SECO/WARWICK won contracts for two aluminum homogenizers and two coolers. The Partner has multiple locations throughout North America. One of each unit will be sent to locations on opposite sides of the US.
Homogenize and Cool Down
Homogenizers are a type of annealing furnace used in the aluminum industry to prepare log billets for extrusion. They heat the aluminum alloy logs to near-melting temperatures, then allow them to cool slowly, leaving a uniform molecular structure free of stresses or irregularities that compromise extrusion quality.
Homogenizer for the West
While proper homogenization requires a slow cool-down period, these large loads would take far longer than necessary to cool passively, so after homogenizing, the load is removed from the homogenizer and placed into a cooler unit. The cooling is accomplished using a bank of high-power fans to keep fresh air passing over the hot ingots, but cooling aluminum alloy to room temperature from close to 1000 F is not as simple as just placing the load in front of the fans. Instead, the cooler has walls that contain the heated air so it can be safely ducted to the exterior.
Homogenizer for the East
On the eastern side, the furnace and cooler are of a different style and customized to fit within the tighter footprint available in the facility. It is configured as a two-position traveling furnace with car-bottom loading, which means the furnace is mounted to roll on rails, with a door at both ends, so the load can be staged in open floor space, then the furnace rolls over the top of it.
The cooler system is mounted on parallel rails, with an extendable roof and end walls, such that it can enclose the load, still stacked on the same furnace car-bottom.
The furnace will replace the first traveling furnace that SECO/WARWICK ever fabricated, installed back in 1975 when the plant was under different ownership.
“We have provided this industry partner with equipment and support for decades, and we share their commitment to a cleaner, greener future. These homogenizers and coolers will help them meet that commitment by increasing the energy efficiency of their aluminum production process” – Marcus Lord Managing Director, SECO/WARWICK USA.
