Reduction of GHG Emissions and Increase Operational Reliability Using Immersed Electrode Boiler in an Alumina Refinery

The Hydro AlunorteHydro Alunorte refinery, located in Pará—Brazil, uses heavy oil, mineral coal and electrical energy boilers in its energy matrix to meet the steam demand of the Bayer process. Aligned with Hydro’s environmental strategyStrategy to reduceReduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissionsEmissions, Hydro AlunorteHydro Alunorte started operating the first electric boiler with immersed electrode technology as one of the initiatives to increase the share of electricity in the steam generation energy matrix. The new immersed electrode boilerElectrode boiler has higher operational reliability with an availability of approximately 99.5% and with load control by adjusting the level of the electrode chamber, thus loads variation can be done in minutes to control the consumption demand of the refinery. Therefore, it is expected to reduceReduce fuel oil consumption consequently reducing CO2 emissionsEmissions by approximately 150,000 tons per year.