Industrial Furnace Articles

Industrial Furnace : More Production and Less Emission

Industrial furnace has wide applicability in both small and big industries. It is an enclosed structure that produces heat for industrial purposes. Made up of different kinds of heat resistant (refractory) elements it can withstand long term use. The enclosed space holds the materials, gas or air being heated until the desired temperature is reached. Industrial furnaces are available in varying temperature control options or set for a single temperature, depending on the process for which the furnace will be used. Industrial furnace commonly have one of the following atmospheres: air or oxidizing, inert, reducing, salt bath and vacuum.

The important feature of the furnace include over temperature protections, service or entry holes, view ports, computer interface and application software are some of the features available on these furnaces. Heat sources can be infrared or radiant, natural gas, induction, conduction, electrical or dielectric.

The industry that widely use industrial furnace is steel industry. The steel industry uses high-temperature, natural gas-fired furnaces, which produce large amounts of nitrous oxide (NO_x) per unit of processed material. The latest furnace are highly efficient productive and reduced NOx emission from all types of industrial furnaces. In this type of furnace valve is used to oscillate the fuel flow rate to the burner. Oscillation creates fuel-rich and fuel-lean zones within the flame that retard the formation of NO_x increasing heat transfer to the load.

Lot of research is going on to develop advanced industrial furnace designs that provide approximately 30% energy savings and hence CO[2] reduction, 30% reduction in the furnace size, and 25% reduction of pollutants including NO[x] as compared to current designs. The main purpose is to establish such furnace that consume less energy and emit low pollutant from a range of furnaces.