Transforming aluminium production with real-time molten metal analysis
Based in Iceland, DTE is at the forefront of integrating advanced digital technologies into the production process and promises to revolutionise the industry by providing instantaneous, accurate data that can be used to optimise every aspect of production.
DTE’s revolutionary solution DTE’s Liquid Phase Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LP-LIBS™) technology takes advantage of technological advancements in the fields of high-powered pulsed lasers and advanced spectrometers to provide real-time insights into the composition of molten aluminium. DTE couples this data with powerful analytics software to provide operators with accurate, instantaneous data throughout the melting process using an intuitive and user-friendly GUI. LP-LIBS™ analysers use a high-energy laser pulse focused on the melt surface or a sample collected by a robot to generate consistent and controlled high-temperature plasma which emits a spectrum of discrete spectral lines.
The pattern of spectral lines provides a “fingerprint” of each element present in the sample, analysis of which can accurately and precisely determine the chemical composition.
DTE’s solutions permit much higher sampling frequency than current methods, providing an enormous amount of real-time data about the melt and feeding it back to an operator. Highly adaptable, the solutions can be configured to function in a wide range of setups and facilities and be tailored to the unique needs of individual customers from large-scale smelters to the customised processes of high-grade producers and manufacturers.
DTE solutions offer the possibility of monitoring melt composition wherever molten metal is handled; in smelter potrooms, transfer crucibles, furnaces and launders.
Unprecedented process control
Real-time molten metal analysis sets a new bar for process control and permits operators to make proactive, rather than reactive, adjustments. Instead of requiring the sampling, solidifying and laboratory analysis of the aluminium, it gives operators in-process composition analysis of the melt and feeds back a continuous stream of real-time data about the composition and melt dynamics at different stages of the process.
DTE couples its analysers with its IRIS process intelligence platform, incorporating powerful analytics software, to grant operators an unprecedented real-time overview of what is happening throughout the plant.
This allows operators to make very quick real-time alterations to keep a batch within specification. Real-time molten metal analysis systems can alert operators to anomalies and use machine learning to make predictive recommendations on how to improve the process. The possibility of unexpected faults such as pot failures can be predicted, allowing for pots to be run closer to the end of their service lives than could otherwise be safely done
