ELECTRIC FURNACES

A furnace is essentially a thermal enclosure and is employed to process raw materials at high
temperatures both in solid state and liquid state. Several industries like iron and steel making, non
ferrous metals production, glass making, manufacturing, ceramic processing, calcination in cement
production etc. employ furnace.

An electric arc furnace heats charged material by means of an electric arc

The principle objectives are

a) To utilize heat efficiently so that losses are minimum, and

b) To handle the different phases (solid, liquid or gaseous) moving at different velocities for different
times and temperatures such that erosion and corrosion of the refractory are minimum.

Based on electrical energy which is converted into thermal energy electrical furnace are classified into
following class

1. Arc furnace

2. Resistance furnace

3. Induction furnace

1. Arc furnace

Heat is generated in the electric arc between two or more electrodes which are usually of graphite or
carbon which can burn only in gaseous atmosphere. In other words, the heat in the arc furnace is
generated by an electric arc between the electrodes and furnace charge or between two or more
electrode.

The arc furnaces are therefore two types: 

Direct arc furnaces

In the direct heat furnaces, arc is used to heat a gas in which the arc is burning and the charge
forms a part of the electric circuit. In direct arc furnace, heat is generated directly in the material to be
heated. We can thus say that in direct arc furnaces, the charge is a part of the electrical circuit.

Indirect arc furnace

In indirect heat furnaces, the arc burns above the charge and the latter does not form a part of
the electrical heating circuit. In indirect arc furnace, heat is generated in heat source, which is separated
from the charge and then heat is transferred to the charge by conduction, convection and/or radiation.
The electrodes may or may not consume in the operation. In indirect arc furnaces the charge is not a
part of electrical heating circuit.

2. Resistance furnace
Heat is produced by the resistance in the electrical current i.e. heat is generated in a solid or liquid
resistor. In some furnaces the material forming the charge acts as the resistance and does self-heating
while in other furnaces the body of the furnaces is made of a resistance material which causes heating.

Resistance furnaces are of two types.

Direct heat resistance

When the charged material acts as the electric resistance required for the necessary heat, the
furnace is called direct heating resistance furnace

Indirect heat resistance

when high resistance material is added to the charge in order to generate heat, the furnace is
known as indirect heat resistance furnace.

3. Induction furnaces- The current is transmitted through the charge without physical contact between
the charge and electric supply system and such furnaces may be applied only for conducting substances
such as metals. In other words, in these furnaces, the electric energy is converted into heat by the
induced currents set up in the charge. They can be operated at frequencies as high as 500000cycles/sec,
but for commercial electro thermal processes, furnace that operate up to 6000cycles/sec are quit
sufficient. In the low frequency furnace, the charge was placed around an iron core, while in the high
frequency furnace, the iron core was not necessary. The heating effect was caused with lower field
strengths as the frequency is increased. As the frequency increased, the field strength decreased which
increased the heating effect.

RESISTANCE HEATING

When current passes through a resistance, Power loss takes place there in ,which appears in
the form of heat

Electrical energy converted into heat energy

H = I2Rt

Power loss = I2R watts

= VI Watts

= V2/R watt

The resistance heating is further classified into three types

• Direct resistance heating

• Indirect resistance heating.

• Infra red or Radiant heating.

 Direct Resistance Heating

• In this method of heating, current is passed through the material or charge to be heated. Charge
is considered in a furnace and two electrodes or three electrodes for 3phase are immersed in
the charge. The resistance offered by the charge to the flow of current causes power loss I2R and
it results in the heating of the charge. The charge may be in the form of solid pieces, powder or
liquid. When solid pieces are to be heated a powder of high resistivity material is sprinkled over
surface of charge. This is to avoid pinch effect. The current passes through the charge and heat
is produced.

This method of heating is used in

• Resistance welding

• The electrode boiler for heating water

• Salt bath furnace which is used for hardening steel tools and prevents oxidation

Indirect Resistance Heating

 • In this method of heating, current is passed through a high resistance wire known as heating
element. The heating element can be placed above or below the furnace/charge. Charge will
enclose the heating element for efficient heat transfer. The heat produced in the element is
transferred to the charge by radiation or convection methods.

This method of heating is used in

• Room heaters

• Bimetallic strip used in starters

• Water heater i.e. immersion heater

• Ovens like domestic cooking

• Salt bath furnace

INDUCTION HEATING

Induction heating is a non-contact heating process. It uses high frequency electricity to heat materials
that are electrically conductive. Since it is non-contact, the heating process does not contaminate the
material being heated. It is also very efficient since the heat is actually generated inside the workpiece.
This can be contrasted with other heating methods where heat is generated in a flame or heating
element, which is then applied to the workpiece. For these reasons Induction Heating lends itself to
some unique applications in industry.

The heating by the induction method occurs when an electrically conductive material is placed in a varying magnetic
field. Induction heating is a rapid form of heating in which a current is induced directly into the part being heated.

An alternative electromagnetic field induces eddy currents in the metal which converts the electric energy to heat
without any physical contact between the induction coil and the work piece.

• Induction heating process makes use of currents induced by electromagnetic action in the
material to be heated

• It uses transformer principle

 A source of high frequency electricity is used to drive a large alternating current through a coil.
This coil is known as the work coil.
The alternating magnetic field induces a current flow in the conductive work piece. The
arrangement of the work coil and the work piece can be thought of as an electrical transformer.
The work coil is like the primary where electrical energy is fed in, and the work piece is like a
single turn secondary that is short-circuited. This causes tremendous currents to flow through
the work piece. These are known as eddy currents.

TYPES OF INDUCTION FURNACE

• The high frequency heating can be applied mainly to two classes of materials firstly, Conducting
materials & secondary insulating materials

• Heating of first type of materials is called induction heating and heating of Second type of
materials is dielectric heating

Core Type Induction Heating

• The Core type furnace is essentially a transformer. Primary side is connected to supply.
Secondary side contains charge (materials) in iron core annular hearth. The charge is
magnetically coupled to the primary by an iron core. To start the furnace Molten metal is
poured in the annular hearth before start. Otherwise there is no material and the secondary
side is open and no current will be induced .Hence no heating will take place .This is convenient
where the furnace is to be used for melting different types of charges.

Disadvantages

• A crucible of inconvenient shape is required

• Low power factor due to poor magnetic coupling between primary and secondary

• frequency converter is required

• It is bulky due to the presence of core

Ajax Wyatt Vertical Core Furnace

It is an improvement over the core type induction furnace. The magnetic coupling in this furnace
is better than core type furnace. Leakage reactance is comparatively low and frequency is high,
hence it is high frequency furnace.

It employs vertical crucible instead of horizontal. The circulation of Molten metal takes place
round the ‘V’ portion by convection currents. Inside the furnace is lined depending upon the
charge .The top of the furnace is covered with an insulated cover which can be removed for
charging. Hydraulic arrangements are usually made for tilting the furnace to remove the molten
metal.
 Indirect Core Type Induction Furnace

This type of furnace is used for heat treatment of metals. The wall of the container forms the
secondary winding. Iron core links the primary as well as secondary. Heat produced in the
secondary due to induced current is transmitted to the charge by radiation.

Coreless Induction Heating

• When high frequency of 500 of 1000 Hz supply is given to primary windings. The eddy currents
are set up in charge or container by transformer action. There currents heat the charge to
melting point and they also set up the electromagnetic force which produces a stirring action to
the charge. The furnace becomes relatively light in weight and can be easily tilted for pouring
the metal.

Advantages

• High speed of heating

• Well suited for intermittent operation

• High quality of product

• Low operating cost

Advantages of Induction Furnace

  Induction heating is a clean form of heating
 High rate of melting or high melting efficiency
 Alloyed steels can be melted without any loss of alloying elements
 Controllable and localized heating

Disadvantages of Induction Furnace

 High capital cost of the equipment

 High operating cost

DIELECTRIC HEATING – Employed for heating non metals

Dielectric heating, also called Capacitance Heating, method by which the temperature of an
electrically non conducting (insulating) material can be raised by subjecting the material to a
high-frequency electromagnetic field. The method is widely employed industrially for heating
thermosetting glues, for drying lumber and other fibrous materials, for preheating plastics
before molding, and for fast jelling and drying of foam rubber.

The material to be heated is placed between two metal plates, called electrodes, to which a
source of high-frequency energy is connected. The resultant heating, in homogeneous materials,
occurs throughout the material.

When an electric field is applied to a dielectric, the material becomes polarized.If the field id
reversed the polarization charges reverses its position. Thus if the field oscillates the polarization
charges also oscillates. Depending on the material the motion of the charges is resisted, leading
to local heating.

At very high frequencies rubbing between the charges lead to heat development and the
temperature of the material increases.