The chemistry and packaging of OPTA products are completely customizable and often specifically designed for each customer by technical experts. Many aluminum producers try to blend their own fluxes and bucket fluxes into their furnaces with varying application rates, which can result in poor performance, low recovery, and increased consumption/cost. Opta’s pre-packaged or bulk fluxes deliver consistent material chemistries and application rates, which can improve performance, decrease cost, and reduce refractory wear.
FLUX
SOLUTIONS FOR ALUMINUM
Fluxes and refractories are both critical to aluminum manufacturers, producing high quality metal and running an efficient high yield process. However, fluxes are extremely corrosive to refractories—often the most effective fluxes wreak havoc on refractories. This leaves aluminum manufacturers with the conundrum of sacrificing melting performance for refractory life, or vice versa.
Opta has partnered with HWI Refractories to optimize flux performance while improving refractory life.
Opta specializes in bulk and pre-packaged fluxes and insulators for the metallurgical industries.
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Stop hand-blending your own formulas.
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Stop sacrificing refractory performance for aluminum quality.
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Decrease your flux consumption by choosing fluxes specifically designed to optimize aluminum quality and refractory performance.
ALUMINUM FLUXES
Flux solutions play a crucial role in the processing of molten aluminum.
Flux solutions play a crucial role in the processing of molten aluminum. Designed to fit the most unique and specific needs, Opta’s line of custom fluxes assists with:
- Improving metal recovery
- Protecting metal from oxidation
- Insulation
- Cleaning
- Removing unwanted inclusions, alkali metals, and magnesium
- Grain refinement and silicon modifiers
We prepare these products using quality components sourced by our global procurement team and manufactured using high-precision equipment at our ISO 9001:2015 certified facilities. That approach ensures our blends follow our technical team’s strict performance standards in order to provide cost-effective solutions and repeatable results. For an added level of precision, Opta offers automated dosing equipment to control the harmful effects of inadequate flux application, which can range from metal contamination to refractory damage.
Why Opta?
Automate Your Flux Addition
From conception to commissioning, Opta supplies reliable equipment and engineered solutions.
Opta has the hands-on mechanical and electrical experience needed to provide solutions for each customer’s preferred operating system. We engineer every component for simple, safe, and efficient operation. We also offer complete, ongoing training and technical support through our national team of Field Service Technicians.
Technical Team
Opta’s technical team includes numerous chemical engineers, metallurgists, and PhDs who design customized fluxes that optimize performance while maximizing refractory life. Using various numerical modeling and process- simulation methods, the talented group assists in designing customized fluxes. We couple those tools with our metallurgy and refractory expertise to help customers optimize their metallurgical processes.
Options
Opta has Cover/Insulation fluxes to help protect the metal from oxidation, Drossing fluxes to improve metal recovery, and Cleaning fluxes to help remove unwanted inclusions, alkali metals, and magnesium. Opta offers a line of sodium-free fluxes that allow customers to achieve more stringent quality levels. Fluxes are available in all sizes of prepackaged bags or supersacks, or via our pneumatic tanker fleet, for use in conjunction with our storage and dosing equipment.
EXAMPLES OF POTENTIAL FLUX PRODUCTS
| Technical Data | AF-101 | AF-102 | AF-103 | AF-104 | AF-105 | AF-106 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NaCl | 47-49 | – | – | – | – | – |
| KCl | 47-49 | 79-81 | 59-61 | 49-51 | 39-41 | 34-36 |
| MgO | – | 0-0.50 | 0-0.50 | 0-0.50 | 0-0.50 | 0-0.50 |
| Na | – | 0-0.60 | 0-0.60 | 0-0.60 | 0-0.60 | 0-0.60 |
| Ca | – | 0-0.0015 | 0-0.0015 | 0-0.0015 | 0-0.0015 | 0-0.0015 |
| Na3AlF6 | 2-4 | – | – | – | – | – |
| Other Oxides | < 1 | < 1 | < 1 | < 1 | < 1 | < 1 |
| LOI @850°C | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
| Free Moisture | 1.0 (max) | 1.0 (max) | 1.0 (max) | 1.0 (max) | 1.0 (max) | 1.0 (max) |
| Typical Properties | ||||||
| Sizing | ||||||
| +18 Mesh | 5% | 5% | 5% | 5% | 5% | 5% |
| +35 Mesh | 50% | – | – | – | – | – |
| +45 Mesh | – | 50% | 50% | 50% | 50% | 50% |
