Development of a Sampling Device for Furnace Dross

A series of tools for sampling dross generated by aluminium melting furnaces were developed and tested in furnaces at Sapa Heat Transfer, Sweden and Hydro Sunndalsora, Norway. The goal was to create a device that is easy to use and gives samples representative of the dross inside the furnace. Metallic aluminium content was measured by re-melting the samples of the furnace dross with salt flux, separating the oxide and metal, and weighing the mass of the recovered metal. The key to a successful result was choosing a sampling device with the correct design to allow metal to drain as the sample was taken.