• 08 – 10 October 2024
  • Exhib. Centre Düsseldorf

Installation of largest airwash plant from SMS at Elval Halcor

25. January 2023
Düsseldorf

© SMS group 

ElvalHalcor S.A. invests in the best available environmental protection equipment and uses Airwash™ equipment to collect rolling oil from the exhaust air of aluminium cold rolling mills. This is the largest and most powerful installed SMS system in the world to date.

Greek aluminium producer ElvalHalcor S.A. has equipped its cold rolling mill in Oinofyta near Athens, Greece, with the SMS group's Airwash™ system for exhaust air purification. In fall 2022, Elval presented SMS group with a final certificate of successful completion of the project. With this investment, ElvalHalcor has taken another important step towards more sustainable aluminium production and environmental protection.

During the cold rolling mills of aluminium, part of the used rolling oil evaporates. Vapors are removed and directed to the Airwash™ system. The rolling oil contained in the exhaust air is mainly in the form of gas and, to a lesser extent, droplets. Unlike mechanical separators, which only separate droplets, the Airwash™ system can separate and retain droplets and gaseous components. Airwash™ systems are considered particularly efficient because its absorption and distillation ensure maximum recovery of the rolling oil. Finally, the collected rolling oil is returned to the rolling oil system, which is another advantage of Airwash™ systems in addition to the perfectly cleaned exhaust air.

A special feature and certain challenge for the delivery of the Airwash™ system to ElvalHalcor was its size, as the system is not only intended for a single cold rolling mill, but was designed to cover the exhaust air volume of the two existing and potentially future cold rolling capacities. In addition, it is the first Airwash™ system to be placed on a floor slab of the roll shop below.

For SMS, it is the largest Airwash™ system to date with an exhaust air capacity of up to 450,000 cubic meters per hour. Theoretically, a maximum rolling oil volume of 425 kilograms per hour can be recovered and returned to the rolling process.

This is not the first time that a Greek manufacturer of high-grade aluminium cold rolling mills has trusted SMS as a supplier of important key components for its production facilities. ElvalHalcor has been using SMS' aluminium cold rolling mills since the late 1990s. In addition, SMS supplied a four-cell hot strip mill to ElvalHalcor, which was commissioned in May 2020.

ElvalHalcor is very satisfied with the new Airwash™ plant, its performance and the overall project management by SMS during the sales and implementation phase. The customer praised the design work and the resulting precision of the component installation, which took into account all interfaces with nearby stores and resulted in an efficient and smooth installation under ElvalHalcor's responsibility.

SMS Group stands for worldwide leading-edge technology and excellent service in the design of machinery and equipment for the metals industry. The company uses its 150 years of experience and digital know-how to continuously innovate outside its core business - generating global sales of around 2.6 billion euros. SMS is the right partner for demanding projects. The company accompanies its customers throughout the entire life cycle of these plants, thus enabling profitable, resource-saving value chains. The company has set itself the goal of being a pioneer in the CO2-neutral and sustainable metals industry. As a globally active company with German roots, SMS assumes responsibility for its approximately 14,500 employees.