High Performance of Al-Melting Furnaces Using Immersion Heaters for Environmental Impact Reduction

Improving the energy use efficiency and reducing CO2 emissions in the manufacturing industry has become important in recent years. Al alloys contribute to the efficient use of energy in transportation equipment. However, Al products emit large amounts of CO2 during manufacturing, which is generated during the melting of Al ingots. This CO2 originates from burners that use hydrocarbons as fuels. Therefore, to reduce CO2 emissions, this study developed Al melting furnaces using immersion heaters, similar to those developed by Sanken Sangyo. The performance of the developed furnace was evaluated by comparing it with a burner furnace. An energy efficiency of 79% was achieved using the proposed furnace, which is higher than that of burner furnaces. It was also found that molten Al loss, caused by the oxidation of molten Al, was reduced. The stability of the molten Al temperature in immersion heater furnaces was found to be the same as that in burner furnaces, and it was considered that the burner furnace could be replaced. However, to expand the application of immersion heater furnaces, research on immersion heaters is required to improve its melting capacity.