Team 09
• Introduction
• Team
• Project
• Project Execution
• Steps and design decisions
• Conclusions
• Lessons Learned
• Questions
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Brandon Pott
Senior Chemical Engineer
Galen Wood
Senior Chemical Engineer
Zhihong Zhang
Senior Chemical Engineer
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• What is it?
•
•
•
•
•
Hard, durable, optically transparent ceramic
Physical properties result in abundance of practical
applications
Powder intermediate
Discovered in 1985 by Raytheon
Produced primarily by Surmet
• Barriers to broader implementation
•
•
•
Energy intensive process
Costly raw materials
Quasi-monopolization by Surmet
http://ceramics.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/0530-alon-window.jpg
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Aluminum
Synthesis
AlON Powder
Hot Isostatic
Pressing
AlON Ceramic
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• Proposal and design for plant start-up
• Synthesize 450 Tons of AlON powder/year
• Recycled used beverage cans (UBCs) as feedstock
• Using ~20 million cans/yr (~50% of cans used in Grand Rapids)
https://www.google.com/search?q=used+beverage+cans+aluminum+prices&espv=2&biw=1280&bih=939&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&v
ed=0ahUKEwiFoOqLiMTMAhXG9h4KHRGuCLQQ_AUICSgE#imgrc=OE1B2z4mdtEwYM%3A
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• Project scope: vision for company
• Recycling Process
• Synthesis route of AlON
• Process Design
• Equipment design
• Economic Analysis
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• Self-production of ceramic vs. intermediate supplier
• Design of plant from start (cans) to finish (AlON powder)
• Complete equipment list
• Optimize operating conditions
• Complete economic analysis
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• AlN+Al2O3
AlON (powder)
• 36 mol % AlN and 64 mol % Al2O3 required to produce correct gamma
phase
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Equipment Name
Description
Energy Used
Operating
Pressure
Operating
Temperature
Can Shredder
Shred incoming cans
Electricity
Atmospheric
25 C
Aluminum Furnace
fired heater which melts aluminum
into molten form
natural gas
Atmospheric
750 C
AlN Reactor (insulated)
reacts aluminum and nitrogen in a
PFR reactor
natural gas
40 PSIG
885 C
Al2O3 Reactor (insulated)
reacts aluminum and oxygen in a PFR
reactor
natural gas
40 PSIG
232 C
AlN Reactor Vortex Separator
separates powder and gas
N/A
Atmospheric
~800 C
Al2O3 Reactor Vortex
Separator
separates powder and gas
N/A
Atmospheric
~200 C
Nitrogen Compressor
Compress Nitrogen gas
Electricity
40 PSIG
253 C
Oxygen Compressor
Compress Oxygen gas
Electricity
40 PSIG
79 C
Nitrogen Heater
Heat up nitrogen feed to AlN reactor
natural gas
40 PSIG
885 C
Oxygen Heater
Heat up oxygen feed to Al2O3 reactor
natural gas
40 PSIG
232 C
Nitrogen gas filter
Filters recycled gas
N/A
N/A
N/A
Oxygen gas filter
Filters recycled gas
N/A
N/A
N/A
Ball Mixer
Mixes reactants before entering AlON
reactor
Electricity
Atmospheric
N/A
AlON Solid State Reactor
Stirred batch reactor that produces
AlON powder
Natural gas
Atmospheric
1800 C
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• Can Shredder
• Aluminum Furnace
• Environmentally beneficial
• Al market price: $0.73 /lb
• Cost of Al from recycle process $0.60 /lb
https://www.google.com/search?q=caring&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiGdnAi8TMAhUDGB4KHbjeCggQ_AUIBygB&biw=1280&bih=939#imgrc=G7RSBNXXOdWksM%3A
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Atomizing Reactor Specifications
AlN Reactor Size:
2.87 ft diameter, 10.5 ft tall
Al2O3 Reactor Size:
2.15 ft diameter, 6.3 ft tall
Spray Angle:
45⁰
Nozzle Diameter:
8 mm
Atomization Rate:
41.5 Liters/hr
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ldP1sQnjWcc
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AlN Reactor Optimization Curve
$2,950,000.00
$2,940,000.00
$2,930,000.00
$2,920,000.00
Annual Cost
$2,910,000.00
$2,900,000.00
$2,890,000.00
$2,880,000.00
$2,870,000.00
$2,860,000.00
$2,850,000.00
$2,840,000.00
840
850
860
870
880
890
900
910
920
Temperature of AlN Reactor (degrees C)
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Al2O3 Reactor Optimization Curve
$590,000.00
$570,000.00
Annual Cost
$550,000.00
$530,000.00
$510,000.00
$490,000.00
$470,000.00
$450,000.00
205
210
215
220
225
230
235
240
Temperature of Al2O3 Reactor (degrees C)
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Conversion vs Reaction Temperature
100
90
Percent Composition
80
70
60
Aluminum Oxide
50
Aluminum Nitride
40
AlON
30
20
10
0
1500
1550
1600
1650
1700
1750
Reaction Temperature (degrees C)
1800
1850
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$2.71 Million Total
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$4.3 Million Total
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