2023 Light Metals Keynote Session: Research and Process Optimization through Computer Modelling and Digitalization
Sponsored by: TMS Light Metals Division, TMS: Aluminum Committee
Program Organizers: Dmitry Eskin, Brunel University
Monday 8:30 AM
March 20, 2023
Room: 20A
Location: SDCC
Session Chair: Dmitry Eskin, Brunel University
8:30 AM Introductory Comments
8:35 AM Keynote
Data Analytics for Advanced Process Monitoring and Control in Primary Aluminum Smelting: Carl Duchesne1; Jayson Tessier2; 1Laval University; 2Alcoa Corporation
The primary aluminum industry currently faces many challenges, such as coping with declining quality and increasing variability in raw materials, finding new ways to increase energy efficiency and improve environmental footprint, etc. Data analytics can contribute to addressing these issues. Massive amounts of data containing valuable information for continuous process improvement are routinely collected from smelters and archived in data historians. New technologies to measure individual anode electrical currents in reduction cells and to assess anode quality using non-destructive testing, as well as anode tracking systems are progressively introduced in plants, generate additional data, and provide new opportunities for data analytics. This talk overviews 15 years of research efforts made at Laval University in partnership with Alcoa Corporation, to develop new data-driven process analytical technologies along the anode production chain, and process monitoring and fault detection schemes for different process units. Challenges and future opportunities will also be discussed.
9:00 AM Keynote
Numerical Modeling Tools for the Assessment of High-Amperage DC Busbars: Andre-Felipe Schneider1; Daniel Richard1; Olivier Charette1; 1Hatch Ltd.
At the most basic level, direct current (DC) busbars in a potline enable the electrochemical reduction of alumina by delivering current from the rectifiers to the cells and, therefore, can be seen as the circulatory system of a smelter. The busbars are carefully designed to obtain adequate current distributions in the pot collector bars, the pot-to-pot circuits, the pot risers, and the liaison busbars (passageways, input and output) circuits, and must be designed to allow short-circuiting of the pots for relining. With the trend of amperage creep in many smelters, the busbar systems are experiencing increased temperatures due to the increased current densities, leading in some cases in failure of electrical insulators and in excessive thermal expansion causing mechanical damage to different components, for example plate joints, laminated sheets expansion joints, or concrete supports. To address these issues, a suite of physics-based numerical models based was developed over the past 15 years to assess both the thermoelectrical (TE) and thermomechanical (TM) behavior of high-amperage DC conductors. These tools were used successfully in the amperage creep of several potlines operating different reduction technologies, both in the planning phase to prevent issues, and after the fact for diagnostics and debottlenecking solution development. The versatility of the modeling methodology also enables the detailed design of new busbars, such as booster section input and output circuits, of magnetic compensation loops and of emergency, repair and construction bypass bridges.
9:25 AM Keynote
Hydro Aluminium - Smelter Improvements Through Modelling and Digitalization: Nancy Holt1; 1Hydro Aluminium AS
The aluminium industry is continuously striving to produce its product as sustainable and with as much profit as possible. Sustainability and profitability are the two main pillars of Hydro Aluminium. Today Hydro seeks to realize this through focus on renewable energy, low-carbon aluminium production and increased recycling. In this keynote the focus is on the primary aluminium production and how the smelters have benefitted from modelling and digitalization and the developments of these tools. Developments have been amazing the last decades. Several factors are key to the success. A few examples will take us through some achievements and point at possibilities going forward. And further; there is need to emphasise that this may not happen unless strategic anchoring and clear management leadership is in place together with an organizational structure.
9:50 AM Keynote
Importance of Transparent Data and Standardised Data Analysis for Decarbonisation of the Aluminium Sector: Marlen Bertram1; L. Wu1; 1International Aluminium Institute
This paper analyses historical and future global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions for the global aluminium sector as well as the industry allowance under an International Energy Institute (IEA) Net Zero Emissions by 2050 (NZE) scenario. The basis of this work is the environmental data collection (since 1980), the material flow model (since 2000) and transparent sectorial guidance on GHG calculations (2018 and 2021). In addition, the International Aluminium Institute (IAI) has been sharing benchmarking graphs of partial GHG emissions since 2008 and a complete dataset by 2022/2023 with member companies and is using the results to calculate an industry scenario. This GHG focused work package by the IAI is aimed at guiding and informing the industry’s efforts to meet global climate targets.
10:15 AM Break
10:30 AM Keynote
Issues in Macroscopic Modeling of Aluminum Direct Chill Casting: Matthew Krane1; 1Purdue University
Most wrought aluminum is produced by Direct Chill (DC) casting, a semi-continuous solidification process providing feedstock for downstream deformation processing. Transport phenomena and solidification behavior in DC casting has been the subject of modeling over the past 30 years and, while this work has led to distinct improvements in understanding process behavior, there are still many outstanding issues.In this talk, we begin with available experimental observations of industrial scale DC casting. We then examine different approaches to modeling the slurry of free-floating solid which forms from the grain-refined liquid pool, as well as ways to estimate the coalescence of that slurry into a rigid, solid matrix. Finally, we consider the purpose of these models, the reliability of the model outputs as a function of uncertainty in model input parameters, and the effect of choices for inclusion and form of representation of various physical mechanisms.
10:55 AM Keynote
Microstructure Simulation as a Basis for Material Property and Casting Defect Predictions: Markus Apel1; 1Access RWTH-Aachen
Spatially and temporally resolved microstructure simulations have reached a level of maturity that allows not only to address fundamental aspects of microstructure formation, but also to address problems of technological relevance. In contrast to computational thermodynamics, spatially resolved phase-field models predict not only integral quantities, e.g. phase fractions, but also the solidification morphology and the distribution of alloying elements or secondary phases within the microstructure.We will discuss various examples for Al and Mg alloys demonstrating how microstructure simulations on the dendritic length scale contribute to a better prediction of the material behavior during solidification and the potential formation of casting defects. Phase-field simulations linked to thermodynamic databases i) lead to refined criteria for the estimation of hot tearing susceptibility, ii) provide the microsegregation of alloying and impurity elements and iii) thus supports the development of energy saving homogenization heat treatments.
11:20 AM Keynote
Improving Safety and Performance of DC Casting Lines by Applying Digital Twins, Process Models and Vision Systems: Arild Hakonsen1; 1Hycast AS
Improving safety and performance has always been on the agenda for Aluminium casthouses. In Hydro, and thus at Hycast, our vision for safety is “no personnel in hazard zones”. As we see it, this implies that all situations and tasks involving personnel in proximity of molten metal should be avoided. This will require new technology. There is a huge potential of improving both safety and performance in the design of new casting lines. Recently Hycast has started to utilize digital twins in the design phase, where process models are linked to the control system allowing for virtual commissioning. In this keynote, some of the recent technology developments within Hydro and Hycast will be presented. This includes visual systems for cast monitoring and bleed out detection, robot sampling for chemistry analysis (OEM) and digital twins of complete casting lines.
11:45 AM Keynote
Data Driven Methods to Increase Aluminum Recycling: Elsa Olivetti1; 1Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Improving materials efficiency must play a role in decarbonizing metals production because these strategies are available to pursue now and, therefore, achievable along a shorter time horizon than more transformative processes such as novel production methods. In the face of an evolving scrap stream and shifts in product demand, industry-based recycling targets will not be achievable without coupling alloy design with considerations of emerging end-of-life scrap streams. Performance metrics must be broadened to include the ability for a new alloy to incorporate secondary material emerging from a dynamic scrap stream. Leveraging ever more powerful computational and data science tools, metallurgists can explore a broader range of compositional and processing dimensions, especially where opportunities are present to improve recyclability. This presentation will cover methods that investigate underexplored regions to guide the production of new alloys with endogenous links to include secondary material based on expected future flows of scrap.
12:10 PM Panel Discussion