HEAT LOSS LADLES ENERGY SAVINGS

HEAT LOSS OF LIQUID METAL

1. 2. 3. 4. INTRODUCTION CONDUCTION HEAT TRANSFER HEAT RADIATION CONCLUSION

1. INTRODUCTION
This paper will consider the amounts of energy that are lost from liquid iron during typical foundry operations, look at some preventive measures as well as the benefits of more effective heat conservation in liquid iron. During processing liquid iron in ladles and holders, there will be a continuous reduction of temperature due to heat losses from conduction and radiation. In order to keep a usable pouring temperature into the mould, these heat losses must be compensated for by excess tapping temperatures at the furnace. This in turn leads to increased cost of heating the iron, as well as higher alloy consumption and refractory wear. By means of effective heat conservation, the losses and the consequences can be minimised, and thereby reduce the overall cost of produced iron. The heat losses comprise conduction heat transfer through refractory linings and heat radiation from hot surfaces, as will be presented in more details in the following with the ladle design as shown in next figure applied for calculation purposes.

Ir G.D HENDERIEC KX

GIETECH BV

OKTOBER 2006

HEAT LOSS LADLES ENERGY SAVINGS 2. CONDUCTION HEAT TRANSFER

Conduction heat transfer is governed by Fouriers law of conduction:

Q = - k * dT / Dx = -k * (T 2 T 1) / L = k * (T 1 T2) / L
Q K T1 T2 L heat transfer per unit area, in W / m thermal conductibility, in W / m * K temperature of hot surface, in C temperature of cold surface, in C refractory thickness, in m

The equation is negative because heat transfer is contrary to the direction of the heat gradient. Thermal conductivity varies between different refractory materials, and with temperature, as indicated by Table 1 below. Data on specific materials is available in reference books or from the supplier of the refractory material in question. Table 1: Some Typical Thermal Conductivity values. Material Al2O3-SiO 2 Refractories Insulating brick Ceramic fibre board Mineral wool blanket Vermiculite Steel 50 250 Low Al2O3 High Al2O 3 T [C] 600 800 700 1000 1000< 200 700 100 500 k [W / m * K] 0,80 1,00 1,20 1,25 1,30 1,40 0,30 1,40 0,30 0,80 0,04 0,05-0,06 0,04 1,06

Siliconcarbide (90 % SiC)

Single component wall An example of heat transfer through a single component lining: T1 = 1480 C = 1753 K, T2 = 45 C = 318 K; k = 1 W / m * K for high alumina lining; L = 51 mm = 0,051 m Q = 1 * (1753 - 318) / 0,051 = 28,1 kW / m For a single component alumina lining, the heat loss is 28 kW per square meter. Ir G.D HENDERIEC KX GIETECH BV OKTOBER 2006 2

HEAT LOSS LADLES ENERGY SAVINGS

Figure: Heat conduction through a single component wall a multiple component wall

Doubling the refractory thickness will cut the heat loss in half, but is normally not a useful solution for foundries that are trying to cut the weight of refractory to a minimum. A better alternative is to combine different materials in a multiple component lining. In this case, the heat transfer can be stated as follows:

Q = (T 1 T 2) / { (L1 / k1) + (L 2 / k 2) + }
Indices indicating for material 1, 2 and so on An example of heat transfer through a multiple component lining, composing a high alumina inner lining, an insulating brick layer and a outer ceramic paper layer: High alumina: Insulating brick: Ceramic paper: L1 = 25 mm, L2 = 25 mm, L3 = 6 mm, k1 = k2 = k3 = 1W /m*K 0,5 W / m * K 0,05 W / m * K

Q = (1753 - 318) / (0,025 + 0,050 + 0,12) = 7,4 kW / m For a multiple component lining, the heat loss is 7 kW per square meter. Thus, by changing the refractory materials, the heat loss through ladle walls are reduced by 75 % with only 5 mm increase in wall thickness. A reduction of 28 C in tapping temperature whilst maintaining the same pouring temperature has been reported by a foundry by a similar change of ladle linings. It should be noted that, in this case, the ceramic paper is the controlling factor, having a far lower thermal conductivity than the other two components. To take advantage of ceramic papers, the service temperature should not be exceeded and this can be controlled by the application of the refractory used at the working face. These should

Ir G.D HENDERIEC KX

GIETECH BV

OKTOBER 2006

HEAT LOSS LADLES ENERGY SAVINGS

not only protect the ceramic paper, but also have a low heat capacity to reduce the time and energy required for preheating. Further, the working face refractory should be porous to allow escape of moisture during curing. Other considerations in the selection of a refractory system include: 1. Knowledge of chemical reaction with metal or slag 2. Consideration of the refractory service temperature and the actual temperature of operation in the foundry 3. Cost of installation and maintenance equated to the lifespan of the refractory. It is an unfortunate fact that these factors often override the best refractory systems in terms of thermal efficiency. On many occasions, the use of a highly conductive working face material must be used, in which case selection of the baking materials becomes more critical. A telling example of this is ductile iron where, due to an interaction between magnesium and silica based lining, an alumina working face refractory is preferred. Alumina refractory tends to be more conductive to heat and thus the selection of other components in the system is more important.

Ir G.D HENDERIEC KX

GIETECH BV

OKTOBER 2006

HEAT LOSS LADLES ENERGY SAVINGS 3. HEAT RADIATION

Heat radiation is the main cause of heat loss from a hot surface (metal or inner ladle) and is given by the following:

Q = * * (T 14 -T24)
T1 T2 the the the the emissivity of the radiating body Stefan-Boltzmann constant (5,67 * 10 -8 W / m* K4), temperature of the radiating body temperature of the receiving body

The emissivity for a black body is 1, and for grey bodies between 0 and 1. Some common values are given in Table 2 below. Table 2: Some Common Emissivity values.

Surface
Sheet steel Molten iron Al 2O 3-SiO 2 Refractory Low Al 2O 3 H i g h Al2 O3

T [C]
25 50 1400 1600 1000 1500

0,81 0,83 0,25 0,40 0,65 0,80 0,45 0,60

An example of heat radiation from an exposed metal surface: T1 = 1480 C = 1753 K T2 = 45 C = 318 K = 0,33 Q = 0,33 * 5,67 *10 -8 * (17534 3184) = 176,6 kW / m or 29,4 kW for 1/6 m

From the exposed metal surface the heat loss will be 29,4 kW. Covering the ladle by a refractory lid will greatly reduce the heat losses, since after the initial heating of the lid, the net losses are restricted to conducted heat, ranging from 4,7 kW using a single component lid, down to 1,2 kW using a multiple component lid. A foundry with a 2,5 m long launder spout from a cupola, gained 22 C by covering the previously open launder. After emptying the ladle, the hot refractory lining will be the emitting body. According to Figure 1, the surface is 1 m. The net emitting surface, however, is limited to the ladle opening, which is approx. 1/6 m. Compared to a metal surface, a ladle lining will rapidly loose temperature. Ir G.D HENDERIEC KX GIETECH BV OKTOBER 2006 5

HEAT LOSS LADLES ENERGY SAVINGS

Examples of heat radiation from a ladle lining at 1480, 1000 and 500 C: T1 = 1480 / 1000 / 500 C = 1753 / 1273 / 773 K T2 = 45 C = 318 K = 0,45 Q(1480 C) = 0,45 * 5,67 *10-8 * (1753 4 3184) = 240,8 kW / m or 40,1 kW (1/6 m) Q(1000 C) = 0,45 * 5,67 * 10-8 * (1273 4 3184) = 66,8 kW / m or 11,1 kW (1/6 m) Q(500 C) = 0,45 * 5,67 * 10 -8 * (7734 318 4) = 8,9 kW / m or 1,5 kW for 1/6 m Thus, the heat radiation from an empty ladle will start at very high values (40 kW), but will rapidly decrease and will at about 500 C be of the same magnitude as the conductive heat loss through a insulating cover. Hence, the cover must be put on the empty ladle rather quickly after the pouring in order to give significant heat conservation. Our experience has shown that by covering the ladle between fills with a good insulator, tapping temperature reductions up to 30 C can be achieved, most notably this can be seen in such systems as fixed top covered tundish ladles. Most of the energy lost by radiation can be saved using a cover.

Ir G.D HENDERIEC KX

GIETECH BV

OKTOBER 2006

HEAT LOSS LADLES ENERGY SAVINGS 4. CONCLUSION

This paper has addressed the means of which heat and subsequently temperature are lost, and it is apparent that the major advantages of reducing these are: 1. Reduce the energy costs associated with melting as lower furnace temperatures are possible; 2. Increased productivity, due to reduced superheat requirements and thereby less time in the furnace. The gains are however not restricted to these, and the following benefits should also be noted: Increased refractory life: As stated above, the use of an insulating cover between fills will reduce the temperature variations during the pouring cycle. This is advantageous to reduce thermal shocks imposed on the lining, as well as ease slag removal when it is more fluid and does not freeze to the walls. This increases refractory life and reduces labour time / cost in repair. Reduced alloy costs: Lower tapping temperature leads to increased magnesium yield during treatments, and allows for less treatment alloy usage. From this, it may be predicted that a reduction of tapping temperature of 25 30 C can increase the Mg-recovery by about 10 %. Covered tundish ladle: Use of a tundish cover increases the efficiency of MgFeSi treatments considerably. Typically, Mg recovery in an open ladle is 30 70 %, whereas with the tundish 50 80 % could be expected. Casting quality : Thermally ineffective ladles can result in variable pouring temperatures and difficulties in controlling the temperature during the day. Such variations may lead to sand burn-on or porosity from hot metal, and cold misruns or slag defects from cold metal.

Ir G.D HENDERIEC KX

GIETECH BV

OKTOBER 2006