Alba has developed a new, safer and more efficient method to extract molten aluminium from the reduction pots.

The new Alba-developed method improves upon the industry standard approach that remains in widespread use by making it safer, more environmentally-friendly, more cost-effective and dramatically more time efficient.

The new system also allows for better material management.

The system, which was developed and implemented by the Alba reduction services team with the support of the reduction lines one to three team, is being introduced, in phases, across the plant.

"In the conventional method, molten aluminium in extracted or tapped from the tops through a tapping pipe that is manually inserted into a crucible and then physically hammered into location," said reduction services superintendent Hussain Zayer.

"The new Alba developed method employs overhead cranes to facilitate and significant improve the process. Fitting the tapping pipe to the crucible as was required by the only method takes two employees working six hours per day per room," he said.

"This adds up to a total of 36 man hours to fit all Alba's six crucibles. The new system, requires only one man hour per crucible per room per day, making it more than 83 per cent more efficient."

The new method, a brainchild of reduction services supervisor Ghuloom Mohammed, has been tested extensively over the past month and, having proved extremely successful, is now being rolled out across Alba's five reduction lines.-TradeArabia News Service