Granular and powder fluxes for aluminium alloys. Cleaning efficiency, cost and environmental aspects

摘要

Fluxes in both powder and granular form have been compared in terms of melt cleaning efficiency using the Prefil Test and have shown the granular fluxes to be superior in all cases. Different applications require different recipes but generally cleaning fluxes give better melt quality than simple drossing fluxes, however, the actual dross quality of both types of flux is similar. A change to a granular flux from a powder flux significantly improves working conditions by reducing the amount of pollutants in the atmosphere. In addition to technical and environmental benefits, the higher efficiency of granular fluxes results in lower addition rates and significant reductions in overall treatment costs are frequently achievable.