Development of advanced monitoring and control schemes for the primary aluminum industry

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This research program continues a 12-years ongoing partnership with Alcoa Corporation. It aims at improving process intelligence and agility of primary aluminum smelters to cope with the declining quality and increasing variability in raw materials (i.e., petroleum coke, coal tar pitch) affecting the industry since the past several years. The program led by Prof. C. Duchesne contributes to addressing these issues by using process systems engineering (PSE) tools, such as multivariate data analysis, process monitoring and quality control, to mitigate raw material variations and improve real-time decision making. Data-driven methods are used to extract and valorize the relevant information contained in the large industrial databases (Big Data) routinely collected by the smelters, and provide low-cost solutions to support process operations, aligned on the Industry 4.0 concepts. Past research in partnership with Alcoa focused on developing rapid and non-destructive sensors to measure and track the impact of raw material variability in various materials along the carbon anode manufacturing chain. The new research directions explored in this program are based 1) on sensors and monitoring schemes developed in the group in the last 5 years, and 2) on new technologies recently implemented at Alcoa smelters. More specifically, advanced monitoring and control schemes will be proposed based on a 4-points probe device (Alcoa technology) measuring the electrical resistivity of green anodes in multiple points, and individual anode electrical current sensing systems installed on several aluminum reduction cells. A simplified 1-D electrical circuit model of a reduction cell will also be built to estimate anode-cathode distances in real-time. The outcomes this program consist of systems and technologies to help Alcoa and the Canadian aluminum industry increase energy efficiency and reduce environmental footprint. Combined with the training of highly qualified personnel in the field, it will contribute to maintaining competitiveness and leadership of the Canadian aluminum industry Worldwide.