Design, startup and operation of the new （新设计,启动和操作）.pdf

Design, startup and operation of the new digestion facility at the Ma’aden Alumina Refinery Brady Haneman1and Brandon Lindsay Rae2 1.Director Light Metals (BA), Hatch Associates Ltd, Australia 2. Technical Manager, Ma’aden Alumina Refinery, Saudi Arabia Corresponding author: bhaneman@.au Abstract The sustainable operation of a new high temperature alumina refinery in an emerging mineral processing region with a hot climate provides many unique challenges. Avoidance of operational complexities and reducing the labour intensity more typically associated with these high temperature process plants required a bespoke approach to the refinery flowsheet development and design. The Az Zabirah deposit is a high boehmitic grade bauxite. In assessing the optimal flowsheet, options ranging from a full tubular digest to conventional dual (or split) stream flowsheets and hybrid versions incorporating direct injection heaters were reviewed. Whilst energy efficiency, capital and operational costs were key flowsheet assessment parameters, considerations for maintainability were paramount. As such, the digestion facility for the Ma’aden Alumina Refinery utilizes a new hybrid tube digestion design developed specifically to process the Az- Zabirah bauxite at Ras Al Khair. The refinery incorporates two digestion units that encompass both aspects of tubular digestion technology and more conventional digesters to achieve its nameplate 1.8 Mtpa smelter grade alumina. This paper reviews the unique design and operating solutions developed as well as the operating experiences and plant performa