Furnace and Regenerative Combustion Design in Open-

Die Forging
forgemag.com/articles/84723-furnace-and-regenerative-combustion-design-in-open-die-forging

Furnace and regenerative combustion designs are used for the production of large
open-die forgings such as those produced at North American Forgemasters in New
Castle, Pa. Regenerative combustion systems integrated with specialized large-
furnace designs offer efficiency, emissions control, temperature uniformity and
economic performance.

No matter the application, high-temperature furnaces are an integral part of the open-die
forging process, not to mention a sizable portion of the capital expense for a new press
project. Often, however, conflicting desirable furnace attributes – including but not limited to
energy efficiency, production, emissions control, temperature uniformity and (often most
importantly) economic performance – make finding the ideal furnace difficult. That said,
synergies between these attributes can be achieved with the right design expertise and the
right teams.

Finding the Right Design Balance

Recently, three regenerative furnaces were installed at North American Forgemasters in
New Castle, Pa., to support their new 10,120-ton/90-MN open-die forging press. Two
furnaces were box-style with front doors, and the other was a car-bottom-type furnace. Our
team at Fives North American Combustion (FNAC) in Cleveland, Ohio, designed the
furnaces to promote the synergies among the previously mentioned desirable furnace
attributes.

The two box furnaces have dimensions of 28 feet wide x 31 feet deep x 15 feet high. They
are capable of heating 500 tons of steel product. Based on the pieces being processed, it
was determined that approximately 20 MMBtu/hour of heating capacity be installed using
one pair of TwinBed II burners mounted on the rear wall. The furnace must be capable of
+/-50°F inside the work zone per AMS 2750E. Two flues, one in each rear corner, were
installed to manage and direct flue gases within the furnace volume.

The car-bottom furnace has dimensions of 15 feet wide x 52 feet deep x 18.25 feet high
and is capable of heating 600 tons of steel product. Based on the pieces being processed,
it was determined that approximately 20 MMBtu/hour of heating capacity be installed using
four pairs of TwinBed II burners mounted on one of the side walls. Two flues were placed
on the burner wall in the front and back corners. Similar logic was used on this furnace to
control flue gases.

The furnaces and accompanying combustion technology were tailored for the large ingots
North American Forgemasters produces. The combustion technology, coupled with full
furnace integration, allows for significant fuel savings, improved temperature uniformity,
reduced emissions and enhanced production. The result is minimized CO2 production,
thereby reducing the forge’s total carbon footprint and impact on the environment while also
1/4
maximizing the facility’s production capability.

Consumer sensitivity to energy costs and performance issues has increased during the
past decade. Both considerations are now a regular part of the purchasing-decision
process for consumers, especially industrial manufacturers. For instance, at forging
temperatures for steel (1650-2300°F), efficiencies of traditional gas combustion are
typically low, and performance issues – both environmental and process-related – must be
considered. Forging and heat treatment have market-driven performance standards that
must be followed to achieve certain quality, as well as regional environmental standards
such as NOx or CO2 emission regulations, that further complicate matters for industrial
forgers.

About Fives
Fives is an industrial engineering group with a long heritage of engineering expertise. Fives
designs and supplies machines, process equipment and production lines for the world’s
largest industrial groups in sectors such as aluminum, steel, glass, automotive, logistics,
aerospace, cement and energy, in both developing and developed countries.

In all these sectors, Fives designs and manufactures equipment and solutions that
anticipate and meet the needs of its customers in terms of performance, quality, safety and
respect for the environment.

In 2016, Fives achieved a turnover of 1.8 billion Euros and employed close to 8,400 people
in over 30 countries.

Fives North American Combustion offers ultimate solutions to its customers, from design,
manufacture, installation, commissioning and customer technical support throughout the
equipment lifecycle. With a strong legacy based on 100 years of expertise, our company is
a leader in outstanding combustion solutions, delivering performance at the heart of wide-
ranging applications throughout the world.

Regenerative Combustion Systems

The seamless pairing of combustion system and furnace has been rare in the past, but our
design team is in the strategic position to design around the total furnace product for the
customer. In the past decade, FNAC has installed over 40 forge furnaces in the field, of
which more than 25 use regenerative combustion systems. For example, we offer a
regenerative burner that has been in the combustion industry for over 30 years, with
installations on over 200 forge applications. The TwinBed II design, which has been
improved in recent years, offers high energy efficiency paired with lower emissions levels
compared to conventional combustion technologies.

Regenerative systems allow for up to 50% fuel savings when compared to cold-air systems
on these types of furnaces. The regenerative burner is more compact, allowing for more
media inside the heat exchanger to increase efficiency at higher temperatures. To comply
with environmental standards, the combustion system has an outboard fuel injector for
extremely low NOx operation above autoignition. This allows for NOx levels comparable to
cold-air technology on a volume basis but with a 50% reduction on a mass basis.
2/4
Other advances in the flow-control system have added value to the design of the furnace.
Accurate flow metering allows the combustion system to remain on ratio setpoint at lower
firing rates, where large portions of these large-load heating cycles will operate. Mass flow
control is used on both combustion air and fuel to ensure flow rates.

Overcoming Obstacles for Large Furnaces

Hearth Cooling
Large furnaces capable of heating and supporting 200- to 500-ton loads have their unique
set of difficulties. Refractory and steel selection become more difficult at such substantial
furnace sizes. Consequently, certain special insulating fibers capable of enduring high
temperatures must be chosen. Also, thought must be dedicated to the design of the hearth
– specifically the cooling of the hearth’s steel plate.

On smaller furnaces, natural convection is sufficiently capable of cooling the hearth plate,
ensuring structural stability. On large-footprint furnaces, however, the cooling effect of
natural convection will not sufficiently lower the temperature of the hearth’s structural plate.
To combat this effect, the North American Forgemasters’ forge furnace employs blowers
exhausting the hot air under the hearth plate. A series of passages are engineered as part
of the hearth support to allow for the exhaust to route through all areas of the plate. This
has been found to significantly lower the temperature in certain areas, thus improving the
structural integrity and life of the furnace.

Furnace Pressure
Controlling furnace pressure is also of great concern because it affects energy efficiency
and performance, especially temperature uniformity. On regenerative furnaces, ingress of
ambient air can raise furnace oxygen levels and yield unacceptable NOx and scale
formation. We overcome this obstacle with proprietary control logic that maximizes flue-gas
extraction while maintaining positive furnace pressure over the complete range of operating
temperatures and fuel turndown. One of our designs, for instance, has multiple doors to suit
the customer’s needs while maintaining a tight seal.

If the customer has longer pieces that extend through the door opening, the door can be
designed with air cylinders to clamp it in any position. These clamps are also used to
provide a tight seal when the door is fully closed. A removable bulkhead is needed to seal
the opening around the piece to block furnace radiation. Another popular design employed
on large doors uses a cam/roller that leverages the weight of the door to create the seal.

Temperature Uniformity
Temperature uniformity can prove difficult on large furnaces, especially those with few
regenerative burners. This can be remedied by placing flues in troublesome cold spots to
direct the flue gas. FNAC has recently patented a control technology that employs multiple
flues on large furnaces. This control technology will automatically bias the furnace gas to a
specific flue based on the temperature feedback inside the furnace volume. This way, the
furnace is actively controlling uniformity in the furnace volume, ensuring uniform
temperatures with varying loads.
3/4
Both furnace designs achieve tight NOx emissions levels, with cycle averages just below
0.086 pound/MMBtu. No official uniformity tests have been conducted to date, but all
indications show the furnace being uniform to the standard requested based on resident
furnace control thermocouples. Fuel consumption tests were conducted and met contract
efficiencies at 70%.

Rely on Regenerative Technology

Since the introduction of regenerative burners to forge furnaces, the industry has come to
recognize the quality, performance and fuel-consumption benefits of the technology. The
design described herein demonstrates an even more holistic view of the benefits of a
regenerative forge furnace, specifically the benefits of the two systems where the furnace
and combustion system function as a single machine.

For additional information visit www.fivesgroup.com.

4/4