Obiettivo To demonstrate the energy savings attainable by using fluidized bed furnaces to replace conventional ones in steel heat treatment. The fluidized bed is expected to replace the steel quench and salt bath furnaces in some applications. These furnaces and the fluidized bed have been monitored for this project.Maximum energy efficiencies of +- 20% for the conventional furnaces have been recorded and +- 50% for fluidized bed furnaces, representing considerable projected energy savings.Throughout the course of the project operation of the fluidized bed was unreliable and relatively poor energy efficiency is attributed largely to this factor. In the final year of monitoring it became impossible to demonstrate energy saving by use of the fluidized bed. Monitoring showed that only the seal quench furnace with a mean energy efficiency of 14.7% came close to predicted value. Fluidized bed furnace low mean energy efficiency of 3.2% was attributed to operational and supply difficulties. The furnace operated without a recuperative hood which would have recovered heat from flue gases, in the process providing heat to a gas tempering furnace. Rather than on a continuous basis the furnace was operated daily at a below capacity of 200 Kg, treating a small number of batches. In some cases the fluidized bed provided high quality heat treatment. There is every reason to believe that fluidized beds can be designed to operate reliably, to provide high quality heat treatment andbe more energy efficient that conventional furnaces.The demonstration programme was carried out at Northern Heat Treatments, a firm specializing in heat treatment of various components. A G76M Fireball Mk 111 Fluidized Bed Furnace was installed. However due to the supplier's bankruptcy the furnace did not meet specifications. Considerable problems were encountered with installation and commissioning.The fluidized bed of 190 Kg load capacity and 850 C operating temperature was projected to treat 1,450 T of steel components annually, with energy consumption at 4,000 Kj/Kg of treated steel in comparison with 10,750 Kj/Kg for conventionally treated steel. For the test plant annual energy consumption was projected at 9.8 x 16 Mj, equivalent to 233 TEP.The programme also called for the purchase and setting-up of a monitoring, controlling and data recording system to appraise conventional furnace energy consumption. Programma(i) ENG-ENALT 1C - Programme (EEC) of financial support for projects to exploit alternative energy sources, 1979-1984 Argomento(i) 1.6 - INDUSTRY Invito a presentare proposte Data not available Meccanismo di finanziamento DEM - Demonstration contracts Coordinatore Fulmer Research Laboratories Ltd Contributo UE Nessun dato Indirizzo Hollybush Hill Stoke Poges SL2 4QD Slough Regno Unito Mostra sulla mappa Costo totale Nessun dato
