Why not take a trip in the company of Calum MacIlleathain?
Am blàr a-muigh! A’ Ghàidhealtachd! Tìr nam Beann, ’s nan Gleann, ’s nan Gaisgeach.
The land of hills and glens and heroes. Tìr nam Beann, ’s nan Gleann, ’s nan Gaisgeach. Especially here in Lochaber.
Ach chan e dìreach fraoch is fèidh a tha an seo: tha annas neo dhà – a novelty or two – annas neo dhà sna glinn seo cuideachd. Air feadh taobh an iar na Gàidhealtachd chaidh sglèat à cuaraidhean gu mullach thogalaichean air feadh an t-saoghail.
Thug Sròn an t-Sìthein – Strontian – Sròn an t-Sìthein; sìos an locha ainm dhan eileamaid strontium a chaidh a lorg an sin.
Strontium is used for fireworks and emergency flares.
Ach tha gnìomhachas fhathast san àite seo. Seo an aon àite san Rìoghachd Aonaichte far a bheil leaghadair aluiminium, an aluminium smelter; leaghadair aluiminium.
Bidh an làrach a’ cruthachadh faisg air caogad mìle tonna den mheatailt fheumail seo gach bliadhna.Mus tèid sinn a-steach tha feum air uidheam sàbhailteachd ** – safety equipment – uidheam sàbhailteachd**: brògan tapaidh, stout shoes, brògan tapaidh; leis a’ mhasg seo tha èadhar ghlan againn airson tarraing anail agus tha feum air clogaid chruaidh-a hard hat –clogaid chruaidh.
Tha mi a’ coinneachadh ri Dòmhnall Caimbeul –no Donnie mar as fheàrr a dh’ aithnichear e – ri taobh trèana làn bun-stuth – raw material – bun-stuth.
Latha math Donnie, ciamar a tha thu an-diugh?
Tha gu math tapadh leibh. Fàilte gu Loch Abar a Chaluim.
Mìle taing. Abair àite an seo.
Tha e iongantach.
Tell me, what’s in the train here?
These are the trains that come in. This is actually refined aluminium Oxide which is refined down from bauxite which is mined all over the world.
So it’s in a powder, how do you turn that into Aluminium?
Well it comes in these trains in fine powder, we then transfer it into these buildings here and using electrolysis, the magic happens and we make Aluminium inside.
Can I see it happen?
Come and follow me and I’ll show you.
Tha trì cheud meatair de dh’fhaid am fear anns an dà thogalach seo. Nam broinn tha ceallan-cells -ceallan, far a bheil an leaghadh a’ tachairt. Ann an aluiminium ogsaid tha dà rud, aluiminium–aluminium; agus an ogsaid–oxide: sin ogsaidean – oxygen – ogsaidean.
An seo tha an dà eileamaid air an sgaradh bho chèile a’ cleachdadh cumhachd dealan-uisge bhon sgìre mun cuairt.
The cell room was huge, what was I looking at in there?
We have two cell rooms running here in Lochabar. In both cell rooms we have 40 cells, electrolysis cells.
What a heat coming from them, abair teas!
Bha sin cha mhòr mìle degree.
What happens here then?
This is one of our holding furnaces. We have two of them here and each one here will hold forty two tons of liquid alumimium which is transferred to here using a tractor and trailer. It’s weighed in and then poured into the side here. From here, it’s then casted out into ingot form. It’s then put out and taken all across the world.
Ingot, you could say it is quite iongatach!
You could!
What does the aluminium get used for in the end?
Metal from here is taken all over the world. It’s used for things like aeroplanes, the car industry and even tin cans.
Tin cans! Mìle taing Donnie.
‘S e do bheatha.
An ath thuras a ghabhas tu balgam – a mouthful – balgam à canastair, smaoinich air cò às a thàinig an cana. Agus nas iongantaiche buileach, gabhaidh am meatailt ath-chuairteachadh uair is uair, gun e mòran buaidh a thoirt air càileachd an aluiminium.
Ath-chuartaich e ma thà!
Ann am mionaid –feumaidh mi crìoch a chur air mo shùgh an toiseach!Tha sin nas fheàrr. Sguir a-nis mus dèan mi brùchd!