SBIR Phase II: High Speed Optoelectronic Recognition of Al, Si, and Mg Alloys

这个小型企业创新研究（SBIR）第二期项目将把光电检测系统应用于一个综合高速制造系统，旨在按合金类型对铝废料进行商业识别和分类，特别是含有各种合金元素（如硅和镁）的铝合金。该项目的目标是从汽车碎纸机中对混合铝合金进行商业分类。现有的商业技术根据密度对汽车碎纸机有色金属进行分类，但在商业操作中没有将金属分类为1)铸造和锻造合金，2)各种铝合金系列（100、200、3000、7000等），或3)单个合金类型的技术。根据化学成分对铝合金进行分类是SBIR第二阶段计划的目标。为了展示该技术的能力，一种非常复杂的专有传感器和检测系统已经开发并在第一阶段进行了演示。这项拟议技术的更广泛影响（商业潜力）有可能改变美国废金属的效率和利用。2001年，铝工业消耗了近800万亿英热单位，占制造业总能耗的1.8%，排放了4350万吨二氧化碳，消耗了美国全部电力的1.6%——主要来自初级生产。二次生产在经济和环境方面效率更高。从废料中回收铝只消耗生产原铝所需能源的6%，只需要10%的资本。尽管从废铝中提取铝的效率很高，但由于该行业无法利用其大部分低品位废铝，2003年的出口量为5620.9亿吨。这项技术将允许在现有的美国工厂利用这些废料，因为废料将从低品位转化为更符合美国消费和需求的高品位废料。其结果将是保住工作、减少排放、减少能源需求、减少原材料进口以及改善国际收支平衡。

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II Project will apply an optoelectronic detection system into an integrated high-speed manufacturing system aimed at commercial identification and sortation of aluminum scrap by alloy type - particularly aluminum alloys containing various alloying elements such as silicon and perhaps magnesium. The goal of the program is to commercially sort mixed aluminum alloys from an automobile shredder. Commercial technologies in existence today sort automobile shredder nonferrous metals based on density, but there are no technologies in commercial operation that sort the metals into 1) cast and wrought alloys, 2) various aluminum alloy series (100, 200, 3000, 7000 etc.), or 3) into individual alloy types. Sorting aluminum alloys based on chemical composition is the objective of this SBIR Phase II program. A very sophisticated, proprietary sensor and detection system has been developed and demonstrated in Phase I in order to demonstrate the capabilities of the technology. The broader impacts (commercial potential) of this proposed technology has the potential to transform the efficiency and utilization of scrap metal in the U.S. In 2001, the aluminum industry consumed nearly 800 trillion Btu, was responsible for 1.8% of the total manufacturing energy consumed, emitted 43.5 million tons of CO2, and consumed 1.6% of all U.S. electricity - mostly from primary production. Secondary production is much more efficient - economically and environmentally. Recovering aluminum from scrap consumes only about 6% of the energy required to produce primary aluminum and requires only 10% of the capital. In spite of efficiencies in making aluminum from scrap, exports in 2003 were 562,090 million tons because the industry could not utilize much of its low-grade scrap. This technology will allow utilization of this scrap in existing U.S. plants because the scrap will be converted from low-grade to high-grade scrap which is more consistent with U.S. consumption and needs. The result will be job preservation, reduced emissions, reduced energy needs, reduced raw material imports, and a better balance of payments.