Industrial Refrigeration:
Heat exchangers are a core component of refrigeration systems. When the cooling water is seawater, brackish, or even slightly polluted, corrosion resistant metals are necessary. Metal selection can range from stainless steel to copper alloy to titanium. Explosion-welded clad metal is often the low cost solution for making the tubesheets. Applications range from refrigeration chillers on fishing boats to massive air conditioning units for skyscrapers, airports, and deep underground mines.
Alternative Energy:
Today’s oil and gas prices and increasing climate concerns are driving significant upward demand for capital equipment in the alternative energy sector. Frequently, alternative energy technologies involve conditions which necessitate clad metals. Solar panels predominantly incorporate high purity silicon. Processes for manufacture of high purity silicon utilize a broad range of highly corrosion resistant clad alloys. Many geothermal fields are corrosive, requiring high alloy clad separators to clean the hot steam. Cellulosic ethanol technologies may require corrosion resistant metals such as titanium and zirconium.
Aluminum Production:
Aluminum is reduced from its oxide in large electric smelters called potlines. The electric current is carried via aluminum conductors. The electricity must be transmitted into steel components for the high temperature smelting operations. Aluminum cannot be welded to steel conventionally. Clad aluminum-steel transition joints provide an energy efficient and highly durable solution for making these connections. Modern potlines use a large number of transition joints. Transition joints are typically replaced after approximately five years in service. Although aluminum production is the major electrochemical application, there are a number of other electrochemical applications including production of magnesium, chlorine and chlorate.
Other Applications:
- Battery Manufacturing Plants
- Sulfuric acid/Phosphoric acid/ Fertilizer plants
- Garbage incineration plant equipments
- Hardening pots
- Melting pots
- Bus bars for electric furnaces
- Rotary kilns
- Windmill towers
- Vacuum vessels
- Aluminum cladding in the aircraft industry