FURNACES

MP-1(LECTURE-13)

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Furnaces for casting
A furnace 
A furnace is a device used for high-temperature heating. The
heat energy to fuel a furnace may be supplied directly by
fuel combustion, by electricity such as the electric
arc furnace, or through induction heating in
induction furnaces.

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A cupola furnace 
A cupola or cupola furnace is a melting device used to melt
cast iron, Ni-resist iron and some bronzes. The cupola can be
made almost any practical size.
Construction of cupola:
 Shell:
 Foundation:
Tuyeres:
Wind box:
Blower:
Slag Hole:
Tap Hole (Molten Metal Hole):
Charging Door:
 Chimney:

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 Operation of Cupola Furnace
(i) Preparation of Cupola:
A newly built cupola should be thoroughly dried before firing.
Any slag around the tuyeres from previous run are cleaned.
Any broken bricks are repaired with a mixture of silica sand and fire clay
A slag hole opening of about 30 to 35 mm diameter and a tap hole of about 25 mm diameter is provided.
(ii) Firing of Cupola:
A fire of wood is ignited on the sand bottom.
coke is dumped on the bed well from top. Make sure that the coke begins to burn too.
A bed of coke about 40 inches thick, slightly above the tuyeres.
The air blast is turned on at a lower blowing rate than normal for igniting the coke

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 Operation of Cupola Furnace
(iii) Charging the Cupola:
Next, the charge is fed into the cupola through the charging door.
Coke fuel, limestone flux, metal.
(iv) Soaking of Iron:
After charging the furnace fully, it is allowed to remain as such for about 1—1.5 hr. During this stage
charge slowly gets heated up because the air blast is kept shut this time and due to this the iron gets
soaked.
(v) Starting the Air Blast:
The air blast is opened at the end of the soaking period. The top opening is kept closed till the metal
melts and sufficient metal is collected. As melting proceeds, the contents of the charge move gradually
downwards. The rate of charging must be equal to the rate of melting so that the furnace is kept full
throughout the heat.
(vi) Closing the Cupola:
When no more melting is required, the feeding of charge and air blast is stopped.

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CHEMICAL REACTIONS
Combustion
C(coke) + 02 (from air) -> C02 + Heat
Si+ o2 - sio2 +heat
2Mn + o2 2Mno
Reducing zone
C02 + C2 -» CO – Heat
Melting zone
3 Fe + 2 CO -» Fe3C + C02

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Zones of Cupola Furnace

The cupola furnace is divided in number of zones where several chemical reactions take place.
The following are the six important zones
(i) Well or Crucible Zone: It is the zone between sand bed and the tuyers. Molten metal collected in
this zone.
(ii) Combustion Zone: It is the zone between the tuyers and a theoretical level above it.
Here, the combustion done, consuming all the oxygen from the air blast and generates huge amount
of heat. The temperature range for this zone is about 1500°C to 1850°C.
(iii) Reducing Zone:It is the zone between the top of the combustion zone and the top level of the
coke bed.
The Co2 flowing upward through this zone reacts with hot coke and Co, is reduced to Co. Due to
this reaction, the temperature gets reduced to about 1200°C.

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Zones of Cupola Furnace
(iv) Melting Zone:It is the zone between the first layer of metal charge and above
the reducing zone. The solid metal charge changes to molten state picks up
sufficient carbon in this zone. The temperature attainable in this zone is in the
range of 1600°C to 1700°C.

(v) Preheating Zone: It is the zone from above the melting zone to the bottom
level of the charging door. Charging materials are fed in this zone. It is also
known as charging zone.
(vi) Stack Zone: It is the empty portion of this furnace, which extends from
above the charging zone to the top of the furnace. It carries the hot gases
generated within the furnace to the atmosphere.

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Advantages of Cupola Furnace
It is simple in construction and operation.
Low cast of construction, operation and maintenance.
It does not require very skilled operators.
It requires small floor area as compared to other furnaces.
Composition of melt can be controlled.

Limitations of Cupola Furnace

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 Construction: 
The Hot Air Generator is
solid fuel fired medium air
temperature hot air
generator, which is very
compact in construction of
VERTICAL design, with
External bottom furnace.
The main body of the
Generator is of sturdy
Construction made out of
heavy gauge steel and
Structure. The body is
painted with epoxy paint to
combat corrosive industrial
atmosphere.
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Salient Features:
1. Clean, Uncontaminated Hot Air available Economically.
2. Hot Air available at temperature up to 1700 C.
3. Multiple passes on air side ensure high thermal efficiency.
4. Lowest operating costs, compared to Electricity, Steam & thermic
oil heating.
5. Vertical design, requires very low floor space.
6. Low motive power requirements.

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 Direct fired heaters

Direct fired heaters are similar to a gas barbecue grill or your gas
stove top. With propaneClick
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Benefits to using direct fired heaters
include:
1. Efficiency – Direct fired heaters convert 100% of the fuel being
used to direct heat which lowers fuel consumption and operating
Costs
2. Easy to Transport – Direct fired heaters are fairly simple pieces of
equipment that can be moved to where heat is needed
3. Some units do not require electricity
4. Lower rental costs – Direct Fired Heaters are less expensive
5. Lower Maintenance Costs – Easier to maintain

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 Some drawbacks to using direct fired
heaters are:
1. Adds moisture and carbon monoxide into the air.
2. Low Operation Cost
3. The rising prices of the fuel oil have made the use of oil as a
heating medium prohibitively costly. In these times of highly
competitive markets, it has become necessary to look at the other
fuel options available.

Trouble free Operation:

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 What is induction furnace?
Induction Furnace
An induction furnace is
an electrical furnace in which
the heat is applied by
induction heating of metal. 
Induction furnace capacities
range from less than one
kilogram to one hundred tonnes
capacity and are used to melt
iron and steel, copper,
aluminium and precious metals.

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 Construction
An induction furnace consists of a nonconductive crucible holding the
charge of metal to be melted, surrounded by a coil of copper wire.
A powerful alternating current flows through the wire. The coil
creates a rapidly reversing magnetic field that penetrates the metal.
The magnetic field induces eddy currents, circular electric currents,
inside the metal, by electromagnetic induction.  The eddy currents,
flowing through the electrical resistance of the bulk metal, heat it by 
Joule heating.

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Principle
The principle of induction heating is based on the following two
laws:
1. Electromagnetic induction
2. The joule effect (the heating that occurs when an electric
current flows through a resistance.)
The principle of induction melting is that a high voltage electrical
source from a primary coil induces a low voltage, high current in
the metal or secondary coil. Induction heating is simply a method
of transferring heat energy.

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Important
points
The inductor is usually made of
copper in order to limit the
electric losses.
In this furnace type, the charge is
melted by heat generated from an
electric arc.
The coil carries the high
frequency current of 500 to 2000
Hz.

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Advantages
· Induction furnace does not need electrodes like electric arc furnace.
· Better control of temperature
· Better control of composition of the melt

Disadvantages:
· An induction installation usually implies a big investment that
must be considered and compared to alternative heating techniques.
· Induction heating is preferably used for heating relatively simple
shapes.

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Types of induction furnaces
Coreless induction furnaces
The heart of the coreless induction furnace is the coil, which
consists of a hollow section of heavy duty, high conductivity copper
tubing which is wound into a helical coil.
To protect it from overheating, the coil is water-cooled, the water
being recirculated and cooled in a cooling tower.

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Channel induction furnaces
The channel induction furnace consists of a refractory lined steel
shell which contains the molten metal. Attached to the steel shell and
connected by a throat is an induction unit which forms the melting
component of the furnace. The induction unit consists of an iron
core in the form of a ring around which a primary induction coil is
wound.

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Electric Arc
Furnace

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Introduction:

Electric Arc Furnace is a furnace that heats the charged material by mean of an
electric arc.
Arc Furnace range in size from small units of approximately one ton capacity up to
400 tons. industrial arc furnace can be heat up to 1800°C..

Construction:
The furnace consists of a spherical hearth (bottom), cylindrical shell and a swinging water-cooled dome-
shaped roof.
The roof has three holes for consumable graphite electrodes held by a clamping mechanism.
This mechanism provides independent lifting and lowering of each electrode

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Operation:
The electric arc furnace operates as a batch melting process.

Furnace Charging
Melting
Tapping
Furnace turn-around

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Melting:
The melting period is a heart of Electric arc furnace. The EAF has evolved into a
highly efficient melting apparatus and modern design are focused on maximizing
is accomplished by supplying energy to the furnace interior. This energy can be
electrical or chemical.

Electrical energy is supplied via graphite electrodes and is usually the largest
contributor in melting operations. Initially, an intermediate voltage tap is selected
until the electrodes bore into the scrap. Usually, light scrap is placed on top of the
charge to accelerate bore-in. approximately 15% of scrap is melted during the
initial bore-in period.

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Heat is transferred to charge material by flame radiation and convection by the hot
products of combustion. Heat is transferred within the charged material by
conduction.

Large pieces of scrap take longer time to melt into the bath than smaller pieces. In
some operations oxygen is injected via a consumable pipe lance to “cut” the charged
material and burns iron to produce intense heat.
This oxygen will react with several components in the bath including, aluminum ,
silicon , manganese , phosphorous , carbon , and iron all these reactions are
exothermic.

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Advantage:
Electric arc furnace can be used as heat treatment furnace.
It can be used for melting.
EAF is used for production of steel making by pig iron
Electric arc furnace provides flexibility, EAFs can be rapidly started and stopped.

Disadvantages:
A lot of electricity consumption.

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