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China’s largest single-unit capacity gas-phase suspended‑bed calcination furnace for aluminum hydroxide has been completed and put into operation.
2026-03-10
Recently, the 3,500 t/d aluminum hydroxide gas‑phase suspension calcination furnace at China Aluminum Corporation’s Shanxi Huaxing Aluminum Co., Ltd. and at Shanxi Xinfafa Chemical Co., Ltd. have been commissioned one after another, achieving full production capacity and meeting all performance standards, marking a complete success for the projects. The 3,500 t/d aluminum hydroxide gas‑phase suspension calcination furnace is the largest single‑unit capacity facility of its kind currently in China, newly developed and designed by the Shenyang Aluminum & Magnesium Design and Research Institute Co., Ltd. of Chinalco (hereinafter referred to as “Shenyang Institute”). The construction of both projects was carried out under an EPC general contracting arrangement by the Shenyang Institute.
Aluminum hydroxide calcination is a critical step in the alumina production process. With the continuous expansion of alumina production capacity—individual production lines now reaching annual capacities of 1 million tonnes—and a clear trend toward further increases, the existing calcination furnace technology can no longer keep pace with these growing demands. To address this challenge, the Shenyang Research Institute established an R&D and engineering design team to develop a new generation of large-scale calcination furnaces, leveraging a range of advanced modern techniques. Specifically: first, data collection and on-site testing were conducted on currently operating aluminum hydroxide calcination furnaces, yielding extensive, firsthand operational data; second, numerical simulation was employed to systematically investigate gas–solid two-phase flow, gas–solid separation, and heat transfer within the furnace; third, process parameters and system configurations were comprehensively optimized to fully exploit the processing capabilities of each individual piece of equipment; and fourth, three-dimensional design was integrated with real-time clash detection to ensure design quality. After nearly two years of intensive effort, significant technological breakthroughs were achieved, culminating in the development of China’s largest single‑unit, 3,500 t/d, gas‑phase suspended‑bed aluminum hydroxide calcination furnace.
Compared with previous furnace designs, the 3,500 t/d calcination furnace not only boasts the largest single‑unit capacity in China but also offers significant advantages in terms of capital investment per unit and system energy consumption. When contrasted with the currently dominant 1,300 t/d alumina calcination furnaces in China, the 3,500 t/d unit reduces land use per ton of alumina by 40%, cuts the weight of internal lining materials per ton of alumina by 25%, and lowers steel consumption per ton of alumina by 10%. During stable operation, its specific thermal consumption can be kept below 2.8 MJ/t, representing a 5% reduction. After more than six months of production experience, this calcination furnace still holds potential for further capacity expansion.
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