Primary aluminium smelting generates large amounts of hydrogen fluoride gas (HF). Worker safety and ambient air quality concerns require that HF be monitored at several locations in smelters. Traditionally, a variety of chemical sampling methods have been used for HF monitoring in and around smelters. However, these methods are labour intensive and require ongoing maintenance and consumables.
During the past decade, laser-based HF analyzers have been replacing the traditional methods. Laser analyzers are compact, robust and reliable and provide accurate HF data. Fast response times that enable easy correlation of high HF emissions with work practices.
Boreal technology is used to optimize and improve operational and management techniques to:
- Reduce fugitive HF emissions to protect the environment
- Give continuous and instantaneous readings to enhance operational efficiency
- Most importantly, safeguard people in and around the smelters
When it comes to continuous pot room roof monitoring Boreal is the clear choice:
- Cannot be fouled, poisoned, or mechanically over ranged: very reliably delivers accurate readings even after repeated high concentration HF exposures.
- Minimal Maintenance: checks internal reference cell every minute, robust design, and requires no consumables to operate.
- As instantaneous response times as you can get: significantly faster response times than other gas detection companies/technologies.
- Low (overall or amortized) cost of ownership (because they can last +20 years) and low operation and maintenance costs.
- No interference with other gases and No False Alarms: “It finds exactly what you’re looking for.”
Boreal Laser is the leading supplier of HF monitors for environmental and process control in aluminium smelters worldwide.
Aluminium Smelter Applications
No other gas detection company has more roof-line installations than Boreal. Our open-path HF monitoring analyzer is tailor made for the unique application. We have developed and engineered our system to function with pot rooms up to 750m. The continuous concentrations of HF, high magnetic fields, and elevated temperatures do not effect the operation of our products. When it comes to continuous pot room roof monitoring Boreal is the clear choice.
Typically, the analyzer will be mounted in the pot lines control room or electrical room for easy access and the open-path heads are mounted in the roof-lines. The complete setup includes its own data logger and historian so Boreal’s setup can act as a stand alone system. A number of different communication modules can be purchased to integrate the data to your facilities control system.
Boreal’s experience in providing process control and environmental monitoring analyzers for scrubber inlet/outlet and stack is second-to-none. The analyzers ability to accurately measure HF concentrations without contacting or obstructing the flow of gas provides a simple-to-install and cost effective monitoring solution.
The implementation of Boreal’s analyzers in scrubber inlet/outlet can provide vital process data to optimize the effectiveness of scrubbers.
With lower commodity prices, rising power costs, and increased environmental emissions standards managing a smelter operation has become more difficult than ever. Finding better ways to optimize your process has never been more important. Boreal has developed a solution to ensure you are getting the most out of you bag-house.
This eight probe installation is monitoring individual baghouses that provide immediate indication of bag breaks and enables rapid response to increased stack HF emissions.
It is important to not only monitor HF emissions inside the smelter but it is important to make sure the hazardous gas does not drift into other operational areas or surrounding communities. Being proactive in actively monitoring your fence line provides peace-of-mind that your operation is within compliance and is not affecting surrounding communities.
A large amount of HF is emitted from cooling anodes and during the storage/disposal phase. Efforts should be made to limit the workers exposure to the harmful HF emissions. Boreal has a number of solutions to provide continuous and instantaneous monitoring for spent anodes.
There is no better way to measure fugitive HF emissions than when you are directly above the source. Boreal has the ideal measurement solution for crane cab HF monitoring. This measurement technique will aid in increasing the efficiency to reducing the fugitive emissions to meet and exceed environmental emissions standards.
For out-of-normal operation work on pots it is important to monitor if you are exposing your employees to dangerous levels of HF. The adverse effects of HF to human health is known and all safeguards should be in place to minimize the exposure. Our portable open-path system is perfect for measuring the fugitive HF emissions from the pots.
Steel Manufacturing Applications
Application Details:
- Process:
- Within some Pickling Lines/Areas, there may be frequent or continuous releases of the Hydrogen Chloride (HCl) present that may pose a safety risk to operational or maintenance personnel who work in this area.
- Challenge:
- In using Traditional – Fixed Point Gas Detectors (i.e. Electro-Chemical Sensors), they can quickly become poisoned, flooded, or fouled by the frequent or continuous exposure of Hydrogen Chloride (HCl).
- Since Traditional – Fixed Point Gas Detectors are plagued by interference and measurement drift issues, a quantitative measurement cannot be made from these sensors.
- Drivers/Stakeholders:
- Industrial Health and Hygienists: They’ll want to ensure that the working conditions in and around the Pickling Lines do not exposure personnel to concentrations of Hydrogen Chloride (HCl) higher than Occupational Exposure Limits.
- Operational/Maintenance Personnel: They’ll need to trust that the monitoring equipment that will alert them if/when concentration of Hydrogen Chloride (HCl) exceed Exposure Threshold Limits.
- Plant Management: Need to ensure that proper controls and procedures are in place to limit liability to the organization.
- Opportunity:
- Make Quantitative Measurements: With Laser Based – Open Path Gas Detection, it knows exactly which gas is being detected and how much of it is present with no worry of cross interference.
- No Replacement Sensors Required: Since Laser Light is the Measurement Sensor, the frequent/continuous exposure to gas, high temperatures, and high humidity will not reduce the lifespan or degrade the performance.
- No Calibration + No Intervention: Automatic adjustments made within the GasFinder via the functionality of the Internal Reference Cell to ensure that there is no Measurement Drift.
- Major Points of Emphasis:
- Enhanced Performance Capabilities: Large Area Coverage, Fast Speed of Response, and Low End Detection Thresholds ensure the best odds of detection and excellent monitoring capabilities.
- Fail-Safe Design: Sophisticated diagnostics with no undisclosed failure modes (e.g. Catalytic Bead Sensors fail to zero and provide no feedback if they are poisoned, fouled, or no longer functioning).
- Optimize your Safety System: Early detection means rapid intervention to help protect the asset and near by personnel.
Application Details:
- Process:
- Both Carbon Monoxide (CO) and Carbon Monoxide (CO2) are be present within the Steel Manufacturing industry during reduction, oxidation, and deoxidation processes such as around the blast furnaces, rolling lines, and foundries.
- Challenge:
- High temperatures, high humidity, and continuous exposure to gas can push Traditional – Fixed Point Gas Detectors (i.e. Catalytic Bead Sensors) to the limit which results in significant measurement drift and dramatically reduced life span.
- This challenging application creates a heavy maintenance burden and reduced confidence from personnel who work in the area (e.g. Operations and Maintenance) as these Traditional – Fixed Point Gas Detectors fail to zero and provide no indication that they’re no longer working.
- Limited area coverage and slow speed of response of Traditional – Fixed Point Gas Detectors lead to reduced and limited odds of detection which increase the likelihood of personnel being overcome by undetected Carbon Monoxide (CO).
- Drivers/Stakeholders:
- Industrial Health and Hygienists: They’ll want to ensure that the working conditions in and around the Pickling Lines do not exposure personnel to concentrations of Carbon Monoxide (CO) higher than Occupational Exposure Limits or within the Explosive Envelop.
- Operational/Maintenance Personnel: They’ll need to trust that the monitoring equipment that will alert them if/when concentration of Carbon Monoxide (CO) exceed Exposure Threshold Limits.
- Plant Management: Need to ensure that proper controls and procedures are in place to limit liability to the organization.
- Opportunity:
- Make Quantitative Measurements: With Laser Based – Open Path Gas Detection, it knows exactly which gas is being detected and how much of it is present with no worry of cross interference.
- No Replacement Sensors Required: Since Laser Light is the Measurement Sensor, the frequent/continuous exposure to gas, high temperatures, and high humidity will not reduce the lifespan or degrade the performance.
- No Calibration + No Intervention: Automatic adjustments made within the GasFinder via the functionality of the Internal Reference Cell to ensure that there is no Measurement Drift.
- Major Points of Emphasis:
- Enhanced Performance Capabilities: Large Area Coverage, Fast Speed of Response, and Low End Detection Thresholds ensure the best odds of detection and excellent monitoring capabilities.
- Fail-Safe Design: Sophisticated diagnostics with no undisclosed failure modes (e.g. Catalytic Bead Sensors fail to zero and provide no feedback if they are poisoned, fouled, or no longer functioning).
- Optimize your Safety System: Early detection means rapid intervention to help protect the asset and near by personnel.
Would you like a quote? Or do you simply need some assistance?
Our professional and friendly team of industry-experienced experts are ready to assist with any questions you may have, including prices, availability and delivery times.
Phone Number
Office : (02) 4577 9347
Email Address
Sales : sales@austdynatech.com.au
Sydney Office
Office : 5 Aspinall Place, Mulgrave, NSW 2756