333 wfco6
ry cane
tasting the ruture
Energy Saving Potential of Melting in Medium-Frequency Coreless
Induction Furnaces
F Donsbach and D Trauzeddel.
Otto Junker GmbH, Simmerath, GERMANY.
Abstract
The available energy saving approaches in induction melting operations are
twofold:
* Reduction of the furnace system's electrical losses through improved
design
‘Use of optimized operating and control regimes
The first part of this paper describes in quantitative terms, based on a
review of investigations and test results, how the surplus consumption of
power can be reduced markedly through proper feedstock selection, correct
charging techniques and an optimum adjustment of furnace parameters.
Furnace design has been improved with the aim of addressing the largest
loss fact .€., electrical losses in the induction coil, in an effort to cut these
losses substantially.
It was demonstrated that the new design yielded energy savings in the
range of 5 10 10%.
Key words
induction melting; cast iron; energy saving: operating regimes; furnace
design
201wfco6
stctd ray congcess
tasting the ruture
Introduction
Optimised medium-frequency technology reduces thermal and electrical
losses to a minimum. Exact weighing of the charge materials, a correct
calculation and inout of the appropriate amount of power based on the use
of @ melting processor, and a precise computer control of all equipment
provide excellent conditions for an energy-saving melting operation.
However, the full benefits of this technology can only be achieved through
an appropriate furnace operating and control regime, safe and reliable
operating practices, and optimum equipment design.
The overall efficiency of the furnace system can thus be pushed to over
75%, As a result, the energy input needed to melt cast iron at up to
4,500 °C would be brought down to a mere 490 - 520 kWhil al an enthalpy
of 390 kWhit.
In practice it has been found that the average power consumption of
existing foundries in real-life cast iron melting operations is significantly
higher. From UK foundries, for instance, a value of 718 kWhit is reported
[*]. whereas French industry statistics show an even higher level of
855 kWhit [2]
A large energy-saving potential can thus be identified here. Substantial
cuts in power consumption are achievable through the use of advanced
medium-frequeney melting fumaces, but also via modified furnace
operating and control regimes. On an existing furnace system, up to 20 %
energy can be saved by adopting improved operating and control modes
This is a cost-cutting potential not to be neglected, specifically in times of
ever increasing energy prices
Influence of the operating and control regime
1. Charge materials and make-up
An accurate calculation of the necessary charge make-up, based on
material analyses, and a precise weight determination and metering of
charge materials and alloying additives (including correction for set/actual
value deviations) are basic prerequisites for minimising melting times and
power needs.
The use of clean and dry charge materials will definitely pay off, given that
the formation of slag due to sand adhering to uncleaned returns will
consume just as much specific energy as is necessary to melt the iron,
viz., about 500 kWhit. With a realistic amount of 25 kg of sand per tonne of
iron this adds up to 12.5 kWht. Beyond that, of course, the quantity of slag
is increased as well.
An even more decisive factor is rusty charge material. Its inferior
electromagnetic coupling properties impair the transfer of melting energy
and result in much higher melting times. The energy consumption and
heat cycles for clean and highly corroded steel scrap, respectively, have
been determined in comparative trials [1]. It emerged that rusty sleel scrapwfco6
ed congress
tasting the ruture
took 2-3 times as long to melt and required a 40 - 60 % higher power
input. Even assuming that these values reflect an extreme case, the
negative effect of rusty charge material is quite severe. In addition, there
are higher melting losses and greater slag volumes. Hence the use of
rusty charge material should be avoided wherever possible.
The level of electromagnetic coupling achieved and hence, the power
consumption of the charge, is a function, not least significantly, of the
charge packing density. The heat cycle and energy consumption of the
charge will thus vary with the packing density
The nature of this correlation has been examined with charges of different
packing density in a high-power medium-frequency furnace operating
under production conditions, The system employed for these trials had a
capacity of 10 tonnes and a power rating of 8,000 KW at 250 Hz. The
emply furnace was filled once with a charge of the specified composition,
comprising pig iron, scrap castings, returns, steel scrap and additives. No
further charge material was added as the metal was heated to 1,380 °C.
The power consumption was measured throughout this period
Different dimensions of the returns and steel scrap fractions made for
packing densities in the 2- 2.7 vim? range. It is evident from the results
that a drop in packing density from 2.5 to 2.0 'm? caused a 25 kWh
increase in power consumption {Fig. 1)
Despite the additional cost and effort, itis therefore advisable to crush al
too bulky returns to achieve a higher packing density. This will also
facilitate fumace charging and reduce the danger of material bridging in
the furnace
The example of a U.S. foundry demonstrates that this practice can save
money despite the costs caused by additional crushing operation [3]
At the same time, a quick and continuous charging worktlow is important
when it comes to saving operating time and cost. A high filling level should
be maintained al all times. Mobile shaker chutes and a bin
accommodating the full charge are prerequisite to meeting this
requirement. An extractor hood closely covering the chute will minimize
radiant heat loss while ensuring that the furnace fumes will be reliably
captured
2. Chip melting
As foundries extend their vertical integration and machine their own.
castings, they increasingly find themselves with large amounts of chips on
their hands - and what would make more sense than to try and use these
chips in their own melting operation
Coreless induction furnaces, unlike other melting processes, are highly
suitable for melting down machine tool chips. Sine grey cast iron is
normally machined without coolants, these chips are dry and clean and
can therefore be melted down without any pre-treatment.
20/3wfco6
stctd ray congcess
tasting the Puture
However, it should be noted here that the electrical contact between metal
chips, despite their good packing density, is notofously poor as a result of
the small contact surface and surface oxidation. This is why the furnace
should always be operated with a heel (> 40%) when chips are melted. If
the fumace is operated without heel, the power consumption for melting
chips should be anticipated to be 50 kWhit higher than for lumpy material
An increase in melting time must also be expected
Chips can be charged on the liquid heel either continuously trickle’
method) or in one batch up to the top of the active coil. Filling the furnace
all the way, without overloading it, will save 2 - 3 % energy and reduce the
melting loss. On the other hand, there is the risk of bridge formation in the
charge
Where chips make up only a portion of the charge, the solid or lumpy
fraction should be placed in the furnace first, and the chips should be
charged into the liquid heel once it has formed
3. Carburising
Another factor reported [4. 5] to affect power consumption is the method of
adding carburising agents. Power consumption will dearly be higher if
carburising agents are added into the molten metal bath after melting
down rather than along with the solid charge material al the beginning. In-
house experience indicates that this practice will consume about 1 to
2kWh more per kg of carburising agent. This means that with a realistic
input of about 2% of carburising agents, an additional consumption of
max. 40 kWh per tonne of iron is to be expected. An average of 70 kWh
per tonne of iron for carburisation, as quoted in part of the literature,
appears to be unreasonable.
If the carburising agent is introduced into the fumace with the other charge
material, this should be done in controlled proportions so that the carbon
content of the melt will not rise unnecessarily.
An excessive increase in carbon concentration would cause premature
crucible wear. It is also advisable to avoid the use of too fine-grained, low-
grade carburising agents which tend to adhere to the crucible wall. Local
erosion effects would be the inevitable result
Furthermore, the input of silicon carriers should not take place until after
carburisation is completed because increasing Si content in the melt
decreases carbon solubility and also increases silicon losses.
It should be noted in this context that the enthalpy levels of returns and
synthetic cast iron differ markedly. When melting synthetic cast iron (steel
scrap, carburising agent, silicon carrier), the power consumption should be
expected to be 8- 15% higher than with a charge of homogeneous
returns [6]
4. Melting furnace operating regime
In theory, the most favourable operating regime would be one involving
the maximum available electric power and hence, high power densities
The overall efficiency of a melting plant, as can be seen from the following
equation(rated power }
is also determined, quite decisively. by the ratio between holding power
and rated power. For a furnace of the same dimensions, the consumption
of electrical energy will decrease with increasing rated power. This has
been conclusively confirmed by systematic trials: as the heat cycle is
reduced and thermal losses diminish, the electrical power consumption is
reduced,
From the calculated power diagram of @ 12-tonne-furnace (refer to Fig. 2),
it is evident that the electric power consumption increases exponentially
with decreasing power density since the percentage of energy required to
make up for steady-state thermal losses will become disproportionately
high when the power density is very low.
A comparison between a 6,000 kW melting operation and one with
3,000 KW reveals (cf. Fig. 3) @ substantial power consumption difference
of 20kWhit. This advantage can be utilized by changing from a mains-
frequency to a medium-frequency system, since the maximum power input
for a mains-frequency furnace of this size is around 3,000 kW.
The use of medium-frequency technology makes it possible to operate
without heel and to melt down small-sized charge material. Thanks to
better electromagnetic coupling of the solid charge material (although this
applies only to cast iron melting) the energy consumption in batch
operation is 8 % less because a much higher coil efficiency is achieved up
to the Curie point (Fig. 3). Since mains-frequency systems must be started
up with a liquid heel, this energy saving can only be realized by shifting to
medium-frequency technology
The higher power density and superior coil efficiency in batch operation
add up to an energy saving of 12 - 15 %, always provided that the switch
is made from mains-frequency to medium-frequency melting
The amount of heat stored in a coreless furnace (ie., the energy required
to heat up the cold furnace to its fully heat stored condition) is normally
higher by a factor of 3-5 than the holding energy required over a similar
period. Thus, the heat stored in an &-lonne-fumace is 800 kWh, ic.,
melting @ charge in a slill-cold furnace would require 100 KWhit more
energy than is needed to melt the same charge in a unit already storing
full heat (Fig. 4).
Since it will take only a quarter of this energy (25 kWh't} to keep the melt
at holding temperature for an hour, it makes sense not to let the unit cool
off but to keep it at temperature with a heel of mdten metal during
interruptions or breaks of less than four hours
It should also be considered that the service life of the refractory furnace
lining can be maximized by keeping the furnace continuously at operating
205temperatures, or at least by not perpetually switching it off and on. As a
general rule, extended holding periods will no longer affect the
metallurgical quality today thanks to the advanced treatment and
inoculating technologies available
Energy is wasted also by operating the furnace with its lid open for longer
than necessary. The low heat losses achieved by design, e.g., of only
140 kW for an 8-tonne-furnace, would thus rise to 400 kW which means
an additional consumption of 4 kW per minute of open lid time. Over 20
minutes this would add up to as much as 80 kWh per charge, equivalent to
an additional consumption of 10 kWhit.
Moreover, energy will also be ‘sucked of’ the furnace unnecessarily it the
exhaust system is run at full capacity even at times when no, or only little,
flue gas is produced. Under unfavourable circumstances this may increase
the power consumption by as much as 3 %, corresponding to 15 kWh per
tonne of iron
Another issue is superheating of the iron, if one considers that a 50K
temperature rise will consume about 20kWh per tonne. The melting
processor allows the final temperature to be maintained to an accuracy of
5 K, eliminating any unnecessary input of superheating energy.
5. Refractory lining
The wall thickness of the ceramic furnace lining, which in cast iron melting
systems will almost invariably be quartzite, always constitutes a
compromise between good thermal insulation, adequate mechanical
protection of the coil, and good electromagnetic coupling between the coil
and the charge.
Reducing the thickness of this lining will increase the coil efficiency and
power consumption while causing higher thermal losses through the
thinner crucible wall. However, since coli losses exceed the thermal losses
across the crucible wall by nearly a factor of 10 in terms of magnitude, coil
losses remain the dominant influence here
Studies have shown [1] a substantial reduction in power consumption with
decreasing thickness of the refractory lining, as shown in Table 1
With increasing furnace operating time and thus increasing refractory
erosion the power consumption will decrease by nearly 10 % over the first
three weeks. Assuming that @ lining having an original thickness of
125 mm loses 30 mm of that thickness within the first three weeks, the coil
efficiency would rise by 3 % only according to our calculations (Fig. 5).
It follows that this fact alone cannot explain the above-mentioned energy
savings, which are presumably augmented by the increased power input
and the resulting shorter melting time
It might therefore make sense to consider eliminating excessively high
"salety margins" on the thickness of the refractory lining with the aid of
advanced crucible monitoring equipment such as the OCP optical coil
protection system [7]wfco6
stctd ray congcess
tasting the ruture
Further reduction of electrical losses
Continuous progress in the design of inductive melting equipment has
yielded a considerable increase in power densities and output, apart from
widening the range of technical applications potentials significantly. Much
work has also been done to cut thermal and electrical losses through
optimized furnace design and improved frequency converter technology.
Superior efficiencies of more than 75 % in cast iron melting are the reward
of these efforts and now define the state of the ar.
Further reductions in power losses have been atlained though the new
energy saving concept developed over several years of intense R&D and
tested for its reliability and practical viability in extensive trials.
The engineers focused their efforts on addressing the largest loss factor,
i.e., electrical losses in the induction coil. in order to cut this source of
inelficiency by a significant margin. Extensive calculations and numerous
model trials were necessary to progress the initial concepts into a valid
solution, viz., a special coil design combined with advanced frequency
converter technology (Fig. 6)
The new system was integrated into a 1.S-tonne coreless furnace in a
stainless steel foundry and subjected to gruelling tests in day-to-day
production operations over several months.
The substantial energy savings achieved, in conjunction with high
dependability and performance levels, attest to the successful
achievement of our design targets and prove the system's industrial
viability
The reduction in energy consumption can be put at 5- 10 %, depending
‘on specific operating conditions.
Conclusions
The actual average energy consumption in cast iron melting operations, at
over 700 kWhit, holds a significant saving potential if one considers the
fact that figures of 490-520 kWhit are now achievable in practical
operation. The factors contributing to the excess consumption are
exemplified in Table 2
207333 wfco6
ry cane
tasting the ruture
References
Efficient melting in coreless induction furnaces, Good practice guide
No 50: ETSU, Harwell, Didcot, Oxfordshire, 2000
2 Jolivot R, Fonderie Fondeur daujourd hui, No 229, Nov 2003,
pp36-38
Foundry Management &Technology 131 (2003) No 11, pp14-16
Smith Land Bullard H W. The Foundryman 88 (1995) No 7,
pp246-253
5. Brockmeier K-H, Induktives Schmelzen, Brown, Boveri & Cie,
Aktengesellschaft Mannheim; Essen: Giradetverlag 1966
Re
6 Duca WJ. Trans. Amer. Foundrym. Soc. 81 (1973) pp108/109
7. Donsbach F, Schmitz W and Hoff H, Giessere! $0 (2003) No 8,
pp52-54
Tables
Table 1
Power consumption as a function of refractory lining wear
Powot int Powe ommametion Eney compan
wr om =
Fresh tng es ose 10
2 weer 70 ose
Table 2
Energy consumption
thy oat on ip 307
ane _
big tn oe
fevoment “thermal and electrical lomes 126
oe ”
‘elo ue annmpan rs
208ufco6
‘esting the future
Figures
Fig. 1 Influence of charge packing density on electic power
consumption
influence of the power density on the power consumption
Pagan more
Fig.2 Power diagram of a 12-tonne-furnace plant
coil efficiency along the batch
Fig. 3. Influence of operating mode on coil efficiency
20/9333 wfco6
ry cane
tasting the ruture
Energy required for heat storage and holding
Fig. 4 Stored heat and holding power as a function of fumace size
Lining thickness and coil efficiency
+ oll efficiency in%
2
Fig. 5 Influence of lining thickness on coil efficiency
Fig.6 The new system
20/10