At Kazakhstan electrolysis plant was put into operation after major repairs anode firing furnace. Major repairs of the furnace became one of the main activities of the investment program for the modernization and technical re-equipment of production. The cost of the project was 15.6 billion tenge.
Baked anodes play a vital role in aluminum production technology. And the largest anode production equipment at KEP is the anode firing furnace, consisting of 50 chambers and reaching more than 200 meters in length and more than 30 in width. The furnace repair project was developed by the German company Riedhammer, which also installed the equipment during the construction of the anode section. The work itself was carried out under the supervision of foreign specialists by the Kazakh company Stroymontazh.
Preparing for a major overhaul is a very responsible and lengthy process. To ensure that the work was carried out strictly according to schedule, by the time the furnace was stopped, all the necessary equipment, parts and materials had arrived at the warehouses. The kiln itself was completely stopped in August of this year, and repairs were carried out as soon as possible and completed two weeks ahead of schedule.
The modernization of the furnace was carried out taking into account the latest achievements of the global anode production industry. 14 thousand tons of refractory lining were dismantled and reinstalled using modern and high-quality materials produced in the Netherlands, India, and Germany. Four exhaust gas collectors were also replaced. The latest generation units are more reliable and can significantly improve the operation of the furnace. It is planned that the repair will allow firing up to 138.4 thousand tons of anodes per year. And after the implementation of the second stage of modernization – replacement of combustion and furnace equipment – it is planned to increase this figure to 153 thousand tons.
– This investment project is aimed not just at increasing the productivity of the enterprise, but at solving a whole range of problems, such as increasing the energy efficiency of production and reducing the level of environmental load on the environment. Simultaneously with the furnace repair, we carried out a major overhaul of gas treatment facilities, which will be able to continue to operate with an efficiency of 99.5 percent for the next ten years,” said Serik Shakhazhanov, General Director of ERG in Kazakhstan.
The Kazakhstan Electrolysis Plant plans to implement a project to increase production capacity by introducing 16 new electrolysers. Its implementation will increase production capacity by 14 thousand tons of primary aluminum per year. And a major overhaul of the roasting furnace will make it possible to supply future capacities with its own anodes.
