Development of a cylindrical gas-fired furnace for reycling aluminium in small scale foundries

Abstract

This study presents the development of a cylindrical gas-fired furnace, which could be used for recycling aluminum in small-scale foundries in Nigeria. The crucible, combustion chamber, suspension shaft and bearings were appropriately sized. The furnace chamber was 410 mm high and 510 mm diameter and had a design capacity of 15 kg/hr. A heat balance program was used to estimate the fuel consumption and the burner power was determined as 56.6 kW. The furnace was assembled and tested by melting 2.5 kg of aluminum scrap. It was able to melt the aluminum at an efficiency of 25.6%. It was observed that there were large energy losses, which could be reduced by proper furnace sealing and the use of a recuperator to recycle heat from exhaust gases to preheat the air for combustion.

Keywords: Cylindrical furnace, heat balance, foundries, aluminum, burner power