Reduced electricity use in the melt handling process at aluminum foundries.

Purpose and goal

The purpose of the effort is to reduce energy consumption at Swedish aluminum foundries by changing the behavior in the production flow without negatively affecting the metal quality. The overall picture of energy consumption in aluminum foundries has been far down the priority list for several years due to the low cost of electricity. Now that prices are going up and we see that there may be a shortage of electricity, this has become a very important issue. The goal of the effort is to change the behavior in the production of melt handling to enable a large reduction in energy consumption.

Expected results and effects

** Denna text är maskinöversatt ** The results from the project enable a behavioral change in die foundries that work with aluminum alloys with eligibility requirements on extension up to 1%. The results show that changes in production can reduce the energy consumption of furnaces by up to 75%. This shows a reduction of 1.7 g of CO2 per kilogram of cast AlSi9Cu3(Fe) component The energy measurements in production have provided knowledge to gain an understanding of replacing the equipment or buying new equipment with a lower CO2 impact.

Planned approach and implementation

** Denna text är maskinöversatt ** Project has carried out changes and measurements in several stages of production at AGES to investigate the influence of molten metal on energy consumption. Measurement of energy consumption is done at the same time to check the changes. The measurements will be taken throughout the weeks to see how the energy consumption varies over time. JTH has carried out all measurements and carried out all tests (mechanical testing, reduced pressure test and energy measurement). The results have been presented at Vinnova, at AGES and in two scientific articles.