Furnace

A furnace is an equipment to melt metals for casting or heat materials for change of shape (Rolling,
forging etc.) of change of properties.

Types of Furnace
1. Combustion type
2. Electric type

Base on the mode of changing of material in furnace

 Intermittent or Batch type
 Periodical Furnace
 Continued Furnace

Base on the mode of waste heat recovery

 Recuperative
 Regenerative furnace

Major fuel use in the furnace is Liquid fuel, Gaseous fuel or electricity, which we use as input. Electricity
is used in Induction and Arc furnace for melting steel and cast iron. Non-ferrous melting utilizes oil as
fuel.

Oil Fired Furnace

In oil fired furnace LDO is used as furnace oil, where Sulphur presence of Sulphur is undesirable.

Typical Furnace System

1. Forging Furnace
Forging furnace is used to preheating billets and blooms. Furnace is operating at a temperature of 1200-
1250⁰C. Most of heat is transmitted by radiation. The operation cycle is heat up time, soaking time,
forging time. Large piece are soaked for 4 to 6 hours inside the furnace. Large pieces may be reheated
several times. Charging and discharging of material in forging furnace is done manually as a result of
heat loss.

2. Rerolling Mill Furnace

2.1. Batch type
In batch type mill a box type furnace is employed. It is used for heating scraps, small ingots and billets of
2-20kg. The charging and discharging of material is manually and the operating temperature of the
furnace is 1200⁰C. The average output varies from 10 to 20 tons/day.

2.2. Continuous pusher type

The flow and operation cycle of the continuous pusher type is same as of batch type. The operation
temperature is 1250⁰C. This furnace operates 8 to 10 hours with an output of 50 to 100 tons/day. Heat
absorption by the material is slow steady and uniform throughout cross section.
 3. Continuous Steel Reheating Furnace
In Continuous Steel Reheating Furnace the steel stock forms a continuous flow of material and is heated
to the desired temperature as it travels through the furnace. Operating temperature varies from 900 to
1250⁰C until it is plastic enough too pressed or rolled to the desired sections, shape and size.

Heat Transfers in Furnace

At high temperature employed in the reheating furnaces, the dominant mode of heat transfer is wall
radiation. Heat transferred by the gas radiation is dependent on the gas composition, the temperature
and the geometry of the furnace.

Types of continuous reheating furnace

1. Pusher type furnace
2. Walking hearth furnace
3. Rotary hearth furnace
4. Continuous recirculating type furnace
5. Walking beam furnace
6. Cupola furnace
7. Induction furnace

Cupola Furnace
It is a tall, cylindrical melting device used in foundries to melt pig iron, cast iron, foundry returns. The
charge used is coke, flux and metal (iron). The most commonly used iron to coke ratio is 8:1. The flux
may be limestone, calcium carbonate, calcium carbide, sodium carbonate. The total weight of the flux
will be approximately 1/5th of the weight of the coke charge.

Zone of Cupola furnace

1. Well zone in cupola furnace
It is situated between the rammed sand bottom and just below the bottom edge of the tuyers.

2. Combustion zone in cupola furnace

Combustion zone or oxidizing zone is situated normally 15 to 30 cm from the bottom edge of the tuyers.
Rapid combustion of coke takes places due to which lot of heat is generated. The combustion is rapid
due to supply of blast air through tuyers.

3. Reducing zone
It is located from the top of the combustion zone to the top of the coke bed. In this some CO2 moves
upwards and reduced to CO. Due to reducing atmosphere the charge is protected from oxidation. Due
to reduction, the temperature reduces to around 1200⁰C.

4. Melting zone
It is located above the coke bed to the top of the metal (iron). The starts melting and trickles down
through coke bed to well zone.

5. Preheating zone
It is at the top surface of the melting zone. The hot gases rising upward from combustion and reducing
zone and charge is preheated before descending downwards.
 6. Hot blast zone
The temperature of exhaust gas is 800⁰C that preheat blast air to 400⁰C by heat exchange.

General Fuel Economy Measures in Furnace

1. Complete combustion with minimum excess of air
2. Correct heat distribution
3. Operating at the desired temperature
4. Reducing heat losses from furnace openings
5. Maintaining correct amount of furnace draught
6. Optimum capacity utilization
7. Waste heat recovery from the flue gases
8. Minimum refractory losses
9. Use of ceramic coating