Content area
Full Text
The intensive mixing cascade offers a continuous process for the mixing of anode paste at a capital cost of at ieast euro.ÍM iess than that of a kneading mixer system.
Based on its expertise of more than 30 years and in close co-operation with some of the largest aluminium producers in the world, Eirich has developed machines for the so-called 'intensive mixing cascade', a continuously operated system that works without conventional kneaders. The main objectives in designing the machines were:
- to produce at least the same paste quality as in a classical line using two kneaders in series;
- to lower investment costs;
-to lower operating and maintenance costs.
Starting with trials at Alusuisse Chippis in 1993, a pilot plant was built at Hydro Sunndal and in parallel a 15t/h industrial scale production unit at Alucam, a subsidiary of Aluminium Pechiney in Cameroon. The breakthrough was achieved in 2003 with three systems sold to customers in China via Solios Carbone, France.
PREPARATION TECHNOLOGY
The key element of the Intensive Mixing Cascade (IMC) is the intensive mixer, which makes it possible to replace shorttime penetration of liquid pitch into the anode paste by means of kneading forces with long-time penetration of pitch by careful intensive mixing. Due to the special construction principle, the retention time in the machine is approximately twice as long as in a conventional kneader.
Since the first introduction of the use of liquid pitch, the...