ElvalHalcor S. A., a Greek aluminum producer, has equipped its cold rolling production facility in Oinofyta near Athens with an AirwashTM system. The system constructed by SMS group will be used for exhaust air purification. ElvalHalcor granted SMS group the final acceptance certificate for the successful completion of the project in the fall of 2022. This investment represents another major step towards sustainable aluminum production and contributes to environmental protection.
Part of the rolling oil used evaporates during the cold rolling of aluminum. These vapors are extracted and fed into the Airwash system. The rolling oil contained in the exhaust air exists mainly in gaseous and, to a lesser extent, in droplet form. Unlike mechanical separators, which only separate droplets, the Airwash system can separate and recover gaseous and droplet components. Maximum recovery of the rolling oil through its absorption and distillation is achieved by Airwash systems, making them highly efficient. Finally, the recovered rolling oil is fed back into the rolling oil system. This, in addition to the full purification of exhaust air, is another advantage of Airwash systems.
Due to the ElvalHalcor plant's size, the delivery of the Airwash system posed a challenge to SMS group. Unlike usually, the system will not be used in only one cold rolling mill but was constructed to cover two existing cold rolling capacities as well as possible future ones. In addition, an Airwash system was placed on a floor deck of a roll shop underneath for the first time.
With up to 450,000 cubic meters per hour, this is SMS group's largest Airwash system yet. It can recover a maximum rolling oil quantity of 425 kg per hour and return it to the rolling process.
The Greek premium aluminum producer has already cooperated with the SMS group in the past, where SMS supplied key components for its production plant. ElvalHalcor has been operating an aluminum cold rolling mill from SMS since the late 1990s. In addition, the SMS group supplied ElvalHalcor with a four-stand hot strip mill, which has been operating since May 2020.
