Aluminum Casting: NFPA 484, 700 °C Molten Metal and Casting Pit Safety

Most of Turkey's primary + secondary aluminum output, which exceeds 900,000 t/y, comes from a few large plants. Molten Al is 680-750 °C; molten aluminum + water = steam explosion. NFPA 484 requires dry casting floor, pit protection, scrap-charge moisture limits and Class D fire protection.

Molten Al Hazard

• Temperature: 680-750 °C
• Density: 2.37 g/cm3
• With water: Steam explosion
• Mg addition: Al-Mg alloys have a markedly higher ignition risk
• Ignition: contaminated scrap can ignite easily

Casting Pit Protection

• Dry floor: Moisture <0.1 percent
• Refractory: SiC furnace lining
• Pit base: Refractory concrete; no standing water
• Drainage: Pit kept fully dry; no active drain line
• Chamfered edge: directs metal in a controlled way during a spill

Scrap Charging

• Preheat: 200 °C drying
• Moisture test: <0.1 percent mandatory
• Charge rate: Slow, in bundles; no large batch at once
• UBC (used beverage can) scrap: closed-loop preheating line mandatory
• Dross skim: Two-handled, refractory-coated skimmer, with care

Degas and Dust

• Rotary degasser: argon (Ar) or nitrogen (N₂) injected into the melt
• Cl₂ fluxing: chlorine-based flux now banned at many plants
• Dust collector: wet type (wet scrubber) preferred for combustible metal dust
• Al K_St: about 415 bar·m/s, St3 explosion class
• Ventilation: at least 12 air changes per hour (12 ACH)

Turkey Casting

• Largest plant: 470,000 t/y
• Second-largest plant: 200,000 t/y
• Mid-size plant: 50,000 t/y
• Example incident: Scrap-charge fire
• Defense industry: aluminum casting applications

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