Jupiter Aluminium Industries (JUPALCO), a newly established aluminum factory within the Jupiter Group, ordered three furnaces for annealing aluminum coils for its new rolling mill in India. The new rolling mill will provide the highest production of aluminum coil in India’s history, as well as create an ecosystem of comprehensive aluminum-based solutions that are Made in India.
The new facility will be focused on providing sustainable aluminum solutions. It is expected to recycle over 50,000 tons of aluminum scrap — including in-house and customer scrap, purchased scrap, and post-consumer scrap in the form of cans and foils, etc. — every year once fully operational.
“Since the 1990’s the Jupiter Group processes aluminum as a partner of the converting and packaging industries. Ecology is an important value for us. It is included in our mission, just like our partner’s,” said Sandeep Bajaj, CMD, of Jupiter Aluminum Industries, JUPALCO. “The rolling mill in India will be one of the most modern facilities of this type in this region, which is why we are equipping it with the best solutions available on the market. And that is why we chose three Vortex 2.0 systems which will fully meet the needs related to the JUPALCO aluminum heat treatment facility.”
Annealing Furnaces
The equipment ordered by the Jupiter Group includes three Vortex® 2.0 furnaces for aluminum annealing, along with two cooling chambers and one loader — all supplied by SECO/WARWICK, headquartered in Świebodzin, Poland. This system configuration will ensure the optimal production volume of the Indian rolling mill.
In the latest 2.0 version of the Vortex annealing furnace, heat transfer efficiency has increased within the furnaces that are equipped with an improved system of straight nozzles. Thanks to the use of patented air flow technology, the aluminum coil annealing system operates with process cycles that are significantly shorter than traditional technologies. This in turn ensures energy savings, increased efficiency, and improved surface quality of the finished coils. The key feature of the system is the increased heat transfer coefficient, achieved by directing high-velocity air to both sides of the coil — which allows air to flow over the coil edges, not just through its outer layer.
“In the case of coil annealing, the challenge is to optimize the process by reducing the cycle time as much as possible while maintaining the desired metallurgical properties throughout the entire load,” noted Piotr Skarbiński, vice-president of the CAB and Aluminum Products Segment in the SECO/WARWICK Group. “The components used in the SECO/WARWICK furnace for annealing aluminum coils provide both greater efficiency and better quality. In the latest, patented 2.0 version, Vortex systems, thanks to a system of properly directed nozzles, ensures higher production volume with lower energy consumption. We are pleased to have become a partner in equipping a new, very modern aluminum factory in India.”
Vortex furnaces are equipped with dedicated control systems and load transport units. This guarantees better heating temperature uniformity and the absence of local overheating on the coil surface, which significantly affects the aluminum coil’s final quality. In addition to providing a uniform temperature distribution of +/-3°C, the system ensures a significant reduction in the total process time compared to traditional systems offered by the competition.
“Vortex combines ecology and economy. An efficient nozzle system will make production more efficient while maintaining excellent load parameters,” said Binoy Koshy, the new managing director of SECO/WARWICK India. “We are glad that India has noticed the power of this solution.”