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Bauxite Refining Plant Improves Up-Time and Lowers Costs with the SONARtrac Flow Monitoring System
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Benefits
- SONARtrac flowmeters provide robust flow measurement, immune to severe scaling
- Eliminates maintenance for electrode and flowtube cleaning/replacement
- Clamp-on installation eliminates process down-time
- Rapid return-on-investment demonstrated with clamp-on SONARtrac flowmeters versus existing magmeters
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Process
While producing aluminum, bauxite ore, rich in aluminum, is first turned into a white powder called alumina, or aluminum oxide (Al2O3). To do this, the bauxite ore is ground and mixed with lime and caustic soda, then pumped into high-pressure containers and heated. The desired aluminum oxide is dissolved by the caustic soda, then precipitated out of solution, washed, and heated to drive off the water. The resulting alumina then becomes aluminum in an electrolytic reduction process called smelting.
Challenge
Severe scaling in "green liquor" process pipes creates a continuous maintenance burden for magmeters to keep operating. At intervals of only a few weeks, the magmeters are rolled out and the thick scale buildup must be cleaned. After several of these cleaning cycles, the magmeter must be replaced due to wear and damage caused by the repeated cleaning. Because the process runs 24/7, the downtime caused by this burdensome maintenance requirement affects plant output. The use of other non-invasive flowmeter technologies such as Doppler or Transit-time Ultrasonics are not possible because the ultrasonic signal can not effectively penetrate the thick scale layer.
SONARtrac Solution
SONARtrac flowmeters clamp onto the existing pipe, eliminating the severe scaling that affects traditional flowmeters. The customer has installed SONARtrac flowmeters, replacing the existing magmeters. The SONARtrac flowmeters clamp onto the stainless steel process pipe without process shutdown. The SONARtrac flowmeters have delivered a more robust and reliable measurement versus the existing magmeters, and have eliminated the need for scheduled maintenance.
The customer's investment in SONARtrac flowmeters is expected to deliver rapid payback on the basis of significantly decreased maintenance requirements. Additional financial and operational benefits associated with increased production efficiency and up-time is also expected.
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