Authors:
T. Plikas, T. Cesta, L. Gunnewiek, M. Trovant, R. Santiago, J. Vanasse
The Materials, Minerals & Metals Society Annual Meeting 2010, Seattle, USA, February 14 - 18, 2010
Abstract
The Aluminerie Alouette Inc. (AAI) smelter in Northern Quebec, Canada recently completed a major plant expansion that includes a new casthouse for the production of low-profile sows using natural air cooling technology. The casthouse design presented many engineering challenges including: ensuring proper casting and cooling of sows at the correct metal production rate to produce high quality sows, design and protection of equipment subjected to high temperature and radiant heat load, and developing an integrated ventilation system for effective management of heat released from the casting process. This paper describes how these engineering challenges were met through the use of sound design practice, engineering experience, empirical testing, and computational methods.
