The Saudi Arabian Mining Company (Ma’aden) and Alcoa are developing a greenfield integrated bauxite, alumina and aluminum project in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The Ma'aden aluminum project includes a bauxite mine, alumina refinery, aluminum smelter and “can sheet” rolling mill and will be located in the Ras Az Zawr.
The alumina refinery will produce 1.8 million tonnes per annum (Mtpa) of smelter grade alumina, with most of the alumina to be fed into an adjacent aluminum smelter.
The project will become the world’s largest fully integrated aluminum complex.
The Hatch and Outotec joint venture (HOT JV) was awarded the detailed design and construction support services contract for the FEL4 phase of an integrated digestion and evaporation facility at Saudi Arabian Mining Company (Ma’aden) and Alcoa’s new greenfield alumina refinery at Ras Az Zawr, Saudi Arabia. Hatch was also involved in completing the FEL3 study.
A critical requirement in the selection of the digestion technology was the need for minimize heater cleaning and maintenance commitments for a refinery that is subject to sustained hot environmental conditions. Hatch's patented innovative proprietary "multi-cell" jacketed pipe heater technology was selected as the basis for the refinery's digestion plant.
The HOT JV undertook the flow sheet concept development for the digestion and evaporation facility (liaising with the refinery process consultant) and subsequent design of these and ancillary facilities, including the development of PFDs, P&IDs, control and operating description (C&OD), equipment list, valve list, line list, plant layout and associated key engineering activities.
During the design of this facility, process, mechanical piping, electrical and instrumentation engineers worked closely together in the design of the process areas and the core proprietary technology equipment, including the Jacketed Pipe Heaters, Digesters, Flash Tanks, Back pressure Control Station etc.
- Second largest single stream high-pressure Bayer plant in the world
- One of the highest temperature plants of its kind in the world with digestion temperature at 270ºC
- Rigorous testwork program to validate design improvements for jacketed pipe heater mechanical design and fluid dynamic performance of digesters
- Use of innovative proprietary technology
- In-house models were developed to balance heat transfer, slurry and vapor flows, condensate quality, overall energy balance requirements, etc. within the requirements of preventing highly erosive two-phase flow
- Extensive use of 3D modeling environment (SmartPlant) for plant model reviews and specialized CAD and mechanical analysis software for detailed equipment design and mechanical analysis (Microstation3D, Strand and SolidEdge)
