Support Operations

Job Purpose
Job Purpose Description

• Job Purpose: Write the purpose for which the job exists (in 2-3 lines) ( Max 1325 Characters)

Control all operational activities of Clarification (Lime Slacker & Causticization, High-Rate Decanter and Deep Cone Washer, Liquor filtration, Mud filtration, Red Mud Pond Management and ETP) Departments to achieve targeted alumina production meeting cost, quality, environment, and safety standards.

• Dimensions: Mention quantitative or qualitative parameters that are relevant for the job and provide a better understanding of the scope and scale of the job.

Business Workforce Number

(Max 254 Characters)

Unit Workforce Number

(Max 254 Characters)

812 (Only Permanent Employee)
Function Workforce Number

(Max 254 Characters)

146-Permanent workmen of department
Department Workforce Number

(Max 254 Characters)

Total-372
146-Permanent workmen of department
120- Contract workmen.
Other Quantitative and Important Parameters for the job: Budgets/ Volumes/No. of Products/Geography/ Markets/ Customers or any other parameter

• Contract labour management
• RMP Management
• Red Mud transfer, loading & stacking
• Red mud pond water management
• Schedule cleaning
• Job Context & Major Challenges: Write the specific aspects of the job that provide a challenge (internal and external) to the jobholder in the context of the Business/Unit/Function/Department/Section ( (Max 3975 Characters)

The Hindalco Muri Alumina Refinery produces Smelter Grade Alumina as well as special grade Alumina processing Gibbsite and Boehmitic (Hard Bauxite) using Low as well as High Temperature Digestion technology and split seed charge in agglomeration and new growth circuits in Precipitation area. The capacity has been increased to 4,50,000 TPY through various strategic expansions. The strategy of Alumina refinery has been to enhance its capacity through modernization and upgradation mainly based on in-house efforts with target to improve process efficiency and maximize the production.

The key challenges in the above context are to ensure production and productivity at optimum cost with given safety norms by absorbing the changes in technology and further improving upon that. The challenge is also to identify and establish impact of changes on process and equipment efficiency and resolving the same in consultation with concerned section. The main challenge to extract the maximum Alumina from the bauxite to reduce the mud factor and to increase the extraction thus to reduce the steam consumption. Another challenge is to have efficient and eco-friendly red mud disposal and to leach out maximum possible caustic in the red mud through effecting counter current washing for the cost economy.

• Settling of Red Mud in High-Rate Decanter (HRD):

Settling of mud is the most challenging task of the Deptt. for achieving the stretched targeted production. Due to large variation in the quality of Bauxite, settling of red mud in High-Rate Decanter (HRD) is very challenging and has become a complex issue. Major challenge for section head (clarification) is to ensure proper settling of red mud in HRD even with the poor-quality bauxite with zero production loss. Control the lime dosing in the bauxite or bauxite slurry to get better settling.

• Security Filtration & Product Quality:

Product Alumina Quality (CaO% & Fe2O3% etc.) depend a lot on the quality of polished liquor from Security Filtration area. Even slight variation in product quality has wide impact on raw material consumption & Aluminum Metal quality and variation in special hydrate and calcined Alumina. Thus, operational activities such as diversion, dumping, washing, and caustic cleaning with proper filter condition ensures improved liquor quality and helps the organization to take a premium on the low iron in Aluminum. This area is only responsible for product quality. The maximum problem in this area is the impact of the other area like HRD, Lime slacker or digestion. Monitoring and controlling these all for smooth and healthy operation.

• Mud Washing & Caustic Leaching: Caustic being one of the key value drivers without which producing Alumina cannot be thought of and has an impact of approx. 30% in the production cost. Thus, Caustic Leaching process is a big challenge to ensure minimum loss of the caustic going into red mud. Efficient Leaching is ensured by counter current washing of red mud in the series of six numbers Deep Cone Washer (DCW) by utilizing process condensate, RMP run off water and excess steam generated from the digestion process.
• Mud filtration : After washing of the HRD underflow mud, Caustic and alumina present in the mud. Last wash under flow mud contains soda more than 10gpl. This mud is at 38-40% solid concentration. The underflow from last washer sent to plate and frame filter to recover maximum soda and alumina. To maintain the maximum availability of filter and maintaining the cloth availability and timely replacement of filter is the main activity. This area contains various equipment and tanks.
• 1. Red Mud Disposal:

Red mud disposal has always been a challenging task for Alumina industry & particularly for clarification area. Red mud yard management is very important for Alumina plant smooth operation. As requirement of handling Red Mud had increased after increase in production, hence 3 Nos. pressure Filters were added to Drum Filter site and commissioned increasing the red Mud handling capacity. Approx. 2200 MT of Red Mud (as-is) is handled daily through Dumpers / Hywas and disposed in red mud yard 3 KM away. The major challenge is to have maximum utilization of the available disposal space.

Hindalco Muri Works has no space for red mud dumping in the red mud yard, and maximum mud must be sent to cement plants. As per JSPCB guidelines, 65 % (i.e., 431 KT) red mud must be dispatched to Cement plants.

However, the Business had decided to transfer more than 100 % red mud to Cement plants to reduce the red mud dumped in RMP # 4 towards the river. The benches are to be made to strengthen the red mud dump as per the guidelines of CMPDI and reduce the load on the Gabion wall.

Red mud is transferred from the pressure filter to an inside plant Railway siding, unloading, stacking, and loading red mud in the wagons.

The water accumulation in mini pond is being used to process for mud washing, gland water utilization. It has been decided to discharge 0% water outside the RMP.

• Lime Unloading, Crushing & Slaking: -

The challenge in lime unloading and slaking process plays a very vital role without which the quality and the quantity of the production cannot be ensured. Slaked lime as slurry is used to prepare Tri Calcium Aluminate (TCA) as a Filter Aid at Security Filtration, which works as a porous cover on the filter cloth and allows desired liquor to pass through for further processes. Lime slurry also helps in the red mud settling process and helps in reducing the Flocculant consumption in HRD.

• Liquor Causticization and heating:

As per need whenever the Oxalate in the liquor increases, the liquor Cauticization unit is operated to minimize the Oxalate, and caustic is recovered and taken in the matching washing stage
.
This operation also helps to minimize the scale formation in tank as well as improve the losses in HRD and DCW circuit. However, the Oxalate level of the plant is under control, but heating is in progress to minimize extraction loss and increase the life of the tank.

• ETP-

To manage the ETP operation and maintain 0 discharge of water outside the plant or in river. 100% utilization of ETP water inside the plant.

Key Result Areas (
Max 1325 Characters)
Supporting Actions ( Max 1325 Characters)

Production and productivity

• Plan, monitor and control the operations to achieve the targeted production meeting cost, quality, environment, sustainability, and safety standards.
• Reviewing, Planning and scheduling for sparing critical equipment for maintenance, cleaning (Chemical or Manual).
• Ensuring proper settling of red mud in state of art High-rate decanter.
• Ensuring proper liquor polishing in the security filtration and supply to internal customer precipitation operation
• Ensuring proper caustic recovery from mud through state of art deep cone washers,
• Supply filtered PGL to white area to achieve alumina with less impurity.
• Controlling the dilution in the circuit maintaining the PGL concentration which impacts on steam consumption in evaporator.

Production tank schedule cleaning
To monitoring and planning for tank's schedule cleaning

• To provide contract manpower for cleaning of the tank.
• Safety training of the contract workmen before starting the tank cleaning.

Quality of product
To monitor and control the product quality by controlling the suspended mud in PGL

• Monitoring the TCA as well as MOL formation for better filtration.
• Monitoring and maintaining the synfloc dosing in HRD to get clear overflow to sustain the filtration rate.

Safety & Environment
Implementation of Safety, Occupational health and Environment norms across the section to prevent accidents and protecting environment

• Preparation of SOP, HIRA and JSA of all Red Area
• Implement and monitor standard operating procedures and ensure adherence
• Implement and monitor standard occupational health norms and ensure adherence
• Ensure safe operating practices, availability of PPEs and its use.
• To managing the RMP water in process and stop to report in the surrounding area.
• Operation of dust suppression system in dry season to suppress the dusting.
• Job Purpose of Direct Reports: Describe the job purpose of the direct report/s to the job (in 2-3 lines for each report)

Clarification Field shift in charge: -
Manage entire field activity such as, Responsible for safety for all contract and permanent workmen, Isolation of tank with safety. Field isolation of equipment, Area housekeeping. Administration of workmen in shift and maintaining the availability all equipment to run the plant smoothly.

Permanent Workmen:
- Execution of the field activity. Maintain all schedule jobs and area housekeeping.