Development of rapid gas heating process for semifinished steel products
- Air Products and Chemicals, Inc., Allentown, PA (United States)
- Gas Research Inst., Chicago, IL (United States)
- Bricmont Engineering, McMurray, PA (United States)
The metal heating industry associates quality and high efficiency with electrical induction heating. The ability of induction to rapidly heat product has been a key difference between electrical and combustion heating methods. Conventional gas-fired furnaces rely on radiation from refractory structures to transfer heat to the product. As the metal approaches its target temperature, the rate of heat transfer flows significantly because the temperature difference between the metal and refractory is small. The heating rates of conventional furnaces are typically below those achieved with induction. Despite this, conventional gas-fired furnaces remain the mainstay of the metals industry because of lower capital and operating costs, and greater operating flexibility and reliability than induction systems. Today, there exists a gas-based rapid heating process, Rapidfire, that is capable of achieving considerably higher heating rates than conventional furnaces. Oxygen natural gas fired rapid heating has been developed by Air Products and Chemicals with funding from the Gas Research Institute. This technology is able to provide the end user with heating capabilities similar to induction, but with the flexibility and operating costs typically associated with gas-fired systems. A novel oxygen-natural gas based, rapid heating technology, Rapidfire, has been developed capable of achieving five to six times higher heating rates (200 to 400 F/min for 3 to 4-in. diameter bars) than conventional combustion processes. Anticipated applications include forging, transfer bar edge heating, bar/slab preheating and direct rolling (eg, 2-in. thin cast slabs).
- OSTI ID:
- 6957020
- Journal Information:
- Iron and Steel Engineer; (United States), Vol. 71:9; ISSN 0021-1559
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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03 NATURAL GAS
GAS FURNACES
OXYGEN ENRICHMENT
COMBUSTION
HEAT TREATMENTS
HEATING RATE
METAL INDUSTRY
METALS
NATURAL GAS
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
ELEMENTS
ENERGY SOURCES
ENRICHMENT
FLUIDS
FOSSIL FUELS
FUEL GAS
FUELS
FURNACES
GAS FUELS
GASES
INDUSTRY
OXIDATION
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320303* - Energy Conservation
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& Utilization- Industrial & Agricultural Processes- Equipment & Processes
034000 - Natural Gas- Combustion