Innovation case study submitted by Emirates Aluminium during 3rd Continual Improvement & Innovation Symposium organized by Dubai Quality Group's Continual Improvement Subgroup to celebrate World Quality Day 2011.
2. 1. About the Organization
• Emal is one of the world’s largest green field
smelter
• Emal aims at high quality delivery of its
products to customers, safety, every thing can
be improved
• Aluminium ingots, sow, slabs
• Taweelah
4. PROBLEM
• Average no. of PTM’s to be filled during anode setting per shift is 7 nos.
• PTM Bin capacity is 5m3
• Shift Requirement= 7x4x5m3= 140m3
• Daily Consumption= 140x3= 420m3
• PTM Filling Station Silo capacity is 70mt
• Pot-line operations raised their concern regarding delays in withdrawing
ACRM material which consequently causes delays in their day-to-day
activities. The projected idle time for two cell operator is 90 mins.
Scheduled jobs will be disrupted and may incur overtime. Environmental
concerns are also highlighted due to prolong open pot shields scenario
during anode setting.
7. Process
• Implementing the logic changes in the
programme to enable the simultaneous filling
of the silo and the PTM
8. Process
• Refilling request commences when the silo level falls below 50%
• Refilling time varies depending on the physical location of the ACRM Day
Silo.
• Since it is a batch conveying system, each refilling is approximately 5m3
which is capable to fill 1 PTM.
• System is limited 2 PTM fillings between two consecutive silo filling.
• At present the we have only two Pressure Vessels that are extensively
used in the ACRM transport system. On a 24-hour operation each vessel
approximately conveys 40 cycles per day.
• The priority is set which ever comes first, meaning, if silo refilling is
engaged PTM filling is not possible and if PTM filling is engaged silo
refilling is not possible.
• The present logic also inhibits the PTM filling if in case the required silo
level is not reached with one refilling sequence alone.
9. 6. Learning
• Installed in all the 8 Stations successfully
• No repetition of the problem till date
• Simple solutions have tremendous effect on
the system
• Simple solutions yields enormous results
10. 7. Way Forward
• All the team members were awarded .
• Applied in the design of future pots for further
expansion of Emal .
• Motivated in providing many more innovative
suggestions