CASE STUDY

Cast Dross Pans

ALUMINIUM PROCESS
Dross removal

METAL TEMPERATURE
750°C (1300°F)

PREVIOUS MATERIAL
Mild Steel
Pyrotek cast steel dross pan

NEW MATERIAL
AISI 8630 Cast Steel PROCESS IMPROVEMENTS
• Increase pan life by 700 percent with cast steel and
PREVIOUS SITUATION robust design.
Previously, the customer used dross pans welded with • Decrease dross cooling time by 40 percent due to
mild steel. These weldments had a six month average increase in pan mass.
service life. The failure mode of these pans was excessive • Decrease production load on rotary cooler from faster
warping which inhibited dross extraction and/or weld cooling in the pans.
failure.
ESTIMATED SAVINGS

OLD DESIGN NEW DESIGN

Pan Cost USD$1850 USD$8345
Service Life 0.5 years 4 years
Cost Per Year USD$3700 USD$2086
Number of Pans in Use 12 12
Total Cost Per Year USD$178,000 USD$100,000
Total Savings USD$77,460

Previous welded mild steel dross pan

PYROTEK SOLUTION
The Pyrotek dross pans were designed to match the
customer’s desired dimensions considering their process
and equipment dimensions. Our design experts selected
AISI 8630 cast steel for its castability and strength
properties. In addition, the following features were
added to the design as countermeasures to the existing
failure modes.
• Increased wall thickness to resist warping.
• Mid elevation stiffeners to resist warping.
• Continuous rim to resist impact stresses.
• Internal corner radiuses to improve dross removal and
reduce stress concentrations.

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