About this Abstract |
| Meeting |
2026 TMS Annual Meeting & Exhibition
|
| Symposium
|
Electrode Technology for Aluminum Production
|
| Presentation Title |
Operational Challenges in Flue Gas Treatment: A Thermomechanical Study of Heavy Equipment in the Baking Furnace Line |
| Author(s) |
Dag Herman Andersen, Robin Stokke Johansen |
| On-Site Speaker (Planned) |
Dag Herman Andersen |
| Abstract Scope |
Hydro Årdal Carbon has retrofitted several additional stages to its flue gas cleaning system to reduce emissions. Integrating these stages into the existing process line presents operational challenges, particularly in maintaining optimal performance.
This study focuses on the thermomechanical behavior of the 4×315 kW motor-and-impeller assembly located at the outlet of the Regenerative Thermal Oxidizer (RTO). The RTO ensures efficient combustion of PAH-type volatiles, which is essential for achieving low emission levels.
Each motor is mounted on a steel frame with vibration isolators. However, excessive vibrations in the support frames have led to mechanical stresses in couplings, bearings, and shafts—resulting in frequent breakdowns and motor shutdowns. These failures contribute to increased maintenance costs and lower RTO performance.
Vibration measurements and thermomechanical finite element analysis revealed that the frames exhibited resonant frequencies close to the operational frequencies of the motors. To mitigate this, results from modal analysis were used to redesign the frames, shifting their natural frequencies away from critical ranges and reducing harmful oscillations. |
| Proceedings Inclusion? |
Planned: Light Metals |
| Keywords |
Process Technology, Aluminum, Modeling and Simulation |