Innovation case study submitted by Emirates Aluminium during 3rd Continual Improvement & Innovation Symposium organized by Dubai Quality Group's Continual Improvement Subgroup to celebrate World Quality Day 2011.

1. Innovation Storyboard
[EMIRATES ALUMINIUM COMPANY LTD ]
[MODIFICATION OF ALF3 FUNNELS ]
[APRIL 2011- ON GOING ]
[Reduction R1]

2. 1. About the Organization
• Emal is one of the world’s largest green field
smelter
• Emal aims at high quality delivery of its
products to customers, safety, every thing can
be improved
• Aluminium ingots, sow, slabs
• Taweelah

3. 2. The Idea
Modification of alumina funnel

4. PROBLEM
• Frequent damages of Alf3 & alumina funnels
• Pot starving
• Un balance in the material dump weight

5. 3. People Involvement
• SUGGESTOR :
• LEYSON, ULLAS
• Supervisor : Luis Dominguez

6. 4. Process
• Modification of Aluminium and AlF3 funnels
• Re design of the aluminum and AlF3 funnel in
house
• In house fabrication of funnels

7. Modification of Alumina and ALF3 Funnels
HUGE ELEPHANT LEG
FORMATIONS ON THE BREAKER
TIPS, FUNNEL NOZZLE IS TOTALLY
BLOCKED RESTRICKTING THE
FLOW OF MATERIAL.
ELEPHANT LEG FORMATIONS ON
THE BREAKER TIPS, FUNNEL
NOZZLE IS TOTALLY BLOCKED
AND COATED BY THE SPLASHES
OF METAL.

8. Modification of Alumina and ALF3 Funnels
FUNNEL NOZZLE TIPS ARE GETTING DAMAGED AND WHOLE NOZZLE ARE
GETTING BENT.
BEND NOZZLE DAMAGED TIP NEW FUNNEL
Material choking due to damaged nozzle tip
IN NUMBERS OF OCCASIONS, FUNNELS ARE DETACHED AND/OR FOUND
MISSING AFTER IT FALLS INTO THE BATH AND MELTED. THE PURITY OF
THE METAL IS HAMPERED.

9. Modification of Alumina and ALF3 Funnels
SOLUTION TO THE PROBLEM

10. Modification of Alumina and ALF3 Funnels
The funnel nozzle end is The funnel nozzle angle of
reduced 2 inches inclination is reduced from
shorter. 55 deg. to 45 deg.
MODIFIED FUNNEL ORIGINAL FUNNEL
ORIGINAL FUNNEL
MODIFIED FUNNEL
( WITH DAMAGED TIP)

11. Modification of Alumina and ALF3 Funnels
ORIGINAL NOZZLE DISTANCE HAS BEEN CHANGED TO FACILITATE THE ELEPHANT
LEG FORMATION ON THE BREAKER TIPS AND TO AVOID THE SPLASHES OF BATH
AND METAL FROM BEING DEPOSITED ON THE NOZZLE TIPS.
ORIGINAL DISTANCE
INCREASED DISTANCE

12. BENEFITS
• Minimizing the no of funnel replacement
• Minimizing the frequent no of exposure to
heat & fluoride gas for the maint. Techs.
• Decreased environmental impact
• Health of the employee improvement
• Heat stress reduced during summer

13. Benefits
• Exact amount of feeding of alumina to pots
• No elephant formation resulting in blockage of funnel
• Damage to funnel reduction
• Cost of funnel and inventory affected

14. Benefits
• Financial
• No of calls till today for funnels : 9557
• Min cost for repair of funnel: 225 AED
• Total cost for 9557 = 2,150,325AED
• New funnels installed =238
• Failure of new funnels till date =ZERO
• Cost saved : 1,465,300AED

15. 6. Learning
• Installed up to 2421 funnels successfully
• No repetition of the problem till date
• Awarded the best suggestion of Emal
• Simple solutions have tremendous effect on
the system
• In house development saves millions

16. 7. Way Forward
• All the team members were awarded .
• Selected as the best suggestion for Emal
• Applied in the design of future pots for further
expansion of Emal .
• Approved by the DX technology provider.
• Design being patented by Emal
• Motivated in providing many more innovative
suggestions

17. Q&A

18. Thank You