ALUTRINT T0 USE CHINESE TECHNOLOGY

'”The Design is very Sophisticated!"

Norsk Hydro and Alcan/Pechiney, are some the names usually associated with aluminium smelter technology, stated ALUTRINT's Project Development Manager, Philip Julien. He added that modern Chinese technology would be used in the proposed local aluminium smelter complex in La Brea, owned By ALUTRINT.
"For the past several years the Chinese have been rapidly developing and building their aluminium smelter capacity and capabilities,"Julien explained. He added that "The fundamental fact is that Chinese technology has been proven beyond a reasonable doubt within China.aluminium experts around the world agree that Chinese Technology is the best thing waiting to happen to the Western World's aluminium Industry'.
Julien quoted one of the statistics from ALUTRINT's public consultation presentation: "At present China is the number one aluminium smelter producer in the world with 136 smelters, 15 of which have capacity greater than 100,000 metric tonnes per year (mtpy)."
China tripled its aluminium smelter consumption over the past nine (9)years,said the 35 year old chemical engineer, providing that country with a wealth of "homegrown" experience and expertise with pot technology and facility construction.
"Strict international environmental standards are maintained in their modern plants," said Julien, "Three quarter or the existing Chinese smelter capacity uses the more environmentally friendly Pre-Bake method over the older Soderberg technique of baking anodes. Pre-Bake is the same method which will be used in the ALUTRINT Smelter Complex at Union Industrial Estate."
The performance of the Chinese technology on all fronts is at least as good as Western based technology because of its rapid growth and recent modern developments.
For those of us who know little about aluminium smelter technology, Julien explained that the "heart" of a smelter is the pot, which he described as being "very sophisticated in its design." aluminium is cooked in closed pots, a method known in the industry as pre-bake technology. He continued "The 'magic' that differentiates one pot design from another includes its capability to arrange the current flow to minimize adverse magnetic effects within the pot, which in turn affects its efficiency and production."
He described the design of all the pots as virtually identical. The older technology is the Soderberg technology where the cooking process is done with the pots open.
Julien emphasized that there is more Soderberg ("old pot") capacity in the US and Canada than in China.
"The Chinese government has made a commitment to phase out their older Soderberg plants by 2007," he added. "All of China's new smelters are based exclusively on the Pre-Bake ("new pot") Technique."
Trained in the UK and Canada, Julien spent 10 years with a major Canadian-based Engineering and Construction Firm, which focused primarily in the metallurgical industries, including aluminium. He started out as part of their Environmental Protection Services Department, using his minor in Environmental Engineering to contribute to ensuring environmentally compliant designs in their projects. He returned to Trinidad and Tobago four years ago, and has spent over half this time deeply involved in the resurgence of interest in developing this country's aluminium Industry. "There are a handful of major aluminium producers in the world and they have direct rights to this pot technology," said Julien, noting that the Canadians, French are among the handful of aluminium producers along with the Russians and Chinese.
CMEC (the China National Machinery and Equipment, Import and Export Corporation) is the Chinese entity which will be responsible for providing the smelter component of the overall aluminium complex proposed for La Brea.
CMEC is a large state-owned enterprise in China which is responsible for building different types of facilities around the world using Chinese equipment and design.
Regarding the decision to go with the Chinese instead of one of the others, Julien said that the Chinese have been recently expanding the presence of their design and technology in Australia and Asia. He added ,"as part of the Chinese Government's efforts to build their country's relationship with Trinidad and Tobago, they are looking at this project as an opportunity to do just that, while simultaneously fulfilling our Government's vision of a modern, world-class aluminium Complex in Trinidad and Tobago."
As part of the Environmental Impact Assessment Process, ALUTRINT recently completed its two formal public consultations in the communities surrounding its proposed site location in La Brea. Separate to these formalities, Julien indicated that ALUTRINT has been, and will continue to interact with the local community, to address their concerns.