The development and exploitation of gas-fired rapid-heating furnaces for metal heating

Abstract

Gas-fired rapid-heating furnaces are being applied in the metal reheating industry. They produce substantial energy savings, together with improvements in product quality, productivity and the working environment. These benefits are derived from the use of convection as the dominant mode of heat transfer, rather than radiation as in conventional furnaces. Laboratory experiments and trials of prototype rapid heating furnaces have been undertaken in industrial situations. Together with physical and mathematical modelling techniques, they have enabled design procedures to be produced which allow rapid heaters to be individually specified to suit a wide variety of metal reheating processes. The technology is sold through licensees and more than 300 units have already been installed. It is estimated that the cumulative energy savings from the date of the first commercial installation to the current time are in excess of 1.9 PJ with a current value of about £6 M.