Demonstration of a long-life radiant recuperator for the secondary aluminum industry: Final report

Technical Report · Tue Dec 01 04:00:00 EST 1987

OSTI ID:5487671

Large savings can be obtained by recovering heat from flue gas of industrial furnaces and using it to preheat the combustion air. However, there are service life and fouling problems. A gas-to-gas heat exchanger (recuperator) has been developed whose service life should exceed the amortization period. This recuperator was tested to demonstrate its performance and determine its fouling characteristics and service life in harsh industrial environments. The test furnace was an open hearth reverberatory aluminum remelt furnace, at Roth Brothers Smelting Corp. in East Syracuse, NY. The recuperators' performance was monitored over six months. The furnace was operated at several firing rates and flue gas temperatures to bracket recuperator performance. Production and fuel use data were collected. The system was instrumented for flow, pressure, and temperature measurement. Finally, coupon samples of liner material were suspended in flue gas near the recuperators' exhaust for data on corrosion rates. The recuperators performed well. Combustion air preheat temperatures of 850/sup 0/F were recorded for the design point firing rate, with a flue gas temperature of 1900/sup 0/F. The service life was estimated to be 2.9 years. Fuel savings under normal operation varied from 13 to 40%, depending on the specific firing schedule. The recuperators required no regular maintenance after initial adjustments. Visual examination of the liners after five months of operation revealed no areas of excessive corrosion. Calculated fuel savings based on the baseline furnace performance were $84,900 for the first six months, which would easily pay for the recuperator and installation costs in under 1.5 years. Both recuperators were still in service in midyear 1987 after nearly two years of operation. Repair of the end seal was required because of excessive leakage.

• Research Organization: TECOGEN, Inc., Waltham, MA (USA)
• OSTI ID: 5487671
• Report Number(s): NYSERDA-87-28; ON: TI88900381
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATION
320304* -- Energy Conservation
Consumption
& Utilization-- Industrial & Agricultural Processes-- Waste Heat Recovery & Utilization
ALUMINIUM
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
CORROSION
DEMONSTRATION PROGRAMS
DOCUMENT TYPES
ELEMENTS
ENERGY CONSERVATION
ENERGY CONSUMPTION
EQUIPMENT
FLUE GAS
FUEL CONSUMPTION
FURNACES
GASEOUS WASTES
HEAT RECOVERY EQUIPMENT
INDUSTRY
LINERS
METAL INDUSTRY
METALS
PERFORMANCE TESTING
PROGRESS REPORT
SERVICE LIFE
TESTING
WASTE HEAT UTILIZATION
WASTE PRODUCT UTILIZATION
WASTES