CPT International 02/2019

IDECO
Hydrogen Analysis in
Aluminum Melt
The company IDECO GmbH, situated in
Bocholt, Germany, is the exclusive distributor
for the HYCAL series in Central Europe, India
and China.
The HYCAL series is a
brand of devices for
measuring the hydrogen
content of liquid
aluminum and aluminum
alloy melts.
Even at very low concentrations, it is
possible to analyze and adjust the
hydrogen content quickly and precisely
during both the melting and casting
processes to meet the highest possible
material requirements. The company
IDECO GmbH, situated in Bocholt, Germany,
is the exclusive distributor for
the HYCAL series in Central Europe,
India and China.
IDECO is expanding their product
range by adding a second measuring
device for hydrogen analysis in aluminum
melts. In addition to the classical
procedure of “first bubble” measurement
and the Density Index systems
for determining the overall potential
pore behavior (H2 and oxides) of a
melt, the devices from the company
EMC Ltd. offer the possibility of analyzing
the hydrogen content directly in
the liquid melt. A sensor based on a
new ceramic material (CaZrO3-In) can
be introduced directly into the melt at
any point during the entire melting
and casting process. It produces a
potentiality measurement of the H2
ion concentration as compared to a
standard concentration contained within
the probe.
The aviation and automotive industries
set high standards of material
requirements for the aluminum industry.
HYCAL devices eliminate the subjective
judgment factor from the classification
of pore behavior and, with
their great precision, make it possible
to maintain a pre-defined range of
hydrogen concentration, even as low
as 0,05 ml/100 g, for example. The continuous
online monitoring allows for
the feasibility of finding a variable
optimum end point for the melting
process. By continuing measurement
during the casting process, one can
further assure that no external factors
have changed the hydrogen concentration,
which results in reduced quality.
For overall quality control, all measurements
during the entire process
are digitally saved and made available
to a databank network.
Particularly for the casting process
with its high standards of material
quality, the use of the HYCAL series for
hydrogen analysis has proven to be
especially economical. The HYCAL Mini
is comparable in cost to classical measuring
devices. The variable additional
investment for the insertion probe
with a capacity of 20 hours of accumulated
data may be compensated by a
commensurate rise in the material
quality of the product.
“HYCAL 1000” is the panel mounted
hydrogen analysis unit featuring
great flexibility for different control
processes. A portable analysis unit with
the identical internal components may
be fitted variably to different production
conditions. It has an internal gas
tank, a storage battery, along with
extensive software. Both devices are
suited for foundries producing large
quantities of top quality cast aluminum
products.
“HYCAL Mini” is a small portable
system for the direct analysis of hydrogen
concentration. It includes the analysis
unit, the HYCAL measurement
probe with adapter, a connection cable
and PC based software for processing
and storage of the measurement data.
Hall 11, Stand C56
www.ideco-gmbh.de
Photo: Ideco
NEW
multiPuls
160 °C
Hall 11H73