Fluidized-bed technology gaining ground

Fluidized-bed technology gaining ground

The new-generation fluidized-bed furnaces have no distributor pipes or tiles.

Resource-saving heat treatment of wire: Already two furnaces of this technology in the commissioning phase

The new fluidized-bed furnaces for the heat treatment of wire, which Wire Körner presented for the first time at Wire 2010, have convinced wire producers: The first two plants of this kind will be operational before Wire 2012 opens its doors. These innovative furnaces, which have no distributor pipes or tiles, afford the benefit of lower energy consumption by up to 15 percent and low investment and maintenance costs. Additionally, premixing of the combustion gas outside the furnace guarantees uniform temperature distribution and reduced emissions.

The first two orders were placed right after Wire Körner had introduced the new fluidized-bed furnace at Wire in 2010. The first furnace is currently being commissioned at a customer“s site in Turkey. The second one is being installed in Ecuador. At Wire 2012, Wire Körner will present first reports on practical experience with this new technology.

The patent-pending furnaces dispense with distributor elements as typically used in conventional designs. This eliminates a number of components which used to be considered indispensible in the past, as, for example, the fairly complex and expensive distributor tiles, perforated distribution pipes or stand-by blowers.

Peter Kordt, Managing Owner of Wire Körner, expects significant cost reductions for his customers: „The simplicity of the design has obviously convinced our customers. The new technology saves up to 15 percent of energy compared to conventional furnaces. Also the savings on maintenance will be significant, because what does not exist does not need to be serviced or maintained.“

The absence of the distributor equipment markedly reduces flow resistance of the combustion gas inside the furnace. Hence the required blower capacity can be lower than that of competing designs by about 20 percent. Not only the smaller blower unit but also the overall simplified furnace design will markedly reduce capital costs. Additionally, the new design no longer requires a stand-by blower, which was necessary in the past to provide cooling air to cool the steel structures in the event of a power failure.

As the combustion gas is premixed outside the furnace, the new design achieves a uniform fuel-air mixing ratio throughout the fluidized bed and a homogeneous temperature distribution over the width and length. This results in higher combustion efficiency and lower emissions of unburned hydrocarbons.

Through carefully customized control algorithms, efficiency is maximized at all loads. This saves up to 15 percent energy. For a typically sized furnace, this means more than 7,000 euros per year saved on energy.

Wire Körner at Wire 2012 in Düsseldorf:
Hall 9, stand C14

About Wire Körner

Wire Körner GmbH designs and manufactures plant and equipment for the complete process chain of wire and narrow strip heat treatment, from the drawn wire through to the finished end product. The range of heat treatment plants comprises bell-type, chamber and channel furnaces for patenting, annealing, galvanizing, hardening, tempering and chemical treatments. The company provides design, engineering, manufacture, erection, commissioning and after sales service. Wire Körner maintains a worldwide network of branches and licensees.

Wire Körner’s numerous quality and efficiency-enhancing innovations regularly attract the industry“s attention. For example, the recently developed wire patenting furnace with an innovative atmosphere control system achieves substantial energy savings, or the recuperative immersion burner for ceramic galvanizing furnaces has been designed for very long service lives, just to mention a few examples.

Wire Körner is a company of the Körner Group, which was established in 1928. Thus the company builds on more than 80 years of experience in industrial furnace technology and auxiliary equipment. Within the group, Zink Körner GmbH specializes in plants for piece galvanizing. TVT Kordt GmbH develops plants for thermal process technology, with a focus on industrial furnaces for the heat treatment of steels, special steels and non-ferrous metals.

Kontakt:
Wire Koerner GmbH
Peter Kordt
Profilstraße 9
58093 Hagen/Germany
+49.2331.800680
+49.2331.800688
www.wirekoerner.com
info@wirekoerner.com

Pressekontakt:
VIP-Kommunikation
Regina Reinhardt
Süsterfeldstraße 83
52072 Aachen/Germany
reinhardt@vip-kommunikation.de
+49.241.89468-24
http://www.vip-kommunikation.de