The furnace is another type of heating appliance used in homes and industries. There are various types of furnaces available for big industrial heating uses, including cement kilns, blast furnaces for metals, and electric arc furnaces for steelmaking. Fuel-burning furnaces are often used in household and industrial HVAC applications, with combustion taking place in a combustion chamber. The air goes over the furnace heat exchanger’s exterior surface without coming into direct touch with the combustion products. Residential and industrial furnaces come in a variety of sizes.
Industrial furnaces are used in metallurgical production for high-temperature smelting, heat treatment, tempering, and, in some cases, drying and low-temperature fermentation. The metal sector contributes significantly to total industrial energy consumption. These furnaces are employed in high-temperature zones.
- Enamel cooks at 600°C to 1100°C.
- Metals are heat treated to 1100°C.
- Ceramic materials are rolled, extruded, cooked, heat-treated, and pressed at 1350°C.
- Melting and smelting of metals at 1700°C.
Furnaces should be run with little fuel and maintenance, and their design should allow for maximal heat transmission to the material in a certain period. To ensure these requirements, the following criteria should be used:
- How much heat will be transmitted to the material?
- The heat required to heat the mass, including the loss.
How to Choose the Right Industrial Furnace?
Here are some things you need to ask yourself:Â
- What is your budget? Make sure to conduct some research and become acquainted with the overall cost of various furnaces, as well as the costs of optional features, auxiliary equipment, transportation, and installation. Then, decide on a budget that would best suit your demands.
- What kind of procedures will you perform in the furnace?
- Production rate: How many components would you like to process each month? This figure will help you decide on the furnace size you need for your processes.
- What sort of charge material/job are you placing in the furnace? What are the specific dimensions and weights of the material components being processed?
- Are you new to heat treatments? If the answer is yes, you may need to conduct some study to determine how your product needs to be heat treated.
- Heating medium: electric, LPG, PNG, dual-fired, LDO, or oil?
Here are four types of industrial furnaces for commercial buildings:
Choosing the correct furnace for your facility is determined by a number of considerations, including building or facility size, space program (industrial, office, retail, hotel, etc.), existing HVAC ducting or other distribution, and investment and running budgets.
Natural Gas Furnaces –
Natural gas is a combustion fuel used to provide heat for residential and commercial buildings. Renewable natural gas is accessible across the planet, with reserves predicted to last 100 years. New technologies for renewable natural gas are on the rise. Natural gas furnaces are inexpensive, and modern models are extremely efficient, up to 98%.Â
Oil Furnaces –
Oil furnaces are less expensive than natural gas furnaces in terms of initial expenditure. But, they are somewhat less efficient than natural gas furnaces. Oil furnaces may require more maintenance than other types of furnaces due to the residue (or sludge) that might be collected in the tank, pipes, filters, or burner. Rust in oil storage tanks can cause leaks that require costly repairs.Â
Electric Furnaces –
Electric furnaces are very efficient and can last up to 20 years. These industrial furnaces offer continuous thermal comfort and are an excellent solution for limited or concentrated heating needs.Â
In an electric furnace, energy goes to a heating element, which boosts the temperature of the air blown out of the furnace. They are an affordable upfront option and have no carbon monoxide. Â
Propane Furnaces –Â
Propane furnaces operate similarly to oil and natural gas-forced air furnaces. They offer a fuel choice in more rural or isolated areas when oil or natural gas are not accessible. Propane is a byproduct of oil and natural gas production, so its costs are often comparable to oil. Propane gas is transported in containers, hence the associated travel costs are variable in cost-effectiveness.
How To Maintain Your Industrial Furnace?
Aside from cleaning your furnace, the most crucial aspect of keeping it is having it evaluated on a regular basis for wear and tear.
Linings, filters, combustion systems, tank enamel, and small components like bearings and gaskets are all susceptible to damage.
The easiest method to keep your furnace in good working order is to have it examined and any broken or damaged components replaced. You will need to hire an expert for this.
They may test your furnace to ensure that it is running at peak efficiency and will not fail during normal factory operations.
They may also assist you prepare for any upcoming government-mandated safety inspections.Â
Contact the manufacturer of your furnace for precise instructions on how to maintain it. That way, you can provide this information to the furnace inspection/maintenance firm you employ to keep it in top shape.
If your industrial furnace hasn’t been cleaned in a while, it might pose a significant safety risk. Regular furnace cleaning should be a component of your facility’s preventative maintenance plan.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the risks of an industrial furnace?
Burns from contact with hot surfaces or objects provide the most serious risk. Trauma damage is caused by forceful rupture of the reaction vascular. Toxic consequences are caused by exposure to fumes or harmful chemicals.
What is the maximum temperature for an industrial furnace?
Industrial furnaces are offered at different maximum temperatures. The maximum temperature is determined by the type of heating devices employed in the building. The most popular use metallic wire heating components with a maximum temperature range of 1000°C to 1200°C.
How long does an industrial furnace last?
Furnace life expectancy varies according to furnace type. Gas furnaces typically last 15 to 20 years, and electric furnaces can last anywhere from 20 to 30 years. In contrast, oil furnaces generally last between 20 and 25 years.