Baie-Comeau, Québec, 06.11.2009 – The quaint town Baie-Comeau is located in the middle of the Canadian wilderness, about 400 kilometers northeast of the pro-
vincial capital Québec City. Not many people would sus-
pect that the aluminum group Alcoa operates North America’s second-largest aluminum smelter in this small town of 23.000 souls. A main factor which tipped the scales in favor of this site was the town’s convenient geographical location on the junction of the Manicougan River and the St. Lawrence River.

Several gigantic hydroelectric dams built on the shores of the Manicouagan River generate large amounts of
low-cost electricity and meet the insatiable energy de-
mands of the aluminum smelter in Baie-Comeau. The plant has an annual consumption rate of approximately
5.6 million megawatt hours (MWh).

The St. Lawrence River, which the Manicouagan River empties into shortly above Baie-Comeau, has been the region’s gateway to the world since the days of the first

VOLK DFZ 120 H Diesel Tractor designed for transporting molten aluminum – The smooth hydrostatic drive, sturdy design and VOLK’s decades of experience with transport tasks in aluminum plants totally convinced Alcoa

The Alcoa plant in Baie-Comeau is the second-largest aluminum smelter
in North America – Over the next six years, 1.3 billion US dollars will be invested in the modernization and expansion of the site

from South America and Australia, for aluminum produc-
tion.

The Alcoa plant in Baie-Comeau was built in 1957 and grew rapidly in the following years. Today about 1.600 workers produce 400.000 tons of primary aluminum per year. For many years Baie-Comeau was the largest aluminum smelter in North America until 2005 when it lost this title to its competitor Alcan in Sept-Îles, a small town located about 230 kilometers away.

However things won’t stay this way for very long. Just recently Alcoa formed an ambitious investment plan. Until 2015 Alcoa will be investing around 1.3 billion US dollars in the modernization and expansion of the Baie-
Comeau site. Once the expansion is concluded, Alcoa will have increased its annual production capacity to about 550.000 tons and outdone its competitor from
Sept-Îles again. Because Baie-Comeau is located in a very rocky area, sometimes boulders which are several meters thick have to be cleared away for the expansion

current is then passed through the melt created by this process via electrodes. As a result the aluminum is de-
posited on the negative electrode or so-called cathode, while oxygen is generated on the positive electrode or
so-called anode. This oxygen reacts with the carbon of the anode, thereby forming carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide compounds.

The high melting temperature of approximately 1.000 degrees Celsius and the immense currents of several hundred thousand amperes are the reasons for the tremendous amounts of energy required for the produc-
tion of aluminum. Although the energy costs are less than three US cents per kilowatt hour (kWh) due to the proximity of power plants and the immense purchase quantities, they comprise approximately 30 percent of the total operating costs of a modern aluminum plant.

The electrolysis process takes place in a total of approx. 1.000 electrolysis cells. These cells are large tanks which contain the molten metal. Graphite anodes are immersed into these containers from above, whereas

Aluminum production is an extremely energy intensive process –
The numerous hydropower plants along the Manicouagan River, here the 692 meter long and 94 meter high dam Manic 2, provide large amounts of low-cost electricity

The deep water port of Baie-Comeau on the shore of the St. Lawrence River – Usually large freighters are employed to deliver the raw materials required for aluminum production and to transport the prefabricated alu-
minum ingots to customers around the world

vinced the directors at Alcoa for several reasons:

Possibly the most important criterion was VOLK’s de-
cades of experience with transport tasks in aluminum plants which have a large number of specific require-
ments: For example, due to magnetic fields created by the extremely high currents in the electrolysis cells, the vehicles have to be equipped with special shielding. Because of harmful aluminum dust, the driver’s cab requires special filter systems for air purification. Per-
manent overpressure ensures that harmful dust cannot enter the driver’s cab by circumventing the filter systems and air conditioning system. Because aluminum dust can also damage the diesel engine, special air filter systems have to be installed there, too.

This list could be continued ad infinitum; however these few examples should already be sufficient to demon-
strate that many years of experience and know-how are required to design vehicles suited for extremely de-
manding uses and jobs in aluminum plants.
 

The smooth hydrostatic drive of VOLK DFZ 120 H Diesel Tractors was also a big advantage because smooth driving is not simply a question of comfort when molten aluminum is towed. To ensure safe braking of this delicate towed load at any time, the DFZ 120 H have a very high vehicle weight of approximately ten tons.

The special challenge is to place this enormous weight in an area as small as possible in order to retain the compact dimensions of the tow tractor. VOLK also met this challenge with a totally convincing solution: Just
3.10 meters long and 1.40 meters wide, the VOLK DFZ 120 H Diesel Tractors take up less traffic space than a VW Lupo sub-compact car. The extremely small turning radius of just 3.65 meters is certainly unique in this performance category.

The Canadian province of Québec is known for its rug-
gedly picturesque landscapes, rock formations created by glaciers and magnificent natural wonders, such as the world-famous Tadoussac whales which can be ob-

One of the major challenges in aluminum production is the omnipresence of aluminum dust which is a hazard to humans and machines alike – Therefore the VOLK DFZ 120 H Diesel Tractors are equipped with special filter systems