Alcoa’s aluminium smelting shed

Colt surveyed the shed and designed a ventilation system that would cope with the high heat loads associated with smelting

The roof of Alcoa’s aluminium smelting shed was damaged beyond repair after an overheated gantry crane caught fire. As part of the roof’s replacement, Colt surveyed the shed and designed a ventilation system that would cope with the high heat loads associated with smelting and ensured that desirable temperatures were achieved at the gantry cranes from now on. As part of the design process, temperature data loggers were used to monitor conditions, allowing Colt to understand the full extent of the overheating problem and design an effective system.

The system comprises of Colt Labyrinth and Seefire natural ventilators. Natural ventilators are low energy products and so reduce running costs dramatically when compared with mechanical ventilators. They also require very little maintenance.

The Labyrinth ventilators were pre-fabricated at our factory in Havant, making the installation quicker and allowing Colt to have full control over the final quality of the installed product.

  • Project:
    • Alcoa aluminium smelting shed
  • Location:
    • Birmingham
  • Requirements:
    • Design a ventilation system that would cope with the high heat loads
  • Colt products: