PARAT (PARAT Halvorsen AS) will deliver a 60MW Electrode Steam Boiler with 13.8kV connection to Hydro Alunorte’s alumina refinery in Brazil. The boiler will have a design pressure of 18 barg and design temperature of 210°C, and will be able to provide over 100 tons of steam per hour.
PARAT will also deliver circulation pumps, chemical dosing system and blowdown system, along with commissioning and startup. The Electrode Boiler Control system will be integrated into Hydro Alunorte’s main system. PARAT did the commissioning and Start-up in Q1 2022.
New electric boiler
Hydro Alunorte’s commitment to be carbon neutral by 2050 includes a change in the energy used at Alunorte refinery
Hydro Alunorte’s commitment to be carbon neutral by 2050 includes a change in the energy used at the Alunorte alumina refinery in Brazil. A new electrode boiler could cut carbon emissions by 100,000 tons per year and there's more to come.
The new electric boiler, with more modern technology and greater capacity, is starting to operate at Alunorte, which is in the municipality of Barcarena, in Pará State, Brazil. The nominal generation capacity is about 95 tons of steam per hour, consuming 60 megawatts and with the potential to reduce around 100,000 tons of CO2 emissions per year.
Reducing CO2 emissions and carbon footprint
The BRL 42 million project was carried out in about 20 months and, initially, the boiler will operate with energy purchased from the market (the boilers have been fired by coal). Investments in renewable energy through joint ventures and long-term purchases are already being studied.
In addition, the company is studying the addition of two more electric boilers, expected to start operating in 2024.
Hydro Alunorte’s global climate strategy
“Innovation and technology development are the main enablers of CO2-free processes. Our ambitions for the future are to reduce our own emissions globally by 10% by 2025 and 30% by 2030. This project plays an important role in the company’s global climate strategy,” said Carlos Neves, Hydro’s Director of Operations for Bauxite & Alumina in Brazil.
