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Dr. Jehan Shazly

2- Induction heating
It is the process of heating a metal by electromagnetic action, through heat generated in
the object by eddy currents.

I) Direct core type induction furnace:

charge
i

Crucible (non-conductor)

- It is just like a transformer, which consists of an iron core, crucible that made of an
insulating material, and primary winding connected to ac. supply low frequency. The
charge is kept in the crucible which forms secondary circuit single turn.

- The flux created by the primary winding sets up eddy current in the charge heating it up.

- The disadvantages:
 The magnetic coupling between the primary and the secondary circuit is poor.
 Formation of bubbles and voids if the current exceeds.
 The horizontal space of the crucible is inconvenient, so a vertical channel is used
for the charge.

II) Direct core less induction furnace

- With the absence of core, reluctance between the coil and melting metal separated by
walls is too large so the primary winding is connected to high frequency ac. supply. High
frequency is employed to induce the required voltage in the secondary. The primary
winding coils are made from tube and cooled by circular of water.

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- The charge is put into the crucible forms secondary circuit. The flux created by primary
winding sets up eddy current in the charge. These eddy currents heat up the charge.
- The choice of the frequency of operation is governed by:
 Material to be heated (charge)
 Thickness of the crucible cylinder layer.

i
from supply
charge magnetic
yoke

Lining
water cooled coil

III) Indirect core type induction furnace:

- It consists of iron core linking the primary winding with the secondary circuit.

- Primary winding is connected to the supply low frequency which induce current and
heat the metal container.

- Heat is transmitted to the charge by radiation.

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Example (H-3)

An induction furnace operating at single phase 10 V in the secondary circuit takes 500
kW at 0.7 power factor lag when the hearth is full. If the secondary voltage is maintained
at 10 V, estimate the power absorbed and the power factor when the hearth is half load.
Assume the resistance of the secondary circuit to be halved and the reactance to remain
the same?

3- Dielectric heating
It is used for the heating of non metallic materials such as, wood, plastics, or ceramics.

The non metallic material, which wanted to be heated, is placed between two metallic
plates (electrodes) which connected to ac. high frequency supply.

The non metallic material is subjected to an alternating electrostatic field, so the dielectric
losses occur in this material, producing heat in the charge itself.

IC
I
IR

V V

Dielectric metal
material electrodes

For producing sufficient heat:

 Frequency = 10 to 30 MHz
Po
 Overall η = 50% =
Pin

Pin = power produced = power absorbed

Pin  VI cos 

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R >> Xc , I ≈ Ic
V
Ic   VC  V 2FC
Xc
Pin  V 2 2FC cos 
The capacitance of parallel plates capacitor in farad is:
 o r A
C
t
Where:
εo: absolute permittivity of air = 8.85 10 12 F/m
εr: relative permittivity of heated material
A: surface area of plates (m2)
t: thickness of dielectric (m)

Example (H-4)
A wood board 0.5m, 0.2m, and 0.02m is to be heated to 150 C o in 15 minutes by
dielectric heating employing a frequency of 30 MHz. the wood has a specific heat of
1456 J/kg.Co, a weight of 560 kg/m3, the ambient temperature 30 Co. εr = 5, power factor
= 0.05. Determine the absorbed power from the supply, voltage across the board, and the
current through the board.

4- Arc heating
- When a high voltage is applied across an air gap, the air in the gap gets ionized and
becomes conducting medium.

- Currents flow in the form of spark, known as arc. The arc drawn between two electrodes
produce heat depending on the material of the electrodes. An arc temperature of about
3500°C is obtained.

- Electrodes are made of carbon or graphite. Arc furnaces can be further subdivided into
two categories: Direct and Indirect arc furnaces.

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I) Direct arc furnace

- The charge is heated by producing arc between the electrodes and the charge.

- The arc is directly contact with the charge, and heat is produced by flow of current
through the charge itself.

- Source single phase (two electrodes) or three phases (three electrodes) ac. low
frequency is used.

II) Indirect arc furnace

The arc is formed between two electrodes above the charge. The current doesn’t flow
through the charge. Heat is transferred to the charge by radiation.

The number of two electrodes is limited to two, so single phase supply is required.

Electrodes
Arc

Ch arg e

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The equivalent circuit of the arc furnace:

Vs  I RT  jX T  RE  RA 

Control of power input:

- The power input can be controlled by raising or lowering the electrodes, causing
variation in arc resistance RA.

- The power input can be controlled by changing the tapping of the transformer, causing
variation of voltage across the furnace.

Example (H-5)

A 3-phase electric arc furnace has:

Current drawn = 5000A/ph
Arc voltage = 50 V
Secondary ZT = 0.002+j0.004 Ω/ph
Calculate:
a. The power factor and the drawn power from the supply.
b. If the ηfurnace = 65%, find the time required to melt 2 tons of steel when C p = 408
J/kg.Co, the intial temperature of the charge is 20 C o, and the final temperature is
1370 Co.

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Electric welding
Welding is the process of joining metals by heating. There are two general methods of
electric welding.
1. Resistance welding: current is passed through the joint to be welded and the heat
caused by the resistance of the joint.
2. Arc welding: the heat is produced by an arc struck between an electrode and the
metal to be welded.

1- Resistance welding
- Resistance welding is a fusion welding processes that utilizes a combination of heat and
pressure. Pressure is applied to obtain the necessary surface contact resistance (R).

- A very high value of current is passed directly through the piecework and the heat
which required is generated by electrical resistance at the interface of two parts to be
welded. H  I Rt
2

-The resistance welding processes of most commercial importance are butt, spot and
seam welding. Supply is usually ac. only.

I) Butt welding

- It is used for welding of rods, wires, or small pipes.

- The two ends are pressed together mechanically, while current is passed across the joint
and producing heat.

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II) Spot welding

- This method is used for joining two or three sheets of metal by an overlapping joint.

- The sheets are held between two electrodes and current is passed between these
electrodes, causing fusion at a single spot.

III) Seam welding

- It is employed when a continuous welding between two overlapping sheets is required.

- The process is similar to spot welding except that the electrodes are replaced by wheels.

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2- Arc welding
Heat is developed due to arc formed between the electrode and the work piece when
additional metal (a filler rod) is required which is melted in the arc.

The advantages:
 No external pressure is required so it is more simple and easy to control.
 Supply can be ac. or dc.

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