Subscribe to our monthly newsletter.

Share this item

A Bauxite refinery contacted Vortex to source a gate to feed alumina trihydrate into a furnace. They needed a gate that could withstand the high temperatures from the furnace. Vortex engineered a Titan Slide Gate that features:
•A surface finished with high temperature-resistant paint.
•Seals constructed from bronze and graphite fiberglass to handle temperature spikes up 315⁰ C (600⁰ F).
•A beveled blade constructed from 400 Brinell Hardness Number (BHN) abrasion-resistant steel.
•A three-phase electric linear actuator that delivers the force required to close through a standing column of material, if necessary. In the case of an electrical loss, the actuator is also equipped with a manual hand wheel override.

Alumina trihydrate is a white, odorless, powdery substance. It is primarily used in aluminum metal production, but is also used in epoxy, urethane and polyester resins as a smoke suppressant and flame retardant filler.

Approximately 100 million tons of alumina trihydrate are produced annually. Nearly all alumina trihydrate is produced through the Bayer process, which dissolves bauxite in sodium hydroxide at elevated temperatures, then separates the alumina trihydrate from the solids which remain after the heating process.