was celebrated at a ceremony aptly dubbed “1st Generation Change-out Completion” on the day of the last pot change-out at the company’s Sohar premises, in which all of the teams involved in the threeyear-long programme were present at the event, including the Pot Re-lining Team and Start-up Team. The entire initiative was overseen by the Reduction Services and Reduction Operations Departments, key operational services departments at Sohar Aluminium. www.sohar-aluminium.com

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14 CASTHOUSE

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Re-melt expansion project As part of the Garmco expansion project, Fives has been awarded an EPC contract for the construction of a new re-melt & casting facility in Bahrain. By Lee Allen* Garmco’s Bahrain-based international aluminium rolling mill is one of the largest downstream aluminium facilities in the Middle East. This project includes the building of a new casthouse to enable Garmco to develop its metal recycling capability and lower the cost of producing cast aluminium slabs for rolling.

As the Engineering, Procurement & Construction (EPC) contractor, Fives will be fully responsible for the timely and successful execution of the contract.

Fives has a long experience in process integration, project management and execution combined with in-house multidiscipline engineering expertise. Over the past 15 years, Fives has executed several lump-sum turnkey contracts in the Middle East, while supplying more than 50 furnaces since 2003 including integrated casthouse solutions.

The re-melt facility will be capable of producing 120,000 metric tonnes per year of cast slab product to stringent industrial expectations of metal and casting quality for a varied production campaign of alloys and slab sizes. Fives is responsible for all engineering and project management and construction services associated with the plant and will use the latest 3D engineering tools and project management techniques to ensure the smooth execution of the project. The plant will be located on Garmco’s existing real estate but is a complete new build, incorporating utility and power infrastructures, a purpose built casthouse building and all civil works.

The challenging ground conditions at the job site with a very high water table, will need special measures in the civil designs to ensure that the completed civil works remains impervious to water; this includes a sophisticated construction process combining soil reinforcement columns, Piling and Secant piles.

One of the aims of the project is to produce cast slabs in a sustainable way; this will be achieved by incorporating a twin chamber melting furnace capable

of melting contaminated scrap from external sources. The ability to recycle scrap metal in to useful liquid metal will significantly optimise the operating costs for Garmco. Approximately 50% of the plant metal throughput could be provided by recycling aluminium this way.

Associated with the twin chamber furnace will be a chip feeding and submerging system that will process aluminium chips from the downstream processes on the plant and distribute them into the furnace. Automated circulation and metal transferring systems will also be provided.

The twin chamber furnace will also have an air pollution control system to manage the furnace emissions to comply with the environmental conditions applicable to the project.

Liquid metal from the twin chamber furnace will feed 2 x tilting melter/holder furnaces where the metal will be further refined and mixed to create the necessary alloy mix ahead of casting. The tilting furnaces will be capable of delivering the metal flow at the required tolerances of the casting machine. Two purpose designed charging machines will tend to all the charging requirements of the furnaces. The project will have a ‘zero chlorine’ policy in the new plant and so the relevant technologies for metal treatment including fluxing, degassing and filtering

equipment have been incorporated; the configuration of this equipment will be organised to achieve the specific metal qualities necessary for ensuring good cast products and eventually high quality aluminium coils. One slab casting machine capable of dropping up to 66te of cast metal to the required finished quality and tolerances will be supplied.

Eventually, the project will be a standalone facility and will be capable of maintaining operations independently. All of the associated equipment to do this will be supplied, such as a casting water cooling system with evaporative cooling towers and a specific water treatment system, a casting machine mould maintenance shop, process cranes and material handling systems, operational tools, all process and motor controls employing a unique configuration devised for this cast house, one fire protection system, one plant CCTV system, plant offices and access roads. One overall control, communication and data capturing system will be supplied to enable the operators to monitor equipment operation remotely and transfer production data to Garmco’s existing plant wide data handling system.

Fives will also assist Garmco with the onsite management of a new band saw installation, which is incorporated into the overall design of the casthouse. 

*Key Account Manager Fives Solios Ltd. 2015 Highlights

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16 SECONDARY

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Best practice in dross management An environmental and sustainable method to process dross at plant level.

As an industry, the aluminium sector has long had a poor environmental reputation, owing to both the energy intensity of the smelting process and the waste (dross) produced during the melting process.

Traditionally, aluminium is recovered from dross using a dross press and a rotary salt furnace which increases costs to the casthouse and leads to the production of toxic salt cake. In Europe, this salt cake is now seen as so hazardous to the environment that dumping in landfill facilities is no longer permitted.

Today, about five million tons of aluminium dross is generated annually all over the world. It is a fact that this number is increasing with each aluminium smelter expansion project. It is about time to think out of the box and search for more sustainable, environmentally friendly dross processing solutions.

TAHA International for Industrial Services W.L.L. (TAHA), a Bahrain based company, took the dross challenge seriously by looking at dross what it actually is: A multi component material which consists mainly of entrapped aluminium metal, non-metallic components, chloride and nitride.

TAHA’s founders were not convinced that recovering aluminium by reheating aluminium dross in a rotary kiln, adding salt which creates a more complex product that needs extensive processing afterwards, is recognised as best practice in dross management.

After an extensive R&D period, 2005 saw the start of a new leading dross recycling technology developed by TAHA in Bahrain.

This process consists of two stages: A “hot dross process” stage, which will be implemented close to the client’s casthouse operation and a “cold dross process” stage, which can be either at the clients premises or off site.

further processing.

TAHA operates a low-energy process that utilises the energy already existing in the freshly removed dross form the furnace without the addition of any salt or other chemicals.

Dross is skimmed from the furnace by the casthouse operator into TAHA’s dross box. After the skimming process is completed, TAHA’s operator will collect the dross bucket and transport it to the rotator installation that is attached to the casthouse.

The operator installs the dross bucket on the rotators, and then starts the recovery process by tilting the bucket from site to site until liquid metal flows out of the discharging outlets.

At this stage, the company recovers up to 90% of recoverable metal, which goes back to the casthouse right away without the need of alloying.

Stage 2: Cold-dross processing The second-stage process completes the recovery of virtually all the available aluminium through a meticulous mechanical separation process.

The recovered metal is collected in charging bins, remelted and returned to the casthouse.

The remaining residue (< 1% aluminium) is used in a variety of downstream product applications (fertiliser, aluminium trihydrate, refractory applications etc.) completing TAHA’s Zero Waste Solution.

This process complies with the definition of “best practice” as it guarantees:  Maximum aluminium recovery  No production of hazardous waste  No material for waste disposal  No environmental pollution by dross Today’s and future challenges of the aluminium industry are the development of technologies that could eliminate waste and improve the economics of the aluminium production.

Growing aluminium demand requires leading technologies to handle the accompanied growing volume of aluminium dross towards zero waste.  Contact www.tahacorp.com

Stage 1: Hot-dross processing Hot dross processing has the advantage that it allows the operation to retain the heat energy present in the dross when it was first skimmed, whereas dross that cooled down must be reheated again for 2015 Highlights

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The value of scrap At the recent CRU World Aluminium conference, Will Savage, Chief Executive of the Aluminium Federation (ALFED), discussed the negative implication of the word ‘scrap’ for what is a valuable resource and examined the challenges posed by growing demand, including inadequate collection.

Nadine Firth* caught up with him to find out more.

Q. What are the current challenges faced by the aluminium industry with regards to scrap?

A. The intrinsic value of aluminium scrap has always been recognised by scrap collectors and the cast metals industry.

Recent trends and public demand mean that there is increasingly a recognition of the “green credentials” of recycled aluminium. In the last few years phrases such as “recycled content”, the “circular economy” and “closed loop” production have entered our vocabulary.

Novelis, has announced that by 2020 80% of their product, primarily rolled aluminium, will be made using recycled aluminium. Jaguar Land Rover in the UK and a number of other large manufacturing companies now operate “closed loop” aluminium recycling in their plants.

The above factors, plus the rising demand for recycled aluminium, as stored energy, means that the availability of recycled aluminium will be constrained, with the resultant upward pressure on prices and availability.

Q. Do these challenges differ per region?

A. The EU aluminium industry is now a net importer of primary aluminium and is a region of high per capita consumption of aluminium. As a result this should mean a greater availability of aluminium scrap. However this makes the EU, and particularly the UK, a target for countries wishing to buy aluminium scrap.

In the GCC there is not yet a sophisticated scrap collection system but as the region expands and the downstream industry grows, there will be a need for a formal collection infrastructure.

Q. Is there a growing demand for the use of aluminium scrap?

A. Yes. In regions with power shortages and a predicted rapid increase in per capita consumption of aluminium, for example China, aluminium scrap will be in great demand with the commensurate upward effect on its value.

Q. Are the benefits of aluminium scrap widely known or could more be done to promote its qualities?

A. If you had asked this question 10 years ago I would have said “no”. In the intervening period there has been a rapid increase in understanding the value of recycled aluminium; this has been reflected in recent shortages and high prices.

Q. At the recent CRU World Aluminium conference, you called for a change to the use of the word ‘scrap’. What are your thoughts behind this?

A. I picked up on what one of the other conference speakers suggested, which is that the words “scrap” and “waste” have very negative connotations. Aluminium, which has reached the point in its life when it can be recycled, is a valuable commodity, which can be turned into another aluminium component without loss of property. The energy “locked” into aluminium means that it can also be regarded as “stored energy”. We need to drop the word “scrap” and focus on the positive benefits of recycled aluminium.

Q. In what ways have you seen the aluminium industry working together to reuse more scrap?

A. Historically, end of current life aluminium (you see I’m trying not to

call it scrap) has been collected by a large number of companies through an established network. Today there are large and sophisticated collection companies and increasingly effective domestic collection mechanisms. There is still a long way to go, as we lose several million tonnes to landfill each year, but progress is being made.

Q. In what ways does ALFED work with its members to address the issue of scrap? Or is it planning to do more?

A. ALFED addresses this issue in a number of ways. We have a long established recycling association who share best practice. ALFED works with the Aluminium Packaging Recycling Organisation (Alupro) to promote domestic recycling of aluminium.

ALFED’s education programmes all have, as a strong element, messages about the enormous value of recycling aluminium.

Q. In your opinion, what does the short and long-term future hold for aluminium scrap?

A. Aluminium will increasingly be regarded as a valuable commodity, not only in the Primary form but also as recycled material. At the CRU conference in Dubai we heard about the exponential growth in the use of aluminium over the next 20 years. Simple economics of supply means that this demand cannot, and will not, be satisfied by Primary Aluminium producers alone. As a result, and as energy becomes an increasingly scarce and expensive commodity, Aluminium “scrap” which takes only 5% of the original energy needed to smelt it, will be in ever increasing demand.

*Editor, Aluminium International Today Aluminium International Today

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18 ROLLING

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Formation of Global Foil Association Supporters of the Global Aluminium Foil Roller Initiative (GLAFRI) have decided to turn this activity into a legal trade association. Aluminium International Today spoke with the leaders of the newly formed Global Foil Association about its role in the industry.

The start-up of the Global Foil Association follows the success of GLAFRI so far, particularly the three annual conferences held to spearhead its activities. Thereupon, the supporters decided to formalise the initiative by creating a trade body to continue and develo p its work.

Initially, the major objective of the new association will be to continue ‘one voice’ on foil promotion and sustainability issues globally, with the aim to support foil market growth in general. The new organisation will enable more continuity in carrying out the decisions and actions decided during the conferences and allow other projects and ideas to be developed.

1. What reasoning was behind the initial start-up of the GLAFRI? “GLAFRI is built on a long and intensive relationship with the Japanese foil rollers established in the last century, a close cooperation with the AA Foil Division in the US, when it was still active in the 90s, plus EAFA Roller Delegation Tours to China at the beginning of this century. One of the first visits in Asia was to Xiashun, the company of Simon Chan, one of our VPs today,” explained Manfred Mertens, who is the new organisation’s first President.

“All that was driven by the idea to share the costs of developing a common position for the foil sector on recycling and sustainability and to ensure mutuality on these political issues and messaging,” Mertens added. “We wanted to go with a ‘One Voice’ approach to support a growing foil demand globally.”

Manfred Martens

2. What factors lead to the success of this initiative and the subsequent formation of the GLAFRI as an association?

According to the new Director General of GLAFRI, Stefan Glimm, the vision of previous European Aluminium Foil Association (EAFA) leaders to take the risk to invite a considerable number of nonEuropean companies for a first global foil conference in 2008 played a major part. “At one time we had no idea at all whether the offer would be welcome, or be accepted,” said Glimm. This action was supported from the first day by Achenbach which was looking for a global platform to serve all its customers in developing foil markets.

Mertens also confirmed, “The very good outcomes of these conferences from the start certainly added to this momentum.”

3. What has the reception been from the aluminium foil industry? Is it welcoming of this new association?

“When, early 2014, at the last global foil conference, about 35 foil rollers from all continents committed to support and financially contribute to global foil promotion activities we were positively surprised and delighted about the numbers of companies signing in,” said one of the two Vice Presidents of the new association, Simon Chan.

Stefan Glimm

His counterpart, Fabiano Schneider Urso added, “It took us a few months to define the most appropriate form of organisational structure, while in parallel attracting further foil roller members. I am delighted to say that there is a strong interest from the foil industry which is demonstrated by the participation and support of 42 companies up to now.”

4. The leading figures of the Association (Manfred Mertens, Simon Chan, Fabiano Schneider Urso and Stefan Glimm) represent global companies involved in aluminium foil.

What qualities/knowledge will these figures bring to the association?

Speaking for the group Mertens said, “All of us are presenting long lasting experience of managing and leading both aluminium rolling companies and local associations. These are spread over the world through Asia, the Americas and Europe.”

“We are very glad to have ensured, by getting this leadership from important foil rollers from these important regions, that there is a strong commitment to get more foil promotion activities implemented in these different regions, as well as other parts of the world,” he said.

5. How will this new trade body continue the work of the initiative?

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Foil promotion is a key part of the objective. So, first actions are targeted at India, South Korea, China, US, Gulf and Europe, according to Simon Chan. “The focus is to either enlarge the foil network or to start consumer related activities like foil promotion via social networks or support of World BBQ Championship.”

“With the new Director General, Stefan Glimm in place, the objective is to balance the activities over the years between the different regions. Webinars will take place

Fabiano Urso

regularly and the next Global Aluminium Foil Conference, GLAFCO, will take place in Shanghai, 7 – 9 September 2016,” confirmed Mertens.

6. What support will it offer its members?

“Besides the exchange of promotion material, further access to global foil market information will be provided through surveys among members or cooperation with institutes like CRU. This will take place in between the present three year cycle of GLAFCO conferences,” revealed Fabiano Schneider Urso.

“Roll out of the Initiative will help to attract further support from other foil rollers worldwide, as well as promoting the use of foil and making best use of existing networks with local organisations,” observed Mertens.

7. Have the current market conditions aided the decision to build the GLAFRI? “The decision acknowledges that customers have become more global and wish to receive similar answers on, for example, foil sustainability wherever they operate,” said Glimm. “It also mirrors structural changes in the aluminium industry. With less and less fully integrated primary-to-foil companies, there is an increasing need to ensure international information exchange on the foil level.”

He added, “It is important and we are very Aluminium International Today

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glad that the International Aluminium Institute (IAI) supported foil going global from the first day.”

Mertens noted that the first GLAFCO conference took place before the events of 2008, so the Initiative, in fact, pre-dates any economic problems that occurred.

8. In what way will the Association help to promote sustainability across the aluminium foil industry?

Simon Chan

“We have been very active already in presenting the benefits of foil to reduce food waste as well as its contribution to sustainable lifestyles, for example with our animation video ‘More is Less’, which is available in more than 10 languages,” explained Manfred Mertens.

“With the new membership structure we should have additional distribution channels to roll it out further on a global level,” Fabiano Schneider Urso added, “We are already experiencing, in Brazil, India and China particularly, activities from members to spread the knowledge to other foil rollers and get them involved.

“Via GLAFRI we will clearly show the benefits of aluminium foil with its barrier functions, food waste savings potential and recyclability, which will all help to improve the image of aluminium foil in packaging.”

9. What areas of the foil industry are experiencing the most challenges?

Manfred Mertens provided a very straightforward answer, “Promoting aluminium foil as packaging in Asia will be the most challenging factor in the coming years.

“The management of large quantity of foil specifications to serve the various packaging and technical markets is both a challenge and opportunity,” added Fabiano Schneider Urso.

10. How will the Association promote the benefits of aluminium foil?

“We look for cooperation with organisations like ABAL in Brazil, AFCMA in US, EAFA in Europe, JAA in Japan, and Sunlight Metal in China. But also many events around the world offer opportunities to spread messages. We are of course also interested to cooperate with regional aluminium associations such as AA,” said Stefan Glimm.

“We have a very good base to work from given EAFA’s activities in Europe,” explained Mertens.

11.

What is the current market outlook for aluminium foil and how do you see this changing in 2015?

“Despite the continuing challenges in the market the outlook for foil, with about 4% annual growth predicted over the next five years, generally remains very positive.

Being able to speak with one voice on global promotional and environmental issues which confront the sector can only be a highly positive development,” confirmed Glimm.

12. Do you see continued investment in rolling mills and value-added aluminium production?

“Besides the huge investments in China, we recently saw significant investments in Brazil, Europe, Turkey and Middle East, as well as India, to name only some. So yes, we believe there will be continued investment in rolling due to growth in demand worldwide and to support key customers’ growth,” concluded Simon Chan.

Summary The Global Aluminium Foil Roller Initiative (GLAFRI) is the global association coordinating actions on sustainability in order to support foil market growth and promote innovative development. Almost 10% of the annual global aluminium primary production is converted to aluminium foil.

The members are foil rollers (AFM aluminiumfolie merseburg, AL INVEST, Alcoa, Alcomet, Aludium, Amcor Flexibles, ASAS, Assan Alüminyum, Carcano Antonio, Cihan, Comital, Constantia Flexibles Constellium, Dare/Danyang, Dingsheng, Ess Dee, Eurofoil, Garmco, Hindalco, Hulamin, Hydro, Iberfoil, Impol, Kunshan, Laminazione Sottile, Nikkei Siam, Noranda, Novelis, OARC, SAM-A, Shanghai, Shenhuo, Symetal, TLM, Toyo, UC Rusal, Votorantim Metais – CBA and Xiashun) and their suppliers (Achenbach, Kampf, IAI, Novelis PAE and Thiel & Hoche) from around the world. t 2015 Highlights

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www.aluminiumtoday.com Fig 1 Vacuum roll during production of multiple strips

Modern slitting lines

After aluminium became the major casting material for chassis frames and motor parts, the industry is now also facing a change within the material application of aluminium in car body construction. By Leander Zielenbach* & Detlef Neumann* Fig 2 Uniformly rewound strips after vacuum strip tension generation.

Reducing the weight of vehicles to meet targets regarding CO2 emission requirements, sustainable use of resources and increasing fuel costs are the major driving forces behind the use of aluminium in the automotive industry.

In addition, aluminium has also shown excellent mechanical behaviour. Optimised weight distribution between front and rear axles is possible and improves the driving characteristics. The capability of aluminium to convert kinematic energy makes automobiles much safer.

However, there are some new features that need to be considered in the production of aluminium sheets for the automotive industry in order to achieve the necessary requirements in terms of mechanical properties and tolerances.

Moreover, dominant mass production requires special solutions when producing and processing auto body sheets.

Based on the Danieli Fröhling high-speed trimming and precision pit slitting line technology, solutions for the aluminium automotive industry have been developed.

tailored for the next stage. Wherever you want to situate the slitting process it is definitely the point where all the efforts of the upstream production process concentrated on achieving the perfect strip material condition should be finished and not downgraded (Table 1).

One category of technological requirements for slitting lines depends on the condition of the material entering the slitting process, and the goal is to maintain these material features. For automotive applications we can point out the following two issues in this category, both of which are essential to consistently produce the complex geometry of auto body panels with the highest tolerances: t Strip surface quality: The process for

multiple slitting requires a pit area where differences in strip length after the slitting process have to be balanced. Downstream the pit, a defined strip tension needs to be generated to ensure stable rewound slit coils. The generation of strip tension is a critical point for maintaining the strip surface quality. t Strip formability: At various locations within the line, deflection is necessary to guide the material from the decoiler to the recoiler through the slitting process.

Optimised line layouts are required to preserve the material microstructure and maintain material formability. t The other technological requirements are the tolerances that can be directly influenced by the slitting process.

Fig 3 Model of combined strip braking unit with felt press and brake roll

Technology requirements For the final customer, the slitting process may still be considered as the finishing part of the cold rolling process, but it can also be seen as the first downstream step after cold rolling and levelling where the “virgin” material has to be converted and *Danieli Fröhling, Germany 2015 Highlights

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ROLLING 21 Fig 4 Still framing of Danieli’s simulation model for slitting lines

The following quality features are mandatory for the quality of the final product but are also essential for the fast running downstream processes: t Cutting quality: This is basically about the geometry of the finished edge with minimum burr. In the subsequent production steps, for instance, there are dirt-sensitive laser welding procedures that require a minimum edge burr. Highly accurate, stiff and reliable design fulfill the highest cutting quality requirements. t Strip width tolerance: A vehicle consists of a couple of thousand parts.

Maintaining close tolerances on each individual part is essential for successful vehicle production. A modern slitting shear is designed to produce finished strips with above-standard width tolerances. t Rewinding quality: Here too, we have a fast running process within mass production that requires almost no telescopic deviation within the rewound slit coils. Highly accurate strip guiding equipment in combination with smart tension generation are essential. t Finishing lines are integrated into the material flow and work cycle of aluminium strip production and must not become a bottleneck for the whole plant: Productivity, flexibility and reliability are the key words. t Productivity: Reduced nonproductive times thanks to synchronised coil, spool handling and automated threading procedures combined with a maximum speed of 800m/min in slitting lines and even up to 1800m/min in trimming lines, make Danieli Fröhling’s finishing lines the most productive available on the market. t Reliability: Minimising equipment downtimes thanks to low-vibration design and the use of first class quality components. Recording and analysing critical machine areas through the use of integrated temperature or vibration sensors. Data will be statistically recorded and analysed by the automation system.

These solutions reduce unforeseen downtimes and maintenance can be planned in a cost-effective manner.

Machine features Even though surface quality cannot be improved during the slitting process we need to make sure that it is not worse at exit than it was at entry. A solution is to equip all the deflector rolls with servo drives. That way the speed of the deflector rolls can be controlled within the range of minimum threading speed and maximum production speed, thereby eliminating any movement that could affect the surface condition of the strip. Oscillating in-line deflector rolls are also provided to clean the incoming coil if it is contaminated especially on the outer coil windings.

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Automotive material data range Grades:

1xxx, 3xxx, 5xxx and 6xxx

Surface Condition:

Electrical Discharge Textured (“EDT”)

Typical strip width:

1,000 - 2,450 mm

Typical thickness Range

0.50 - 4.00 mm

Yield Strength:

80 - 400 N/mm²

Tensile Strength:

100 - 480 N/mm²

Table 1

Slitting lines for multiple cuts are equipped with a strip tensioning device.

Depending on the strip thickness range there can also be a combination of two different strip braking technologies. For the smaller thicknesses - below or equal to one millimeter - Danieli Fröhling offers its vacuum roll technology, which generates strip tension with minimum movement between the braking system and the strip.

Its operating principle is based on the difference in pressure between the inside of the perforated vacuum roll and the ambient pressure. Tension is generated while the vacuum roll body is driven in the same direction as the strip movement at a slightly slower speed then the strip itself. Thus, strip tension is controlled during production, and applications like taper tension control are possible (Fig 1 & Fig 2).

For thicknesses exceeding one millimetre, the vacuum roll will be combined with an additional braking system such as brake rolls or four-zone air cushion strip press systems. For thicknesses over three millimetres a combination of brake rolls and air cushions might be the best solution. Basically any combination of strip braking technologies are possible and will be customised depending on the product mix of each project. In particular, for automotive applications with a typical thickness range of between 0.50 - 4mm, Danieli Fröhling has developed a combined solution consisting of a brake roll and an air cushion strip press system.

In this combination the brake roll system is connected to a quick changing device, which makes it possible to easily change between an in-line and an off-line brake roll unit (Fig 3).

The air cushion strip press is designed as a multi-zone air cushion system. Zone#1

and zone#2 are arranged in a row in the direction of the line. A pre-tension will be generated in these two zones, followed by adjustment of strip tension in the subsequent zones which are arranged crosswise to the direction of the line.

In order to maintain the formability behaviour of the aluminium material, the overall plastic deformation on the whole line needs to be calculated and optimised.

This is customised in four steps for each new project: Step 1: Designing the line according to the specific requirements of an individual project.

Step 2: Calculating the material elongation at each deflector roll.

Fig 5 Drive side knife shaft bearing arrangement of CNC slitting shear

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Step 3: Summarising to the average total plastic deformation (elongation + compression) due to the number of deflections.

Step 4: Reducing total plastic deformation by optimising deflector roll diameters.

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COLD ROLLING SLITTING TRIMMING CUT TO LENGTH REVAMPING & ENHANCEMENT PROCESS SUPPORT & TRAINING SPARE PARTS

This results in an optimised line layout and deflector roll diameter selection in terms of maintaining the formation behaviour of the aluminium strip for the downstream forming process steps (Fig 4).

Nevertheless, the most sensitive machine within a slitting line is the slitting shear with the requirement of repeatable high cutting quality. The main target of all design efforts has always been to create a shear system that could adjust the position of the cutting tools as accurately as possible. It is characteristic of rotary blade shear technology that the knives never cut through the entire thickness of the strip. There is always a relation between knife tool immersion depth and material braking zone, which depends on the condition of the material and differs between soft and hard alloys. The closer the shear system can be adjusted to this optimal cutting point the better the cutting zone geometry of the finished strip is. Best designs have special bearing arrangements that provide maximum overall stiffness with minimum knife shaft deflection. For reasons of stiffness, the bottom knife shaft may be arranged in a fixed position whereas the upper knife shaft is arranged in linear guides. The adjustment of the upper knife and consequently the positioning of the knife tools are done with backlash-free spindles, which are driven via servo drives. At the same time the position is controlled by highly accurate position transducers. This combination of servo drive technology and special sensors also allows closed-loop control of knife positioning while guaranteeing constant cutting quality throughout the entire coil.

The horizontal position of the knife to adjust the cutting gap is also important for cutting quality. For trimming shears with individual trimming heads the cutting gap is controlled in the same way with a combination of servomotors and position transducers that shift the upper knife position. What is more difficult is the adjustment of the cutting gap in rotary blade shears with long knife shafts for multiple cuts. In these shears the cutting gap has to be set by adding spacers to the knife tool setup. This is often time-consuming and does not allow any readjustment during line operation. To deal with these difficulties, Danieli Fröhling recently developed a solution based on a special knife tool arrangement where the upper knife shaft is shiftable, making it possible to adjust the cutting gap without resetting the tools. For this latest innovation patent is pending.

In conventional rotary blade shears the achievable strip width tolerance depends on the accuracy of the rotary blade shear and on the knife tool setup and knife tool tolerances. Within CNC trimming shears used for wide strips the achievable strip width tolerance depends on the accuracy of trimming head positioning.

For these adjustments Danieli Fröhling also uses system with servo drives and highly accurate position transducers.

Incoming coil temperature may be considered for the setpoint of the trimming head position as well. This ensures that for incoming coils with a temperature above ambient the strip width is within tolerance even after it has cooled down.

Another area where servo drive solutions are applied is on the last deflector roll before the recoiler. The smooth movement of the last deflector roll secures a constant distance between the deflector roll and the rewinding point at increasing coil O.D. This solution provides rewinding quality with the lowest telescopic deviation regardless of whether trimmed wide strips or narrow multiple strips are being produced. t Contact www.danieli-froehling.de

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Improving rolling mill process control

By Piermichele Cattelino*

Improvements in modern cold rolling mill performances are highly dependent on increased performances of automation controls and their additional features.

Cold rolling mills are equipped with a series of sensors and fast acting actuators that allow the implementation of a wide collection of control strategies tailored to the different mill configuration and product to be rolled. Continuous evolution of real time controllers in terms of in calculus performances and integration of high level programming languages allows for more sophisticated mathematical models and nonlinear control algorithm and strategies.

Automation supervises every aspect of a rolling mill, from interlocks of operator manual commands, to the implementation of highly structured automatic cycles. This enables faster coil handling with a significant reduction of non-running time and, more importantly, to provide the proper safety level during operational and maintenance phases.

Significant improvements on rolling mill automation have been achieved in the process control that directly affects the quality of the final product in terms of strip thickness and flatness. Improvements have been significant in terms of achieving tighter tolerances and to improve recovery, maximising the strip length within the required product specifications.

The focus of rolling mills process control in obtaining the best possible performances in terms of strip thickness and strip flatness, also leads to the possibility of running the mill at higher speed with a lower risk of producing out of the required product specification and of strip break. The risk of strip break due to incorrect flatness control of strip edges is the main reason for not optimal mill speed and therefore sub-optimal

Exit thickness

A.G.C. Feedback controller

Adaption gains Feedback trim

Observer

Process values

Adaption gains

Exit speed Entry thickness Entry speed

Mass flow delay compensator

Mass flow equation

Fig 1. Mass Flow Control

production levels.

FATA Hunter is focused on developing its rolling mills with a continuous improvements path involving all design phases. Strong effort is placed in the innovation of the FATA Hunter proprietary Process Control System, the hSystem, for technological improvements that are aimed at allowing the manufacturing of products with a higher added value, optimise yield and machine utilisation, therefore increasing the margins reducing costs. In view of providing its customer with the maximum benefit, FATA Hunter’s R&D has been focused in the optimisation of the implemented control algorithms in combination with the definition of new strategies to optimise the most critical phase for mill performances, like strip threading, acceleration, deceleration and tail out.

Improvements in FATA Hunter’s Automatic Gauge Control (AGC) and Automatic Flatness Control (AFC) have been achieved by the implementation of mathematical models that include complex description of the rolling process. Detail process modelling allows the comprehension of mill behaviour and control strategies simulation as well as the deployment of sophisticated

Calculated thickness

Mass flow controller

Process

Mass flow control

adaptive functions through the so-called “observer” modules. The introduction of a “Process Observer” aside of a control algorithm is mainly due to the necessity of adapting the control action to the actual mill conditions.

Rolling mills are complex equipment from a control point of view, due to the high number of variables involved in the process with highly non-linear interactions. Moreover the relations between the variables are dependent on the actual working condition in terms of mill loading and mill heating. These conditions generate variable working ranges, i.e. ranges where the machine can work in a stable condition with sufficient tolerance the changes in working conditions, which have to be taken into account when scheduling and controlling the mill.

Given these variable working ranges, it is possible to use the process observer functionality to keep control performance at their possible optimal value, while running at different rolling conditions, by the use of “adaptation gains” included in controller algorithms.

Fig 1 shows how the process observer concept is implemented in Mass Flow thickness control. Mass Flow control is

*Automation Manager - FATA Hunter, Italy Aluminium International Today

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Flatness reference generator Flatness feedback

Edge compensation strategy

Adaption gains Flatness error

Model based flatness control

Observer

Adaption gains Mechanical Decoupled Single actuators flatness errors variable references flatness error controllers

Residual flatness error to differential cooling spray control

Thermal crown calculation

LEVEL 2 Process values

Process

Recipes database

Rolling model

PDI

Actuators model database

Set-up model

Previous pass data

Fig 3. Process Modelling and Control hierarchy

LEVEL 1

Average sprays level

Controllers

Process

Process output

Cooling sprays reference Cooling sprays control

Fig 2. Flatness Control

Observer Edge sprays control

the most sophisticated implementation of Automatic Gauge Control (AGC) on a cold rolling mill. The basic concept is to eliminate the delay in thickness measurement, due to the positioning of the exit strip thickness sensor, by mathematically evaluating the strip thickness based on entry strip thickness, entry speed and exit speed measurement.

The closed loop control will then correct thickness deviation from the target by modifying the load cylinders position.

In order to have the optimal performances at various rolling conditions, the Mass Flow control shall react to process variations by changing its own response behaviour. As an example, different rolling conditions bring variable relation between the process parameter to be corrected, in this case the exit thickness, and the parameter used as an actuator, in this case the load cylinders position due to changes in roll gap conditions. Process modelling allows for the development of a dedicated Process Observer function for the identification of the changes in rolling conditions based on the measured feedbacks, and a consequent adaption or change in the control strategy.

The implementation of a dedicated process modelling and consequent observer algorithm is adding significant benefits also in the case of Automatic Flatness Control (AFC). AFC is based on a complex multivariable controller that converts the strip flatness measurement, given as an array of simultaneous measures along the strip width, into commands to a series of actuators that varies with the mill configuration.

Typical actuators for Flatness control ranges include work roll bending, roll load steering and cooling sprays; additionally, to have a better localised control over the trip edges, it is possible to include hot edge sprays and/or induction heaters, both solutions with the purpose of heating work rolls portion at strip edge to prevent 2015 Highlights

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the strip tight edges effect. On 6-Hi mills the use of intermediate rolls allows for additional actuators to act on by Flatness Controls: Intermediate Rolls position, Intermediate Rolls bending, Intermediate Rolls cooling sprays.

All these actuators interact with entering strip conditions (profile, flatness, thickness, temper) and mill present status (roll crowns, rolls temperature, rolling load, rolling speed) in generating the exit strip flatness. Optimised flatness control is achieved by using algorithms that select the best possible action for each one of the available actuators given the actual rolling conditions. The implemented algorithms make use of a Process model that correlates each actuator to the behaviour strip flatness and to measures available from the mill; a dedicated Process Observer implements these relations and provides on its output adaption parameters in terms of adaption gains.

These adaption gains are used to optimise the performances of the simplified model for on-line flatness control and the single actuator controller as shown in Fig 2.

In this way, it is possible to implement rules that, to correct a specific flatness error, split the corrective action on different actuators with the “weight” of the split that can vary based on the actual level of use of the actuator itself as well as on one of the other actuators and mill status; this approach also provides the advantage of optimising the actuator allocation given a flatness error profile, avoiding possible counter-actions between actuators that have similar effects on a defined typology of flatness error.

It is possible, for example, to implement an action strategy for the hot edge sprays that takes into account the interaction between the hot sprays, coolant sprays and bending by modelling the correction of the hot sprays as dependent not only on the flatness of the strip edges but on the actual cooling sprays around the edge

area and the actual bending set.

Another important area of application for adaptive modelling is relevant to the strip threading and tail out phases. These phases are critical both in terms of strip recovery as well as in determining the quality of the whole coil. Improper coil starts can lead to coil winding issues along the whole coil length that in turn generates offline flatness issues once the coil is unwound.

Specific work has been carried out to model the behaviour of the mill and the strip during this phase to obtain set-up rules that will provide optimal combination in term of thickness and flatness; these rules have to rely on the estimation of mill status since during this phase most of the on-line measurements are not available and therefore the process controls have to work in “feeedforward” mode.

The new generation of the FATA Hunter hSystem control package includes all the above features aimed to optimise system performances. Process modelling and setup schemes have been integrated within the higher hierarchy Level 2 functionalities due to highly time consuming algorithms, underlying database structures, while real time adaption functions are implemented within the closed loops as in Fig 3.

Level 2 receives and evaluates data at the end of each pass, defining the set-up strategies for the next pass to be rolled, while the controllers adaptive functionalities through Process Observers are optimising in a continuous process the possible combinations of controller actions to guarantee the most profitable results in terms of strip thickness and strip flatness given the actual mill status.

FATA Hunter has implemented these functionalities in the most recent hSystem installations, both on 4-Hi as well as 6-Hi rolling mills.  Contact www.fatahunter.com Aluminium International Today

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26 AUTOMOTIVE

Aluminium used in Jaguar Land

Dr Mark White* looks at the challenge with light weight vehicles Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) has a long history of using aluminium. Early models for both brands used aluminium as part of lightweighting to ensure on and off road attribute performance were amongst the best in the industry. However, most of these applications were low volume and utilised niche-manufacturing technology.

The challenge with the current JLR Light Weight Vehicle (LWV) strategy, which began in the 1990’s, was to develop a high volume solution, which benchmarked steel for quality and hours per car, for the lowest incremental cost to the body and chassis.

Since the introduction of the first JLR LWVs in 2003 with the Jaguar XJ, JLR has produced six new LWV programmes in just over 10 years and is now the largest producer of aluminium intensive vehicles in the automotive world. We have just announced the latest LWV with the new Jaguar XE, and using innovative processes to ensure minimum waste and optimum recyclability, we are now considerably reducing CO2 output within the manufacturing process.

As part of its approach to sustainability, JLR’s LWV strategy takes a holistic approach to CO2 reduction. This is achieved using linked approaches for significant weight reduction in the primary body and chassis systems coupled with improved aerodynamics, aided by powertrain matching and related secondary weight saves throughout the vehicle systems.

We also maximise recycled material usage and lower energy consumption in the manufacturing stage. The overall result is

a stepped change in the carbon footprint of JLR vehicles verified through Life Cycle Analysis tools (by the Vehicle Certification Authority). This approach saves up to 10 tons of carbon for every vehicle produced over the vehicles life** (almost a 15% reduction in real terms).

The body and chassis weight saves are focused on the use of light metals (primarily aluminium), with an overall target of 40% weight saving over a conventional steel spot-welded body, delivering equivalent or improved performance attributes.

Other lightweight materials such as magnesium and plastics (composite and thermoplastic) are used in the interior and exterior of the vehicle, with a focus on using recycled materials where possible in areas that do not impact on the customer. JLR, (along with one of our materials suppliers) is pioneering a closed loop recycling process to maximise the use of recycled materials for the body. The segregation of “in process” scrap during the manufacturing stages means this material can be re-melted and repurposed as metal to be used on future products.

This process further reduces the CO2 impact in the manufacturing stage, and as the number of aluminium vehicles produced increases, we will focus on the end of life re-use of material to again limit the impact of the vehicle on the environment throughout its whole life.

For example, the new Range Rover body weighs only 288kg (658lbs) versus the previous model body weight of 498kg (1096lbs), a real saving of over 40% versus the previous vehicle. There are

also significant saves for Chassis (70kg) and 130kg of Power train and vehicle secondary weight saving (depending on derivatives).

JLR is the first Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) to manufacture aluminium intensive monocoque (unibody) rivet-bonded structures in the same or less hours per car than an equivalent steel body.

This holistic approach includes significant weight reduction, improved parasitic losses and lower energy consumption during the manufacturing and customer usage stages, whilst delivering world class desirable vehicles.

The rivets used on all JLR LWVs are selfpiercing (they do not require a hole in the panels like a conventional rivet) and are applied mainly by robotic automation (100% in the case of the new XE). JLR together with our suppliers has taken the process from a niche volume application with a rivet to rivet cycle time of more than six seconds (on the 2003 XJ) to a cycle time of under two seconds on the new XE. With the use of multi feed rivet guns and blow feed, there is now no need for gun changes and stopping to replace rivet cartridges during production.

JLR’s goal is to deliver desirable products to our customers, whilst improving our fuel economy and reducing vehicle emissions. The LWV strategy is a significant contributor, whilst delivering world class design through development of new formable alloys and unique manufacturing processes.

The new Range Rover models for example, have some of the largest and

*Chief Technical Specialist - Light Weight Vehicle Structures at Jaguar Land Rover, UK **Based on data collected from the new Range Rover 2015 Highlights

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AUTOMOTIVE 27

nd Rover vehicles helps meet sustainability targets

most complex stamped aluminium panels in automotive production, including one piece body side panels, luggage floor panels with more than 300mm (12”) depth of draw and class leading minimum external radii on A-Class skin panels that are comparable to steel, so the customer only receives the benefits of light weight, with no impact on design or vehicle attributes.

We have not only improved the fuel consumption of JLR’s LWVs, in most cases we have improved ride, handling, braking and acceleration through weight reduction and lowering the vehicle’s centre of gravity. All of this will help avoid accidents for our customers, but should they be unfortunate to be involved in an accident,

then the LWV strategy also brings further benefits. Reduced vehicle mass means less energy transfer with aluminium absorbing more energy per kilogram than steel. We have also developed special crash crush alloys to absorb more energy in the crash zones and high strength alloys are used in the main passenger safety cell, the result is that all JLR LWVs meet and surpass worldwide safety requirements.

For example, the Range Rover exceeds the future Federal roof crush standard, (three times the vehicle weight is applied to the roof to simulate a roll-over accident) thus, is able to take over 100kn

of force with minimal intrusion to the passenger cell. The JLR LWV bodies are also stiffer and more refined than their steel equivalents, as well as having greater durability and corrosion resistance as a result of the bonded joints and inherent material properties of aluminium.

We have already applied the technology to our next generation of JLR LWV products; the new Jaguar XE has been announced recently and is part of JLR’s continuing CO2 reduction strategy, with lightest in class aluminium intensive body, a low drag co-efficient of only 0.26 and only 99g/km for the Performance E derivative.

We believe there will be other OEMs who will adopt many of the alloys and processes from the JLR LWV strategy to help meet fuel economy and CO2 challenges. That is why we have adopted an open philosophy for intellectual property rights and regularly engage with other OEMs, through industry forums, as we understand that this is not only a JLR challenge, but a challenge which affects the entire automotive industry.

The LWV strategy is a well-established part of JLR’s future product DNA. There are no downsides to making vehicles lighter, especially in the Premium segment. It enhances on road and off road performance of our SUV’s, and gives sporting saloons and sports cars a dynamic edge that only comes with reduced weight.  www.jaguarlandrover.com

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How lighter can be safer

Carmakers already know. Their challenge is in convincing consumers that the lighter cars they are building are safer than heavier ones.

How can they be sure that lighter is safer? By Kevin Widlic* Fifty years ago, Volvo, the carmaker that sells safety, ordered its first sets of aluminium bumper beams from a modestly sized extrusion plant in Raufoss, Norway.

Volvo brought these new solutions into use the following year, in August 1966, when it presented its new 4-door sedan, the Volvo 144.

In its product marketing, the carmaker pointed out the “many new safety features” in the Volvo 144. These included “the body with its energy-absorbing zones front and rear.”

Volvo didn’t explicitly mention the use of aluminium in these systems. It was a new application with a relatively new material. But times have changed. Ford now utilises a “high-strength, military grade, aluminium-alloy body” in its lighter – and safer – F-150 pickup.

Driving safely with Tesla Ford is not alone. From rugged gasolinedriven trucks to sporty plug-in sedans, aluminium is becoming the hot metal in the automotive industry.

Tesla’s battery-operated Model S, built mostly with aluminium, is one of only three vehicles ever to receive the highest possible safety ratings from both the European New Car Assessment Program (Euro NCAP) and in every subcategory from the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

The achievement is impressive because Euro NCAP and NHTSA emphasise different safety aspects in their respective assessments.

NHTSA concentrates on structural and restraint safety. It measures the vehicle’s ability to withstand and absorb the energy of an impact while protecting its occupants, mainly adult occupants.

Subcategories include frontal impact, side impact and rollover.

Meanwhile, Euro NCAP covers scenarios that include active safety, including tests for child and pedestrian safety. In addition, the organisation adjusts its standards annually to account for technological advances in the industry.

Different ways When involved in head-on collisions used for its NHTSA tests, the cab of Ford’s new F-150 was barely affected. By the way, the new pickup received a higher safety rating than the previous, heavier model.

In addition to supplying structural aluminium solutions for the 2015 F-150, Sapa is providing Ford with ongoing development support for future extrusion applications. The global aluminium solutions company also works in a similar way with Tesla.

Product development director Jonas Bjuhr of Sapa notes that there are differences in developing applications for electric vehicles and for vehicles with more traditional powertrain technology.

“The overall crash requirements are the same regardless of powertrain, but what is different is that batteries need to be protected in case of a crash in a different way,” he says.

“Here, extrusions can help by providing a structural frame to protect the batteries and, at the same time, helping with the overall crash worthiness of the vehicle.

If fully electric vehicles are designed from scratch, then this also opens up for considering a different vehicle body architecture, and again, this can open up for use of extrusions in a slightly different way.”

Components production at the Sapa plant in Sidney, Ohio.

Al is not just Al Kilo for kilo, aluminum can absorb twice as much crash energy as steel. It is this malleability that provides the metal with better crumple zone reaction. The US Aluminum Association states that, pound for pound, the light metal absorbs twice the crash energy of steel and performs as well in an accident. It also provides advantages in stopping distance, handling and performance. When the unforeseen occurs, lighter cars are easier to manoeuvre and correct.

Aluminium is one of the materials that is making cars lighter. That said, aluminium is not just aluminium. The ability to adjust many of the physical characteristics of the metal ensures that carmakers can choose the best aluminium alloys for the solution needed.

Back in the days of the Volvo 144, engineers and OEMs believed that the mechanical testing of aluminium extrusion-based crash systems was defined by the designed shape and the mechanical

*Director, External Communications, Sapa 2015 Highlights

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specification known as TY&E (tensile strength, yield strength and elongation).

This is not the case.

There is no metallurgical correlation between the TY&E properties and the ductility behaviour of the extrusion, says Bjuhr. “Only suitable ductility testing defines an extrusion as being appropriate for crash absorption, or not,” he says.

“The conclusion is that carmakers need to work with aluminium extrusion experts so that they do not experience higher costs, poor performance and suboptimum car body safety performance.”

Defined classes Sapa has a long history of developing crushable aluminium profiles, and the knowledge that the global company has acquired in impact energy management has continued to grow, not only on the application side, but with the metal.

Today, Sapa offers expertise and a range of customised extrusions for automotive applications in three defined strength classes – C20, C24, C28 – and is already at work developing a fully functional C32 alloy.

With the C28, Sapa found that the standard alloys 6082 and 6061 proved strong enough but not good enough in crash performance. The new 6000-series alloy was developed through careful microstructure design and process control.

“Every process step is important,” says Stanislaw Zajac, a Sapa microstructure expert. “Failure in any of the steps will impact the microstructure and the final crash performance.”

Models for behaviour Professor Magnus Langseth heads the Structural Impact Laboratory at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) in Trondheim. He and his colleagues have researched the use of aluminium in the automotive industry since the establishment of SIMLab in 2007.

“We don’t know much about cars, but we know a lot about aluminium,” says Langseth, in an article published by NTNU. He says that because all development in the automotive industry takes place with help from computers, carmakers need models that “describe the behaviour” of the materials used in automobiles. SIMlab makes these models, which are based on the physics of a problem that they wish to solve.

“You must optimise the material with the shape. That’s what you can do with computer simulation. You can test and test, but if you use a computer simulation, you can put it on in the afternoon when you go home from work, and find it ready when you come back the next morning,” Aluminium International Today

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says Langseth.

In the article, Langseth points out that one cubic millimetre of aluminium has just as many grains as on a beach, and that at this microscopic level, scientists are working to understand how whole constructions function. What they have discovered is that “something probably happens in the space between these grain sizes that one needs to know more about.”

This year, SIMLab opened a centre for Advanced Structural Analysis (CASA).

Its automotive partners include Audi, Benteler Aluminium Systems, BMW, Toyota Motor Europe and Sapa.

In addition to its work toward the automotive industry, the new centre will broaden its scope to include those who use lightweight materials in applications dealing with oil and gas, and terror security.

No cost to safety For more than 20 years, the automotive industry in the United States has taken part in studies to determine the safety impact of lighter cars made of materials such as aluminium. Its partners have included the Department of Energy, the Oak Ridge National Laboratory and other national labs, and universities such as Stanford and the University of Michigan.

The Oak Ridge lab in Tennessee has a team of researchers who work to improve vehicle design and to encourage technological innovation that can make lighter vehicles safer.

One of their instruments is a test machine for automotive crashworthiness (TMAC), according to the Oak Ridge National Laboratory Review. Using the TMAC, researchers can study the deformation and failure response of composite components in relation to impact velocity in a controlled and programmable

manner. In other words, quantifying the energy absorbed divided by the mass of the material crushed.

Furthermore, the Oak Ridge team has developed computer models of vehicles with bodies made of composites, regular steel, high-strength steel and aluminium.

The team also produced detailed models of different vehicles after disassembling the actual cars and measuring the parts.

As with the SIMLab in Norway, the work being performed by the Oak Ridge National Laboratory – and many other institutions – is being done to ensure that the emergence of lightweight vehicles does not come at the cost of safety.

Design safety Regardless of how much they weigh, passenger cars and other light vehicles have grown safer through the years. This is clear – and it is not only because of aluminium.

The light metal certainly has contributed, because the beauty of aluminium is that its characteristics suitably match many of the needs of the carmaker. But there will always be a need to combine different materials. Most cars cannot and should not be all aluminium.

And at the end of the assembly line, research and innovation and fundamental physics will not carry the day – not as long as people are still driving.

“No matter how well your car is built,” writes US-based mechanical designer Kyle Maxey, “the best measure of safety is always a focussed driver in complete control of his or her car. But when external events cause that system to break down, it’s good to know that engineers have pushed the limits to design safety into the vehicle’s handling and frame.”  Patrick Lawlor, President, Sapa Extrusions stands with a Ford F-150.

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Reshaping the GCC aluminium downstream industry

The King Abdul Aziz International Airport, Jeddah, KSA

Aside from being popular for its scorching sun, sprawling sands, oil and tourism, the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states have one of the most exciting developments happening in the field of aluminium. Modar Al Mekdad* explains.

Now, before I dive into talking about the aluminium downstream industry and the various breakthroughs, let me paint a picture of the overall primary aluminium industry in the GCC. How big is the primary aluminium business in the GCC? Primary aluminium production in the Gulf has been increasing over the years to reach five million tonnes annually by 2015, which constitutes 10% of the world primary aluminium production, of which 70% is exported around the world. The growth of the aluminium sector has led to the creation of a number of downstream industries in the GCC supplying local and international market profiles for construction, automobile parts, cable and rolling products for packaging. The total investment in the aluminium industry in the Gulf is currently around US$40 billion.

All this investment in the aluminium industry has created a great social impact in the region. In addition to 12,000 direct employments and 30,000 indirect employments, the aluminium industry has helped create many small and medium sized enterprises, providing various technical and logistical services. The GCC states have long realised that their future is an educated and skilled national workforce; consequently all the aluminium industry companies in the region have

invested heavily in training, equal to US$ 20 million annually. Social progress and social responsibility is a key factor that the aluminium industry has been keen to develop and collectively spend around US$ 16 million annually towards contribution to social and community projects.

The primary aluminium smelters are technically advanced and this results in the production of the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s finest quality aluminium. Apart from this they are the lowest cost smelters thanks to the abundant regular supply of energy in the region. Adding to this, they are environmentally clean smelters too.

During the last five years, the industry has increased in wastewater recycling by 150% and solid waste recycling by 48% and managed to reduce Greenhouse Gas (GHG) by 15% and fluoride emission by 46%. All the smelters in the GCC have achieved the ISO standard 14001 for environmental management systems and the only smelter in the world to receive environmental award recognition from the United Nation is in the Gulf.

So, where does all this primary aluminium go? The downstream of course.

cast/forged aluminium, rods and conductors. As you notice in Fig 1, globally there is a significant balance in the spread of downstream applications whereas in the GCC there is a significant importance for rods and conductors.

Table 1 shows significant growth expected in flat rolled products, aluminium extrusions and casting applications in the GCC. This demand is sparked by significant year on year growth in the building and construction sector in the region especially with the iconic events such as Expo 2020 in the UAE, Fifa 2022 in Qatar and accelerated construction in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

High amounts of innovation, research and development in the downstream aluminium business, especially in the field of aluminium extrusions in the GCC; have encouraged local sourcing of material and also enhanced export opportunities of GCC material into European markets.

I would like to talk about a couple of key landmark case studies in aluminium extrusions, which serve as a testimony to the growing business diversifications in the GCC.

The downstream aluminium industry in the GCC Primary aluminium is further sold as flat rolled products, aluminium extrusions,

Case Study 1: Developing the twisted aluminium profile for the King Abdul Aziz International Airport, Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

*General Manager, Gulf Extrusions 2015 Highlights

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Others Others

Rod & Conductors 13%

7%

Casting & Forging Extrusion

FRP 31%

FRP 25%

Rod & Conductors 29%

Casting & Forging 24%

Fo rgi ng

7%

FRP

others shaped and we were able to release the twisted profile smoothly.

The and the stakeholders were Rodclients conductors delighted to see the final outcome and this project is yet another testimonial Casting forging which reaffirms the leadership and knowhow of Gulf Extrusions in the field of ExtrusionExtrusions.

Aluminium FRP

Extrusion 32%

Ca sti n

g&

Extrusion 32%

Fig 1. Comparison of downstream industries of the World & GCC (Source: CRU) Type of downstream application

Current capacity

Future capacity

Flat Rolled Products

350,000 MT

800,000 MT

Extrusions

450,000 MT

600,000 MT

Rod & Conductors

400,000 MT

400,000 MT

Casting

100,000 MT

300,000 MT

Table 1. Current & Future Capacities of Aluminium Downstream in GCC

About the project: t Designer: Netherlands Airport Consultants B.V (NACO) t Consultant: Dar Al Handasah Group t Main contractor: SBG (Saudi Bin Laden Group) t Aluminum and Glass Contractor: United Arab Aluminium Company t Extrusions supplied by: Gulf Extrusions Co LLC

‘Most Innovative Aluminium Product’ by Aluminium 2014, Dusseldorf.

Key statistics: t Total area of Project – 100km2 t 100,000m2 of glass and aluminium

The twisting process - The three stages: Stage 1: We studied the stress distribution in the profile and designed a special machine with pneumatic cylinders. The machine had three clamps which held the profile. A design challenge was to create supports on the panel to distribute the stress created by the twisting load.

We had to secure the panel and the connecting grooves from any strain. This was solved by incorporating ribs designed to crack when strained and thus protect the profile.

Unique design feature: t 40,000m2 of Rain Screen Louver System t Aluminium extrusions system has blades transiting from closed to open over a distance of 6m. t Supports the façade by providing wind load connection.

Location of the system: In the boarding bridge area and in front of the glass façade Technical challenge: t Design, extrusion and fabrication of twisted profile. t Required twisting of 430mm wide and 6m long aluminum profile from 0° to 60°. t After several failed trials, the project team reached out to the pioneers in aluminium extrusion with the challenge. t Gulf extrusion designed the profile and extruded it. Gulf Extrusions also developed and built the machines to twist the profile. t The twisted profile from Gulf Extrusion has been selected as the Aluminium International Today

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Solution and planning - Making of the twisted profile: Internally, Gulf Extrusions studied the project specifications and came with a special extrusion design for the project.

Then the right alloy required for twisting was chosen.

Stage 2: We found that the twist was not consistent and because of the spring effect of the profile, the aluminium fought its way back to its initial position. The solution was to redesign the machine with hydraulic cylinders, reduce the number of clamps to two and we had to trick the metal by twisting it in stages. We had to twist in stages of 30°, then 25° twice and we took it back to a full 0°. This way, we were able to achieve the 60° twist.

Stage 3: After successfully twisting the profile, we had the last challenge which was to release the profile from the clamps.

So we redesigned the clamps to be ‘Y’

Case Study 2: Setting up the Middle East’s first vertically integrated aluminium supply chain for the automotive industry and beyond When aluminium extrusions in the GCC were known for domestic consumption and architectural applications, a burning desire to cater the global automotive industry and beyond led to the birth of REFCO – the royal engineering fabrication company.

Supplying to the automotive industry is not only challenging but also boundary busting in various aspects from production to fabrication, to the supply chain. The automotive industry is one of the strictest when it comes to quality auditing and in order to cater to the automotive industry, companies need to have more than just good quality but also: t A solid downstream business that is world class in its execution of Quality, Cost and Delivery (QCD). t Support ‘Just In Time’ targets of manufacturers in different locations.

To build a company of this nature from the UAE was not only a challenge but also a socio-cultural breakthrough.

REFCO was born from the recent acquisition of Sport Carrier Limited, a U.K. extruded alloy fabrication and surface treatment specialist that supplied finished alloy products to Aston Martin, BOS, UYT and Webasto.

REFCO started with a rapidly expanding manufacturing location in the UAE in close proximity to Gulf Extrusions (L.L.C) and EMAL/DUBAL, the primary raw material supplier. The basic strategy of the acquisition was to obtain the capability and expertise to quickly establish a manufacturing site in the U.A.E. that converts extruded alloy section to components for end product assembly.

Finished alloy components were then shipped to company operated regional distribution points in the European Union for ‘just in time’ delivery to existing clientele and into the emerging consumer markets.

REFCO today manufactures approximately two million automotive parts, which go into critical applications and involve kinematic movements – sun roof guiderails, roof consoles, cross rails, pull bars to name a few.  2015 Highlights

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Adding value to the UK extrusion market

By Yann Beck* As one might expect, the global aluminium extrusion market is expanding. Greater urbanisation, the increasing acquisition of manufactured goods by the general population in developing countries and the ever-growing need for production methods which are environmentally friendly, all mean that the call around the world for efficient and sustainable aluminium solutions is greater than ever.

Between the years 2010 and 2014, worldwide demand for the extruded metal increased by 8% year after year. Certain markets are inevitably growing at a faster rate than others and, not surprisingly, some established markets are slowing down - particularly the 'home' markets; Europeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s share of consumption actually fell from 20% to 14%, with the UK and Ireland only accounting for 160,000 tonnes of extruded aluminium in 2014 a surprisingly small amount considering the population and sophistication of the marketplace.

So what are the European and UK markets doing in response?

Sapa recognises the need to stimulate growth across a variety of sectors. The building and construction industry is, of course, crucial in stimulating growth in the UK aluminium market. Nearly two thirds of the end-use of extrusions in 2014 globally was in this sector and, worldwide, it is expected to grow at an average of more than 5% per annum over the next few years. Similarly, the transport sector also represented an impressive 12% of

extrusion consumption in 2014 and is expected to continue growing by 5% each year until 2020.

The aluminium industry and Sapa are naturally committed to maximising aluminium performance, as its uptake makes both good commercial and environmental sense. The automotive and commercial vehicle sector always presents an interesting opportunity for growth potential, where there is a strong focus on weight saving. Reductions in the weight of car parts by the utilisation of aluminium components is just one example of lightweighting and the subsequent savings in costs and energy that it brings. Sapa is very active in this sector, fully recognising the vital importance of reducing costs, saving energy and lowering vehicle emissions. Similarly, the company is working closely and proactively with the aviation industry to ensure the reduction of greenhouse gases. Sapa is at the forefront of responding to this call for improved sustainability and is championing aluminium and all its inherent properties in order to facilitate innovation and energy-efficient applications through the use of its extrusions.

Aluminium solutions Aluminium profiles usually make up one or two components that are part of a larger entity, but the earlier any extruder is brought into the process, the more value that can be added to the finished product.

Long before the aluminium extrusion

reaches the end-user, Sapa can add value to the finished component or product throughout the whole supply chain. These areas of additional value might include, for instance, remelt, extrusion design, anodising and fabrication services.

Using the automotive market as an example, Sapa considers environmental factors when designing products in order to minimise fuel consumption and CO2 emissions, as a matter of course.

Consequently, the market is increasingly seeing aluminium replace steel and copper in vehicular applications, thanks to its formability and energy-absorption qualities as well as its lightness.

Delivering the optimum profile In order to deliver holistic solutions, design and fabrication services should always ensure the optimum profile is extruded for each application. Sapa Profiles UK is a four-press operation across three sites, equipped with an installed capacity of more than 50,000 tonnes of extrusions per annum. The company has continuously invested in the most modern extrusion and fabrication equipment and control systems, including long-length profile machining centres and double mitre saws. Sapaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s presses complement each other to give maximum flexibility and with 25,000 different dies for customers across several different industries, the company is capable of creating extrusions in varying section weights, wall thickness and cut lengths. Sapa invests considerably in CAD

*Managing Director, Sapa Profiles UK 2015 Highlights

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modelling, stress analysis and subsequent CAD packages in order to ensure a smooth design process and guarantee the most efficient solution.

Design and fabrication services Using section designs that are optimally suited to a particular application, as well as giving detailed advice on stresses, channels and surface finish are seen as essential in this adding of value and ultimately differentiate a simple extrusion supplier from a knowledgeable partner.

Turning a component into a finished product involves mechanical fabrication techniques, such as sawing, milling, drilling, turning, tapping and shearing. Again, all

these techniques can be vital in adding value to any product and transforming a design into reality. Welding aluminium is very different to welding other metals, such as steel, due to the differences in chemical composition. Metal Inert Gas (MIG), Tungsten Inert Gas (TIG) or Friction Stir welding can be used, depending on requirements. Aluminium lends itself to this process. Designing aluminium profiles appropriately can greatly simplify the welding process. Refinements in equipment and materials mean welding has become an increasingly important method of jointing and is another added-value service offered by Sapa. Other processing methods include plastic forming, bending, stretch

ARUN TECHNOLOGY_Layout 1 9/23/13 3:15 PM Page 1

forming, roller bending and press bending of the aluminium sections. Sometimes, on those rare occasions when aluminium's natural properties are counterproductive to the required performance of the finished product, there are methods to overcome them. For example, whenever aluminium’s high coefficient of thermal conductivity is not wanted, in applications such as windows where low heat transfer is required, there are insulating techniques that can be used to minimise the metal's the inherent ability to conduct (thermal break).

The future Despite the relatively low figures of aluminium extrusion consumption in the UK, the market leader Sapa has every reason to be positive about the future.

Aluminium’s inherent qualities mean it will always be at the forefront of sustainable manufacturing and there is opportunity to add value to aluminium extrusions through the application of extensive knowledge and design expertise. Sapa is doing everything it can to ensure that customers realise that the material’s qualities and the added benefits of fabrication result in value for their finished products. 

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The first Pro-Form rotary extrusion machinery will be ready soon

By Carmelo Maria Brocato*

Fig 1. Pro-Form Machinery

Coining roll

Gearbox

The solidal conductors

Top clamp Feedstock shear

Rear clamp

The Multiport tubes

Basement

Extrusion wheel

Shoe with cartridge Main frame Fig 2. Schematic of radial Pro-Formâ&#x201E;˘

*Vice President of the Board, Commercial Director 2015 Highlights

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Various tubes and profiles

Bus bars and tubes

The name of the company, “Continuus-Properzi”, is composed of two words.

The second word, “Properzi”, indicates the name of Mr. Ilario Properzi who in 1947 invented and developed the continuous casting and direct rolling process for non-ferrous products. The first word “Continuus” is a Latin word meaning “continuous”.

Therefore, and not by coincidence, the company name represents in two words the essence of our mission. You can interpret this to mean that the company designs and produces the best equipment for “continuous” casting and direct rolling or you can view it as an expression of the company’s dedication to “continuous” innovation and challenge. We could play more with additional analogies about our name, but surely the recent acquisition of the entire know-how in the sector of Continuous Extrusion Lines is one tangible proof of our dedication to “continuous challenges”.

As we know, the continuous rotary extrusion machinery was developed in the UK by the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority. Mr. D. Green patented it in 1972 and named the system Conform.

During the last few decades these machines were produced under different brand names, mainly in England, but for many different reasons, as more time passed the original machinery supplier continually downsized resulting in a limited number of people with limited technological expertise and limited capabilities.

Under the general scenario above described, the entrance of Continuus-Properzi in the sector of Continuous Extrusion Machinery is not a coincidence.

This renewed Continuous Extrusion Machinery has been marketed under the name Pro-Form, which stands for “Properzi Forming”. Fig 1 shows a 3D sketch of the Properzi Pro-Form.

Using as their feedstock the aluminium or copper rod produced on Continuus-Properzi CCR systems, of which there are more than 250 in production worldwide, the continuous rotary extrusion technology can be utilised for many applications, almost infinite. Just to quote the most utilised:  Al sheathing of steel wires  Al alloy rod direct from cast bar  Cladding of steel wire with aluminium  Solidal cables and conductors  Profiles  Bus bars  Tube and multiport tubes  Rod directly from cast bar and many others

 420mm  500mm

In the standard configuration the Pro-Form machinery includes the following wheel diameters:  300mm

It is now interesting to try to review the working principle of the new ProForm.

The raw materials most commonly processed using the Pro-Form machinery are aluminium and copper rod abundantly produced by the several hundred Properzi Rod Mills and the principle of the process is shown schematically in Fig 2.

The feedstock is fed into the profiled groove of the Pro-Form wheel by means of a coining roll and the groove closed by a close fitting shoe. The material is prevented from continuing its passage around the wheel by means of an abutment. As a result, high temperatures and pressures are developed in the material, which becomes plastic and finally emerges from the machine through an extrusion die. The product can take a variety of forms including tubes, solids, complex profiles and coaxial products.

The feedstock for Pro-Form depends on the size and diameter of the ProForm wheel and the dimensions of the groove, but for small machines, when aluminium is concerned, it is typically 9.5mm diameter rod whereas for larger machines can be rod up to 25mm or continuously cast bar, which is produced immediately upstream of the wheel with a cross section of approximately 1200mm². In the case of rod, the material will be cast into some intermediate shape and will be rolled.

If we think to the very important application of Aluminium Cladded Steel (ACS) wire, Continuus-Properzi is the sole company worldwide capable of supplying all the equipment necessary for the production of this important products which find application in overhead conductors, overhead optical fibre ground wire, antennas, etc.

Such equipment includes the CCR Line for producing Al rod, the Drawing Machine for high carbon steel, the Pro-Form, the Drawing Machine for ACS wire and finally the Stranding Machine. The advantage of having Properzi as interlocutor for the complete project/process does not need any further explanation.

The first Pro-Form machinery with a wheel of 300mm, motorised for producing a wide range of profiles both in copper and aluminium, is in advanced stage of manufacturing and will be ready during the third quarter of this year.

The machinery will be installed in our facility at Sordio – Italy – and for some months it will be available for trials with different materials before it will be shipped to the Client.

We are very proud of such acquisition and we are positive that the natural integration with the equipment already manuafactured by Continuus-Properzi will give the clients the deserved confidence and serenity. 

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Bag failure detection to reduce dust emissions

By Audrey Beaumont*, Chin Lim*, Jean Baptiste Robin*, Rahul Jain**, Julian Sowah** & Santosh Kumar** Fives is entrusted with the supply of turnkey treatment plants for aluminium smelters.

These plants, based on a dry scrubbing technology, are recognised for their efficiency when it comes to treating gases and fumes emitted by reduction pots (Gas Treatment Centres – GTCs), anode baking furnaces (Fume Treatment Centres – FTCs), or sometimes even both (Fume and Gas Treatment Centres – F&GTCs)[1].

Modern smelters must comply with the most stringent regulatory emissions limits, which include dust limitations (up to 5 mg/Nm3)[2]. This means that a GTC with a 2,000,000 Nm3/h flow is allowed emitting up to 10 kg/h of dust.

To cope with this issue, Fives has developed a solution to reduce dust emissions by monitoring the possible damage or natural wear of filter bags.

Dry scrubbing technology All dry scrubbing plants (FTCs, GTCs, F&GTCs) are designed with a process pattern, which is basically the same, as gases or fumes are exhausted from electrolytic cells and/or the anode baking furnace through a ductwork, and conveyed to a reactor. A mixture of fresh and recirculated alumina is injected at an optimised ratio into these reactors in order to be mixed with the polluted air. Thanks to the filtering media, charged alumina is trapped on the surface of filter bags and, once fluorinated enough, it is sent to the aluminium electrolysis process while clean gases are exhausted by fans through a main stack and to the atmosphere.

All modules of Fives’ modern filters (such as TGT-RI or Ozeos)[3] are equipped with an independent pressure transmitter, monitoring filter bag pressure drop. When this pressure drop reaches an optimised setpoint, a low-pressure compressed air pulse is triggered to clean bags from their alumina cake. Each row of filter bags is cleaned every 10 to 20 minutes,

Fig 1. Detector for vertical duct

depending on the quality and age of the filtering media.

Over time, bags can be exposed to leakage due to holes in their fabric. These leaks engender alumina spillage inside filters, hampering plant overall efficiency due to the related surge in fluoride and dust emissions at stack.

Operators must therefore carefully monitor these leaks to ensure that the plant complies with regulations in force in terms of dust emissions. Consequently, failing bags must be quickly replaced. In order to quickly identify failing filter bags, Fives has developed various solutions for leak detection.

Static leak detectors The principle of static leak detectors is to observe on site dust deposits inside a tube.

These detectors offer various advantages as they do not require energy, they are inexpensive and they are independent from any computer software. In order to fit every design of filter outlet ducts, Fives

has developed two kinds of detectors depending on their location.

For vertical ducts, the system consists in a glass tube, which is placed outside the filter and enables visualising sediments of dust which deposit by gravity (Fig.1).

Gases flow through the top into the detector, fall at the level of the glass tube and go back upwards to continue their way towards the GTC outlet. However, in case of leakage, dust contained in these gases falls in the glass tube by gravity and remains there.

For horizontal ducts, detectors operate following the same principle, except that the dust deposit is obtained by microcyclone (Fig.2). Gases flow through the tube of entrance of the horizontal detector. In case of presence of dust, it will face the centrifugal force created by the cyclone and will collide with the detector walls and fall downwards in the glass tube. The rest of gases will stand out from the detector.

Both systems have been implemented

*Fives Solios SA, **Qatar Aluminium Company (Qatalum) 2015 Highlights

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Fig 2. Detector for horizontal duct

and have always been coupled in Fives’ most recent plants such as Sohar Aluminium (Oman), Ma’aden Aluminium (Saudi Arabia) and Qatalum (Qatar). In case of electrical failure, static detectors enable keeping control and monitoring filters’ condition.

However, these kinds of detectors may not always fully match plant requirements.

First of all, they inevitably require regular checks on site by an operator as no electronic monitoring is available. Daily routine walkways are recommended

by Fives to control everyday static leak detectors at filter outlets. However Fives’ teams have observed that this frequency is variable between customers and sometimes, a lot of time may elapse before discovering a leak.

Moreover, these detectors do not provide optimal precision as the leak is only detected in the entire filter module and not in the specific blowing pipe or bag concerned. Identifying the failing bag(s) is therefore more fastidious as it requires successively opening the four upper filter doors with an overhead crane to look up for the presence of alumina around leaking bags (Fig.3). Each row of filter must be inspected to make sure that all leaks have been spotted.

Finally, as detailed earlier, leaks cause a significant rise of emission levels and alumina spillage. Leaks can be costly, as alumina lost on one bag with a severe leak (hole) can reach up to 0.01 ton per hour.

Based on an alumina rate of 350 USD per ton, this means that a severe leakage could generate a loss of $84 per bag per day.

Manual leak detectors installed in Qatalum have enhanced the very low level of dust emissions. However, this level of performance and the limitation of the financial loss are directly related to the efficiency and reactivity of maintenance Aluminium International Today

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teams. In Qatalum, alumina spillage has been well reduced thanks to a quick reaction of operational teams once a leakage has been identified in these leak detectors. However, in other sites, this reactivity may be lower, thus causing bigger alumina losses.

Fives has therefore developed a complementary system which can be directly installed inside filters and provides information on the specific blowing pipes affected by leaks, increasing maintenance efficiency and reducing filters’ shutdown time.

Automatic leak detector Automatic leak detectors are based on a triboelectric probe which measures electrostatic fields created by particles carried out in the gas flow, either via the impact of dust on the probe or via its movement near the probe. A 4-20 mA signal is collected and treated to generate an automatic monitoring of the leak.

The cleaning system is triggered one row at a time, following a specific pattern, which optimises bag performance. During a cleaning sequence, a very small amount of alumina dust passing through the filter bag media is detected by the triboelectric probe. The normal dust level is then set and recorded during the cleaning system.

However, in case of a leak, a much higher amount of alumina dust is detected by the triboelectric probe. Thanks to the combination of the cleaning sequence pattern and the triboelectric probe’s signal, the system is able to identify the specific leaking row.

Therefore, once the maintenance team arrives on the leaking filter, they have information about the bags row to be inspected. The opening of top filter doors with an overhead crane is therefore limited to the strict necessary.

In addition, with an automatic leak

Fig 3. Bag surrounded with alumina

detector, leaks are reported to operators within 20 minutes for FTCs and 40 minutes for GTCs, against several days or even weeks with a static leak detector if routine walkways are not performed often enough. Consequently, automatic leak detectors increase customer’s reactivity in case of leak, thus reducing dust emissions while limiting maintenance operations.

This is even more useful in gas treatment plants with in-built wet scrubbers such as Qatalum (Qatar). Indeed, detectors provide live feedback to operators and enable a quick reaction and preventive actions to be taken, thus avoiding alumina accumulation inside the wet scrubbers, an occurrence that can easily go unseen.

When a leak appears, dust emissions can rise by more than 45%. It is therefore crucial to discover leaks as fast and as effectively as possible.

Automatic detectors have been implemented in Fives’ most recent plants such as Fjardáal (Iceland), Ma’aden Aluminium (Saudi Arabia), Qatalum (Qatar), RTA Alma (Canada), Alouette Phase 2 (Canada) and RTA Arvida (Canada).

For plants willing to implement automatic detectors, Fives recommends coupling both automatic and static detectors. As bag leak monitoring is crucial, these static leak detectors will provide a backup solution to ensure an optimal detection in case of failure of automatic devices.  References

[1] M. Coulon, B. Hureiki and C. Lim; Single Fume and Gas Treatment Center for Aluminium Smelters – A Better Approach (Light Metal Age, October 2013) [2] B. Hureiki, Emissions Processing at Qatalum Smelter (AluSolutions 2013) [3] P. Plisson, B. Hureiki and C. Lim; Sustainability improvement in GTCs (Aluminium International Today, May/June 2014) 2015 Highlights

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ALU SOLUTIONS 10-11 May 2016, ADNEC, Abu Dhabi The global forum on sustainability in the aluminium industry

WORKING TOGETHER TOWARDS A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE WWW.ALUSOLUTIONS.COM

Organised by: Published by

Official media partner:

Stay in touch: Join the AluSolutions Group

@AluSolutions

SUSTAINABILITY’S GOAL IS TO CREATE POSSIBILITIES, NOT TO LIMIT OPTIONS

WHAT IS ALUSOLUTIONS? AluSolutions is a free-to-attend international exhibition and conference addressing the challenges and opportunities of sustainable aluminium use.

AluSolutions will demonstrate how the industry is making continuous improvements in the environmental efficiency of producing aluminium, as well as its sustainability benefits in enduse applications.

Maintaining a sustainable aluminium industry While the primary process of aluminium production is energy-intensive, the industry has recently been promoting aluminium’s use-phase benefits as outweighing these environmental disadvantages.

Alongside this ‘new look’ for aluminium, recent environmental legislations mean that the primary industry is monitoring the impacts of bauxite mining, how it reduces emissions, saves energy and affects the local environment.

While further downstream,

as the demand for aluminium grows, rolling companies, extrusion companies and casthouses are recycling aluminium to use it over and over again in a closed loop system.

The sustainability benefits of aluminium also continue into the end-use phase. In automotive and aerospace applications for example, lightweight technology has lead to a reduction in C02 emissions, while packaging made from increasing amounts of recycled aluminium is driving a closed-loop circular economy.

AluSolutions will explore technology and challenges in the following areas: • Reducing energy and greenhouse gases • Waste management • Biodiversity and land management • Resource efficiency and recycling • Scrap recovery • Aluminium end-use environmental benefits • Diversification of downstream

Find out more by contacting our team: Sales Ken Clark Sales Director Tel: +44 (0)1737 855117 Email: kenclark@quartzltd.com Anne Considine Area Sales Manager Tel: +44 (0)1737 855139 Email: anneconsidine@quartzltd.com Conference & editorial Nadine Firth Editor, Aluminium International Today Tel: +44 (0)1737 855115 Email: nadinefirth@quartzltd.com General enquiries Esme Horn Coordinator Tel: +44 (0)1737 855136 Email: esmehorn@quartzltd.com

WHY ABU DHABI? The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is the world’s fourth largest aluminium producer, accounting for more than 50% of the Gulf’s aluminium production.

The region is known for its high quality aluminium and the plants are modern, with environmental protection regarded to be amongst the most advanced in the world.

The volume of aluminium production in the Gulf region is expected to increase to five million tonnes by the end of 2015, which accounts for

CONFERENCE The conference theme will be “The Sustainability Story” It will provide a platform to discuss the sustainability challenges faced when manufacturing and processing aluminium, as well as a look at the environmental benefits of end-use aluminium products.

17.5% of the total global output, compared with 3.7 million tonnes in 2012 or 11% of the total world production.

While the primary aluminium sector across the Gulf is growing year on year, significant focus is also being paid to the downstream products and services sector.

Abu Dhabi is an international business hub and visitors will be able to explore all the area has to offer, as well as taking time to visit the local industry.

The conference will include papers/case studies on: • Sustainable mining solutions • Primary aluminium production • Emissions reduction • Energy saving • Recycling aluminium • Achieving a closed loop • Life cycle assessment • Plant case studies • Sorting and collecting aluminium • Environmental benefits of end-use aluminium

The conference will run alongside the exhibition and is free to attend for all visitors to the show. If you would like to present a paper please contact Nadine Firth Tel: +44 (0)1737 855115 | Email: nadinefirth@quartzltd.com

WHO WILL ATTEND? Aluminium industry professionals and decision-makers from around the world will attend this event to participate in the conference as delegates and attend the exhibition to source new solutions and network with existing suppliers. Visitors will be decision makers from across the aluminium value chain including: • Presidents / owners • Technical / production directors • Factory managers • Plant engineers • Technicians / engineers • Production / R&D / test & inspection personnel • Education & training personnel • Consultants / researchers • Sales & marketing managers • Health, safety and environment personnel

10-11 May 2016, ADNEC, Abu Dhabi The global forum on sustainability in the aluminium industry

WWW.ALUSOLUTIONS.COM

AN EXHIBITION YOU CAN’T AFFORD TO MISS

WHO SHOULD EXHIBIT?

AluSolutions offers you a content-rich environment and international networking opportunity where you can spend time with the primary influencers and decision-makers within the industry. It is also the ideal opportunity to use the free-to-attend conference as a platform to talk about the innovations you are making as a business and to show-case the work you have done with your clients.

Exhibitors will be from across the aluminium value chain, with a focus on sustainable efforts in: • Bauxite mining • Alumina refining • Smelting technology • Energy efficiency • Emissions reduction • Waste recovery • Melting scrap • Dross processing • Recycling: Sorting and collection technologies • Lightweight aluminium for use in automotive and aerospace applications

BOOKING YOUR STAND The shell scheme package for AluSolutions 2016 is: SPACE ONLY Book space only with the exhibition and appoint your own contractor to build your stand for you.

COST: £350.00 per sq. metre

SHELL SCHEME STAND BUILT FOR YOU To make life easier for you, we offer a prepared stand option, so that you can turn up with your products, posters and brochures.

This package includes: • Shell scheme walls • Fascia with name and stand number • Carpet • 3 x spot lights (per 9 sq. metres) • 1 x electrical socket (per 9 sq. metres) COST: £375.00 per sq. metre

Also included in your package: • Editorial coverage within Aluminium International Today’s official preview • Inclusion in the extensive marketing promotional and PR campaign • Personal invitations and/or VIP passes for you to give to your guests • Social media mentions • Invitations to attend our networking social function at the event Please note: There is limited space available within the exhibition hall and stands will be allocated on a first-come-first-served basis.

To view the latest floorplan and to find out who is already exhibiting contact our sales team: Ken Clark Sales Director t: +44 (0)1737 855117 e: kenclark@quartzltd.com Anne Considine Area Sales Manager t: +44 (0)1737 855139 e: anneconsidine@quartzltd.com

SPONSORSHIP AluSolutions offers a wide range of sponsorship opportunities to enhance your presence at the show and ensure that your brand has high exposure*. Options include: • Registration area • Lanyards • Visitor bags • Outdoor signage • Exhibition catalogue • Internet café • Lunch/coffee areas • Visitor relaxation areas • Aluminium International Today TV * Price on application

ALU SOLUTIONS 10-11 May 2016, ADNEC, Abu Dhabi The global forum on sustainability in the aluminium industry

FIND OUT MORE ADD THE DATES TO YOUR DIARY Make sure you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t miss this essential event for the aluminium industry. Add the dates to your diary now and start planning your budget if you want to exhibit.

Join the AluSolutions Group @AluSolutions

Sales Ken Clark Sales Director Tel: +44 (0)1737 855117 Email: kenclark@quartzltd.com Organised by:

Anne Considine Area Sales Manager Tel: +44 (0)1737 855139 Email: anneconsidine@quartzltd.com Conference & editorial Nadine Firth Editor, Aluminium International Today Tel: +44 (0)1737 855115 Email: nadinefirth@quartzltd.com General enquiries Esme Horn Coordinator Tel: +44 (0)1737 855136 Email: esmehorn@quartzltd.com

WWW.ALUSOLUTIONS.COM

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Official media partner:

PACKAGING 43

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Aluminium packaging supports UK recycling Rick Hindley* discusses how the UK’s aluminium packaging industry is helping boost recycling: With increasingly challenging recycling targets, industry partners are working together to maximise aluminium recovery for recycling and to improve data collection.

Alupro is a membership organisation representing the leading aluminium packaging producers, fillers and reprocessors in the UK. The role of Alupro is to lead industry efforts to meet, and exceed, statutory recycling targets for aluminium packaging.

Alupro’s campaigns have been helping drive up the UK’s recycling rate for aluminium packaging for 26 years. From a starting point of less than 2% in 1989, today the recycling rate for all aluminium packaging stands at 48% and the recycling rate for aluminium drinks cans has reached 60%.

Alupro works in partnership with local authorities, the waste management industry and major brands to increase the amount of aluminium that is kept in the recycling ‘loop’. It does this through advocacy programmes, and by running consumer information campaigns to encourage citizens to recycle more.

In addition, Alupro works with other organisations representing the wider packaging sector to deliver consistent messaging about the importance of recycling all packaging materials.

Through these diverse yet targeted efforts, Alupro maintains a high profile for aluminium in the eyes of consumers, industry and government.

Producer responsibility and the true recycling rate Alupro is committed to ensuring that the measurement of aluminium recycling is as accurate as possible, and recently led a review of aluminium protocols to ensure they reflected the changes of aluminium

in the waste stream.

The work resulted in the introduction in January 2015 of a new protocol accounting for the aluminium packaging recovered from incinerator bottom ash (IBA) for recycling, as happens in other European countries. Estimates predict that the new protocol could see as much as 10,000 tonnes of recovered aluminium being counted towards the targets set for the recovery of aluminium packaging.

The development of the new protocol is part of Alupro’s strategy to optimise the accounting of aluminium recycling and to thereby arrive at the ‘true’ recycling rate.

The UK’s recycling performance data is based on a market-driven system whereby accredited reprocessors issue Packaging Recovery Notes (PRNs) to producers and retailers for every tonne of material delivered for recycling.

With European and UK recovery targets set to increase, Alupro is keen to ensure that all the aluminium recycled is accounted for, but a low market price for PRNs and the complexity of the annual accreditation process has meant reprocessors have opted out of the system and material is going unreported as a result.

Unlike for the producers and retailers there is no obligation on reprocessors to become accredited, and because of the system’s perceived complexity and the low price of aluminium PRNs many have chosen not to and so their tonnages are simply not captured. The resulting gaps in the data mean that recycling performance appears weaker than the reality.

In light of this, Alupro has been lobbying for an overhaul of the current monitoring approach to ensure that the data reflects the true recycling rate, and has recommended a range of approaches to making participation easier for recyclers and exporters.

Essentially, the PRN system needs to be reviewed now so that the true achievements of the industry, as well as of the UK as a European Member State, can be accurately recorded.

*Executive Director of the Aluminium Packaging Recycling Organisation, Alupro, UK www.alupro.org.uk Aluminium International Today

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with increasing sales of goods packaged in aluminium.

Improvements in sorting and handling technology make it easier to separate aluminium from other materials and achieve good prices for quality material, as reflected in the new protocol allowing for aluminium recovered from IBA to be included in recycling figures. As a result of improved technology, the recycling of smaller fractions of the aluminium stream, including foil trays, aerosols and closures, has also become much less challenging and collectors are taking advantage of developments.

Aluminium recycling in numbers    

The 2014 recycling rate for aluminium packaging in the UK was 48%.

45% of drinks cans are used outside the home.

60% of all aluminium drinks cans sold in the UK are recycled.

Seven out of every 10 aluminium drinks cans sold in Europe is recycled: = 390,000 tonnes of recycled aluminium; = more than 3.12 million tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions avoided; = the average yearly emissions of about 340,000 EU citizens; = emissions from entire cities like Cardiff, Florence or Alicante.

 75% of aluminium packaging collected for recycling in the UK is reprocessed in the UK  It now takes more than 40% less aluminium to make a drink can than it did in 1972.  The aluminium reprocessing industry has cut CO2 emissions by 50% since 1997.

Local authority/

Metal capture

Households

waste partnership

rate

Kent Resource Partnership

38%

(0.33 US$)

4.5

630,000

Metal

Cost/

ROI

% change

household

(months)

+9%

21p

Bedford

39%

69,000 +19% 33p

Shropshire

48%

120,000 +23%

25p

9.2 4

Table. Metal matters campaign results

This will become even more important as the Circular Economy Package from the EU is expected to set challenging recovery targets for all materials. The sector will need to record recycling tonnages accurately in order to demonstrate compliance with the anticipated ambitious new targets.

Filling in the gaps Alupro is funding a third party study to identify the ‘real’ tonnage of aluminium packaging captured for recycling. An independent environmental consultancy is carrying out the research which aims to determine how much aluminium packaging is reprocessed or exported, beyond that reported by the accredited organisations.

The study will involve contacting reprocessors and exporters of aluminium packaging that are not currently in the system, to determine the additional amount of aluminium packaging being recycled but not reported. It will also involve conversations with trade associations to help capture remaining missing data.

Alupro is confident that the current reported figures are the consequence of 2015 Highlights

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weaknesses in data collection rather than the performance of the recycling system itself, and is hoping that this new study will show the true recycling performance and help shed light on the disparities.

The initial phase of the study will be completed by the time the Q3 PRN figures are released in October. The alternative total is expected to provide a sound basis for ongoing comparison with PRN figures, by accounting for non-accredited reprocessors and exporters.

Supporting the recovery of aluminium Low weight but high value, aluminium punches above its weight in the waste stream. Aluminium is a valuable material that consistently holds its own in the markets, commanding the greatest value per weight of any material collected from households.

In 2014, more than 170,000 tonnes of aluminium packaging – primarily drinks cans, aluminium foil and aerosols – was placed on the UK market. When collected for recycling this material would be worth in excess of £60 million (US$ 94 million) to collectors. And it’s a growing market,

MetalMatters Local councils in the UK collect recyclable materials from most households at the kerbside, and aluminium packaging represents up to 25% of the value of materials collected.

Aluminium represents 1% (by volume) of the domestic waste stream but commands the highest price per tonne for any recyclate collected at kerbside.

According to the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) Best Practice Guide on the collection of aerosols and aluminium foil, the high value of aluminium means that even small amounts yield reasonable cost savings for authorities that have a revenue sharing agreement with their waste management firm or materials recovery facility (MRF).

In recent years, Alupro has developed campaigns to encourage councils to increase the range of metal packaging they collect at the kerbside, including aerosols, foil trays and household foil to meet householders’ desire to recycle more at home.

A two year campaign in partnership with the aerosol and foil container sectors encouraged local authorities to add foil trays and aerosols to their collections and has led to a marked improvement: Today more than 96% collect aerosols at the kerbside, and more than 75% collect foil trays.

Fortunately, it is easy to engage with residents about metals recycling and to motivate them to recycle more. The fact that metal can be continuously recycled into an array of ‘new’ and valuable items, resonates with consumers.

Alupro project manages a programme called MetalMatters – an industry partnership programme funded by metal packaging manufacturers, reprocessors and leading brands.

Through MetalMatters, Alupro offers a range of support to local authorities who are expanding or promoting their recycling activity, including funding for communications campaigns to help boost participation.

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Two leaflet drops, typically six weeks apart, inform and remind householders about what and how to recycle and explain what happens to metal packaging after it is collected. The communications materials are tailored to fit with existing local authority or waste partnership branded campaigns.

To date the MetalMatters campaign has been delivered in more than 55 local authorities throughout the UK, directly targeting more than 3.2 million households. It has been proven to work across all recycling scenarios, including urban and rural areas and co-mingled or source-separated collection schemes.

What’s more, the revenue from the additional metals collected has generated some impressive returns on investment, with most authorities covering their costs within 12 months of the campaign rolling out. MetalMatters not only generates an uplift in materials collected for recycling during the campaign, but importantly has a sustained positive impact long after the campaign has been delivered.

Every Can Counts Alupro also manages the Every Can Counts programme, which focuses on developing the infrastructure for collecting drinks

cans used outside the home – in particular in workplaces and situations where people are ‘on the go’. Every Can Counts is a partnership between the major European and UK beverage can manufacturers, aluminium reprocessors and leading drinks brands.

Every Can Counts supports organisations wanting to set up or improve drinks can recycling amongst their staff and/ or customers. The programme provides assistance with finding a recycling service provider, supplies collection containers and offers help with promotion of the recycling scheme, including an extensive range of free communications materials.

Results show that introducing Every Can Counts not only boosts recycling of drinks cans, but stimulates interest in recycling of all materials. Every Can Counts is also working to raise awareness of recycling drinks cans ‘on the go’ and has run campaigns in shopping centres, town centres, tourist sites and at events, including major music festivals.

The Every Can Counts model developed

by Alupro in the UK is now being replicated in other countries in Europe, including France, Austria, Greece, Romania and the Republic of Ireland, and was most recently launched in Spain.

Conclusion From funding independent studies to track the destinations of used aluminium, to working with local authorities to boost household recycling, Alupro’s activities span the entire sector.

Voluntary support from industry makes Alupro’s work possible. The campaign has even attracted funding from businesses not included in the PRN system (including household foil rewinders and caps and closure manufacturers), because they see the value of working with the wider industry to promote the recyclability of aluminium packaging.

The communication programmes will continue, encouraging citizens to recycle more of their aluminium packaging, more of the time. Recent campaigns have included “Leave Your Cap On”, which explains to householders that aluminium caps and closures can be recovered from the glass stream, and a summer special for the recycling of barbeque and picnic packaging.

In the meantime, Alupro and its member organisations are hoping to reveal the real recycling figures later this year.  Contact www.alupro.org.uk

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46 ASI PROFILE

Nadine Firth* spoke to the Aluminium Stewardship Initiative’s new Executive Director, Dr Fiona Solomon, about the next step for aluminium.

Recently appointed Dr Fiona Soloman (pictured) brings nearly 20 years of experience in sustainability, corporate social responsibility and independent third party certification in the mining industry and downstream precious metals sectors.

Q. What was behind the launch of the ASI? A. In 2009, a global group of aluminium industry and NGO stakeholders joined forces to assess industry-specific sustainability challenges, opportunities and needs. Participants included the aluminium industry, civil society, policy makers, retailers and industrial users of aluminium.

A product assurance consultancy, Track Record Global, was commissioned to develop a report that summarised the industry’s environmental, social and governance sustainability-related risks and opportunities. The report also underscored the need for a transparent worldwide multi-stakeholder approach to complement existing sustainability programmes throughout the aluminium industry.

This initial scoping work led to the creation of the Aluminium Stewardship Initiative (ASI) in 2012. At the end of 2012, IUCN were invited to be the host and co-ordinator for the standards setting process. A Standards Setting Group was convened, resulting in the launch of the ASI Performance Standard in December 2014.

Using initiative Q. What is the objective of the ASI? A. ASI seeks to mobilise a broad base of stakeholders to establish and promote responsible environmental, social and governance practices across the aluminium value chain. It is developing a certification programme covering both performance of operations through the value chain, and chain of custody for flows of material produced in conformance with ASI standards.

Stakeholder consultation and pilot testing will continue through 2015 and 2016. The aim is to launch the full ASI certification system in 2017.

Q. How does the ASI work with the aluminium industry?

A. ASI welcomes more interested companies from all parts of the aluminium value chain to become involved in the 2015 work programme. Participation is open to any company with a stake in the aluminium value chain, including mining operators, alumina refiners, primary and secondary metal producers, transformers, and downstream users.

Industry associations are also welcome.

For more information on membership, see: www.aluminium-stewardship.org/ about-asi/join-asi/ ASI will also be continuing and expanding engagement with the industry through regular communications, engagement and outreach, so as to inform the ongoing development of ASI’s programme.

Q. What are the main challenges

the ASI is experiencing when working towards a sustainable aluminium industry?

A. ASI is still at an early stage of its development as a standards body. Many initiatives like this face challenges of working with limited resources at a global scale with multiple stakeholder groups, and ASI is no exception. Our challenges for 2015 include growing industry and stakeholder engagement and awareness, increasing participation and uptake at all parts of the value chain and in additional downstream sectors, and working through the detail of developing appropriate governance and assurance models. We are looking forward to working collaboratively on these challenges.

Q. In what areas does the aluminium industry need to focus on with regards to sustainability?

A. Priority issues that have been identified during the standards setting process are:  Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions for refining and smelting;  Bauxite residues, spent pot lining (SPL) and dross for refining, smelting, remelting and casting;  Biodiversity management for bauxite mining;  Indigenous Peoples rights for bauxite mining and smelting;  Material stewardship for semifabrication, material conversion, remelting and consumer/commercial goods suppliers.

*Editor, Aluminium International Today 2015 Highlights

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Q. Is the industry doing enough to address the environmental, social and governance aspects of the aluminium value chain?

A. The aluminium industry has many leading companies that are very proactive on these issues. As is well known, aluminium provides environmental benefits in many of its applications. Its light weight helps improve the fuel economy in transport sectors, reducing emissions. Its use in packaging prolongs shelf life thus delivering health and food distribution benefits. And because aluminium is infinitely recyclable, 75% of all aluminium ever produced is still in use.

However, the aluminium industry is still working hard to improve its sustainability performance. For example, reduction of GHG emissions from energy use and from the electrolysis processes remains

important to reduce the overall carbon footprint of primary aluminium.

There are opportunities to minimise the generation of SPL by extending life times of the pots, as well as to ensure proper handling of SPL waste through treatment or use by other industries, such as the cement industry.

And in order to optimise and improve collection and recycling of post-consumer aluminium scrap, products can be designed in a way that enables and supports efficient collection and recycling.

Q. What is the next big step for the ASI? A. In 2015, ASI is focusing on:  Creating a formal ASI legal entity, including governance system, membership structure, 2016 income model, and secretariat functions to manage the

programme.  Developing the assurance model and normative documents for a third party certification programme.  Further developing the Chain-ofCustody Standard for the flow of ASIcompliant aluminium through the value chain.  Led by IUCN, developing a first draft of performance indicators.

These activities will be informed by consensus building with participating companies, stakeholder engagement meetings, expert input and pilot testing of proposed models.

To keep up-to-date with ASI activities and opportunities to be involved, join the mailing list at: www.aluminiumstewardship.org/stay-informed/ 

Granco Clark answers David Jenista* talks to Aluminium International Today about the “flourishing industry”.

1. How are things going at Granco Clark?

Granco Clark has had several very healthy years with much growth. Granco Clark continues to be one of the top innovators in the industry, always looking for and testing new technologies to improve efficiencies within the extrusion industry to help companies succeed.

2. What are your views on the current state of the global aluminium industry?

We believe that the industry is flourishing.

Granco Clark is pleased to supply some of

the worlds best automated heating and handling equipment that is energy efficient and built to the highest standards.

3. In your opinion, what are the big issues affecting the secondary aluminium industry today?

Granco Clark primarily serves the aluminium extrusion industry. The move towards lighter vehicles and recyclable content are strong factors in the growth of extruded products.

4. Where in the world are you busiest at present?

Granco Clark is presently busiest in the U.S.A. Our engineers are continuously installing new equipment. We also have many locations around the world where we are installing the newest, most innovative equipment.

5. What products are proving the most lucrative?

Granco Clark supplies complete, integrated solutions for the extrusion industry as well as subsystems. Our key technologies before the extrusion press include the Hot-Jet Furnace, Hot Log Saw, FusionBond and Taper Quench.

*David Jenista – Senior Process Engineer Aluminium International Today

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48 PERSPECTIVES

Downstream from the extrusion press, our handling systems feature the technologies of the Flying Cut Double Puller and HighPressure Spray Quench. Each piece of our equipment provides high efficiency. When combined, these technologies provide industry leading performance.

6. How quickly has Granco Clark responded to ‘green politics’ in terms of helping to make the production process more environmentally friendly?

Granco Clark believes that best practice manufacturing efficiency is also the best “green” policy. Minimising energy consumption improves profitability and reduces demand on resources. The Hot-Jet Furnace technology is a cost effective way to heat logs and billets. The FusionBond system cuts waste, resulting in less energy use.

7. What are the big trends in valueadded production and where is Granco Clark leading the way?

Granco Clark primarily provided

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equipment for the extrusion process, but we also have some involvement in valueadded downstream operations.

We offer a high-volume, high performance Precision Sawing System for precision cutto-final-specification applications.

We also provide artificial aging solutions for processing components after fabrication.

8. Where do you see the most innovation in terms of production technologies – primary, secondary, or further downstream?

All areas of the industry benefit from innovation.

We serve the secondary market so we are most familiar with this segment. Most aluminium extruders have the potential for efficiency gains from innovative processes.

9. Do you see Granco Clark as an innovator within the industry?

Granco Clark has and will always be an innovator in the industry. We are continually introducing new technologies and equipment as we listen to our customers and seek to address their

challenges.

10. Are there any research and development projects in place?

Yes. Granco Clark is always developing and testing new ideas.

11. How do you view Granco Clark’s development over the short-tomid term in relation to the global aluminium industry?

We believe that our growth will outpace the global aluminium industry. We benefit from increased capacity but also from upgrading existing facilities that need to keep pace with the newer facilities.

12. What does Granco Clark have in store for 2015?

In 2015, Granco Clark will be presenting a number of innovations, including a thoroughly updated Flying Cut Double Puller, a “pull-through” style High Pressure Spray Quench, and non-contact Billet Heating Temperature Measurement.  www.grancoclark.com

Rigaku answers Dave Mercuro, General Manager, Elemental Products, talks to Aluminium International Today about an accurate, durable, alloy identification process

1. How are things going at Rigaku?

This year has been busy for Rigaku Analytical Devices and it looks to continue that way. On June 1st, we announced that Rigaku Raman Technologies would be rebranding as Rigaku Analytical Devices.

Following this announcement we launched Katana, a handheld laser induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) analyser for the identification of light elements in metal and alloy applications.

2. How does Rigaku work with the aluminium industry?

We are currently working with customers who want to optimise their alloy identification. Katana applications include scrap metal sorting, quality assurance in 2015 Highlights

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metal fabrication and positive material identification in mission critical operations.

This device is easily integrated into existing materials’ verification processes.

The aluminium industry will benefit from Katana’s light element identification which enables users to identify a range of light elements including aluminium, lithium, beryllium and magnesium in a matter of seconds to ensure profitability and product quality.

3. What factors led to the development of the new Katana device?

The ability to accurately classify metals is of paramount importance to metal applications to ensure profitability and product quality. However, the limitations of currently available handheld metal analysers meant that users did not have access to accurate analysis of light elements. Traditional methods include instruments that are not able to distinguish all metal grades, and so leave room for material mix-ups 4. Why is it important to identify and classify metals?

Fabrication and machine shops prepare and assemble various materials using different processes. The ability to identify alloys on-the-spot throughout the manufacturing process is critical as even the smallest component could have detrimental effects if the incorrect metal type is used. In addition, the rapid growth in value of the scrap metal recycling market has led to increased attention on the materials and parts leftover from manufacturing that can be found in scrapyards for sorting and sale to smelters.

5. How do you view Rigaku’s development over the short-tomid term in relation to the global aluminium industry?

With our strong reputation in the analytical world, we are confident that Katana will be established as the optimum handheld solution for metal identification.  For a full version of this interview, visit www.aluminiumtoday.com/features To find out more about Rigaku please visit www.rigakuanalytical.com Aluminium International Today

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