Hertwich Engineering received an order for the supply of a modern batch homogenizing furnace from Hydro Aluminium in Commerce, Texas. The furnace will have a capacity of 55 tons and be designed for billets up to a maximum length of 25 feet (7.7 meters) and diameters in the range of 7-16 inches (178-406 mm). The unit’s design changes the direction of airflow using so-called reversed air so that the billets in the furnace are heated more uniformly. Hydro Aluminium processes approximately 100,000 tons of aluminum scrap into extrusion billets per year at its Commerce facility.

Hertwich Engineering also received an order from Emirates Global Aluminium (EGA) for the supply of an additional batch homogenizing furnace for the heat treatment of billets. The unit, which will go into operation at the end of the year, is designed for use with billets 5-16 inches (125-406 mm) in diameter and 16.5-26 feet (5,000-8,000 mm) long. Certain alloys can also be cooled down in the furnace, which has a temperature range of 1148-842°F (620-450°C). A total of five batch furnaces of this type will now be operating at EGA’s Jebel Ali plant and two at EGA’s Al Taweelah smelter.