Scepter (Alcan) Aluminum Dross Recovery  Project

  • ALCAN Project Started in 1992
  • Aluminum Dross Recovery
  • Marc-11H Torch
    –2 active, 1 spare
  • Nominal Power :
    – Total System      : 3.4 MW
    – Individual Torch : 800-1700 KW
  • Process Gas   : Air
    Electrode Life :
    – Anode    : 3500 Hours
    – Cathode : 1500 Hours

 

  • At ALCAN's plant located in Jonquiere, Canada, the plasma furnace is designed to recover Aluminum from dross without using molten salt. It is in operation since 1995.
  • The plant consists of two rotary furnaces with a 2 MW Westinghouse Marc-11H plasma torch on each furnace.
  • The furnace is charged in a batch mode and heated with plasma heated air.
  • Aluminum is tapped at the end of the heating cycle.

 

Alcan's Guillaume - Tremblay plant, located in Jonquiere, Quebec, has been in operation since 1990.

This was the first plasma dross processing plant ever built. In addition to the use of the plasma heating technology, Guillaume - Tremblay has other unique features making it a modern and efficient dross processing facility.

The plant had a dual mission to demonstrate the plasma dross process (including the reclamation of the Noval™ material) on an industrial scale; and to process all Alcan's dross in the province of Quebec.

Guillaume-Tremblay processes about 18000 tons of dross per year: the production is controlled by the dross availability. A second plasma dross plant, was started in 1991 by Plasma Processing Corporation in Millwood. West Virginia. The combined operation of these two plants exceeds 150,000 tons of dross treated with the plasma process.

Guillaume-Tremblay is a tolling center, the dross remains the property of the originating plant to which the recovered aluminum is returned. Three operators per shift are required to run the plant. The life of the furnace refractories is 26 months. The electrical energy requirement ranges from 250 to 300 kW-hr/ton of dross.

More information about this plant is available in ALCAN Paper here.