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Innovation


In 1947, ECL™ was founded by three engineers in mechanical and electrical who actively helped to mechanize the aluminium industry through notably the first pot tending machine.
 
Our research organisation

Today ECL™ continues to build on the aluminium industry's longest track record for providing leading edge equipment to develop new advancements from furnace to pot. Since its founding, ECL™ has consistently invested significant time and money on research and development as a long-term strategy to support and grow his leadership.

With a multidisciplinary dedicated research team of more than 25 engineers and technicians, ECL™ places strong emphasis on developing innovative technology that adds value for our customers. ECL™ consistently invests more in R&D each year than all other companies.

Research focuses on HSE innovations, equipment cost reduction, operation cost reduction and automated equipments, through a combination of theory, experiment, and computational simulation.
ECL™ highly contributes as well to AP Technology™ development through specific AP equipments (PTM, pot equipment), contribution to major projects (Jonquière, Kitimat) and VI initiatives.
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Main ECL™ innovation achieved in recent years
The Wedges Extractor
  • Safe wedges extraction, entirely operated from working floor
  • No external moving part during extraction
  • Integrated air amplifier cooling system to decrease the wedges temperature
  • Quick and guided wedges ejection avoiding risks of electrical arc between the wedges and the conductors resulting in significant conductors maintenance cost savings



                             extracteur de cale                     

New generation PTA
New generation PTA

• 45% on PTA fleet cost
• High reliability (>97% in Sohar)
• Low maintenance cost: “indestructible”
“easy to maintain” = Sohar voice
• Fjardaal, Sohar, Hindalco, Maaden   

Automated gauging system

• Remove operators from hazardous area
• Increase Current Efficiency (-80% on low settings)
• Reduce cycle time (-26% on anode change cycle)
• Alouette, Fjardaal, Sohar, Emal, Aluar
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Single man PTA

• Remove operators from the ground
• Reduced FEC
• Pot opening time reduced by 50%
• Alouette, Dubal

New generation Anode Clamp

• Facilitated handling (36 Kg ->20Kg)
• Prevents anode sliding
• Reduced cost
• Sohar, Emal, Hindalco
New generation Anode Clamp

3D virtual reality driving simulator
 
This ECL™ revolutionary learning tool places you inside your real
PTM control cabin employing head tracking system for increased realism :

• Full training programmes, from basic crane
movements to complete anode changing sequences
• Reconstitution of many scenarios: emergency situations, breakdowns…
• Practice of troubleshooting procedures for maintenance technicians
• Performance monitoring and reporting
• Reduce operating costs
• Reduce training costs
• Increase operational safety
3D virtual reality simulator
 
New Concept Furnace Tending Assembly

Since the first FTA commissioned in 1963 in Slatinia, Romania by ECL™, the designs and tasks of this machine has evolved. For the first time in the industry history, ECL™ has performed a total rethink of the FTA, based on:
 
• A modular structure providing higher performances in terms of: safety, shorter commissioning time productivity, quality and operational cost savings
 
• A streamlined architecture giving significant weight and height reductions

• The possibility to have one or two grabs and/or one or two filling pipe on the crane
 
• Better, faster and more efficient coke suction flow rates, speed of movement of the tools
 
•  An evolutionary design greatly improving maintenance access and costs and ergonomics

  image fta