Performance analysis of solar box preheaters for energy conservation in metal casting

Abstract

In metal casting, the melting process uses around 70% of the total energy. Reduction of melting energy contributes to energy security needs of the current society. This research works aims at melting energy conservation by preheating the raw material in a solar box setup. Raw material billets were subjected to sun light at controlled conditions to absorb the radiant heat and assessment of energy absorbed by them were made. The metal scrap achieved a preheat temperature of 140°C, translating to 56.50 kJ/kg of savings in metal energy. When this method is extended to the Indian foundry scenario, the energy savings would be around 523.96 million kWh, which gives rise to economic savings of Rs.471 crores a year. Thus, this technique holds promises for future energy and environment related problems and hence deserves further studies for industrial implementation.