Alumina powderOrbite conducted on-site testing at
Harper’s technology research centre to aim for a 99.99%+ purity goal and developed two systems as a result: a rotary furnace for removing volatiles (calcination) and a higher temperature vertical furnace for phase transformation.
Orbite’s material loses 80% mass as hydrochloric acid and water during the processing. Because of the corrosive by-products and high purity requirement, the first system is designed with a quartz tube and the second system has an alumina tube as the contact surface with the powder.
The systems will meet Orbite’s initial scale up goal for its existing plant construction, expanding its current small batch furnace.