Name and Location
High-purity alumina (HPA) production plant, Quebec, Canada.

Client
Orbite Aluminae.

Project Description
The project involves the conversion of an HPA pilot plant into a state-of-the-art full-scale one-ton-a-day HPA facility, although the facility is expected to reach 3 t/d of HPA within 12 months of its commissioning without requiring further significant capital expenditure.

Value
The aggregate construction costs of the HPA production facility are expected to range between $26-million and $30-million.

Duration
The plant is expected to begin production in the first quarter of 2015.

Latest Developments
Construction of Orbite’s HPA plant is progressing on schedule, with components ordered from Outotec, in Germany, having arrived on site.

The company, which recently closed a $10-million financing deal with US institutional investor Crede Capital Group, says the German shipment represents about half of the total investment in the calcination system.

Components include a combination of refractory and solids-handling devices, as well as monitoring and control instrumentation.

Also expected to arrive at the plant site from Outotec’s facility in Burlington, Ontario, are preshaped refractory bricks. Progress on making the vessels for the calcination system at Outotec’s Burlington facility are also progressing on schedule, with all progress and quality inspection reports being positive.

The various components of the calcination system will be shipped to the Cap-Chat facility as scheduled.

Meanwhile, in preparing for commercial production, Orbite has hired seven process-control technicians for its HPA production facility to complement its operator’s team. The company says these technicians are the first graduates from the new AEC Operation and Control of Industrial Processes programme, offered in Sainte-Anne-des-Monts by Groupe Collegia, in collaboration with Emploi-Québec and Orbite.

The 16-month full-time programme started in February 2013 and was concluded with a 90-hour internship at Orbite’s Cap-Chat facility. The company also hired a locally based mechanical technician.

Key Contracts and Suppliers
Gastier (general contractor), Canam Group (design and construction of new building), Outotec (HPA calcination work) and Emerson Process Management (process control instrumentation).

On Budget and on Time?
The project is on schedule for commercial production in the first quarter of 2015.

Contact Details for Project Information
Orbite Aluminae, tel +1 514 744 6264 or fax +1 514 744 193.
Gastier, tel +1 514 325 4220.
Outotec, tel +358 20 529 211 or fax +358 20 529 2200.