Vol-5 Issue-3 2019 IJARIIE-ISSN(O)-2395-4396

Experimental Investigation of Process

Parameters for Conservation of Energy in
Ferrous Foundries
Pankaj Maurya1, Dr. Gajanan Patange2, Apurva Indrodia3,

1
Researcher, Production Department, Ahmedabad Institute of Technology, Gujarat, India
2
Assistant Professor, Mechanical Department, CHARUSAT University, Gujarat, India
3
Assistant Professor, Production Department, Ahmedabad Institute of Technology, Gujarat, India

ABSTRACT
The continued crises in energy and the lack of efficient energy conservation practices in many foundries, there
arises a need to identify the factors that have the higher potential to save the energy. The study in this paper would
present the Energy Audit of the “melting unit” of the foundry when using ‘different quality of raw materials’. This
evaluation would cover only three process parameters of the melting sector of the foundry – viz. charge material,
charging practice and radiation loss. This will give us a brief overview of the energy consumption of the foundry for
melting different quality of charge materials, and thus the same can be compared with the difference in cost
incurred to the foundry by the use of such qualities of scrap as their raw material for production. It will also present
the study for the radiation loss that occurs during the melting phase. This study of radiation loss will help us to
provide with the actual comparison of the amount of the energy that can be saved by the utilization of such
technique. The results obtained from this study would help the foundries to choose proper quality of raw material,
and thus will enhance the efficiency and would reduce the cost of production of the foundry.

Keywords: - charge material, charging practice, radiation loss, energy audit

1. Introduction:

Cast iron has found its applications in various fields over the past century. The use of products manufactured from
different forms of cast iron, viz. grey cast iron, white cast iron, malleable cast iron and ductile cast iron, has found
its applications in almost form of industries. The burgeoning growth of the cast iron production has been so fast, that
in present times it has become one of the largest manufacturing industries in the world.

Cast iron is basically obtained from pig iron, which is the product of smelting iron ore in the blast furnace. Cast
iron is sometimes melted in a special type of blast furnace known as cupola, but in modern applications, it is more
often melted in electric induction furnaces or electric arc furnaces. After the melting is complete, the molten cast
iron is poured into the holding furnace or ladle, and then they are poured in the sand mold to get the desired shape of
the castings.

The use of Induction furnace has been increased rapidly due to the numerous advantages that it has to offer which
other type of furnaces fail to do. But one the main problems which the foundry faces while using the induction
furnace is its high energy requirement.

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Foundry is an energy intensive sector, where the electricity is required for molding operations, air compressors, fans
and lights, cranes and hoists, post machining operations and many more. So the electricity consumption of the
foundry is high. And for the foundries which uses induction furnace to melt the metal, they have even higher
consumption of electricity, where maximum amount of energy is been consumed by the induction furnace itself.

1.1 Induction Furnace

Induction furnaces are used to melt both ferrous and non-ferrous metals. There are several types of induction furnace
available and all operate by utilizing a strong magnetic field created by passing an electric current through a coil
wrapped around a furnace. The magnetic field in turn creates a voltage across, and subsequently an electric current
through the metal. The electrical resistance of the metal produces heat, which in turn melts the metal.

Because there is no contact between the charge and the energy-carrier, the induction furnace is suited for the melting
of steel, cast iron and non-ferrous metals, so long as a suitable lining material can be found. Furnace capacities range
from 10kg up to 60 tonnes.

There are mainly three types of Induction Furnace. They are

(1) Coreless Induction Furnace
(2) Channel Furnace
(3) Pressure Pour Furnace

(1). Coreless Induction Furnaces:

The coreless induction furnace is a refractory lined vessel with electrical current carrying coils surrounding the
refractory crucible. A metallic charge consisting of scrap, pig iron and ferroalloys are typically melted in this vessel.

(2). Channel Furnaces:

In a channel furnace, induction heating takes place in the “channel,” a relatively small and narrow area at the bottom
of the main bath. The channel passes through a laminated steel core and around the coil assembly.

(3). Pressure Pour Furnace:

A pressure pour is, in essence, a channel furnace, that is carefully sealed so that the metal can be moved out of the
furnace by way of pressurizing the chamber above the molten metal bath in the furnace.

1.2 Coreless Induction Furnace

In a coreless induction furnace, a water-cooled, helical copper coil surrounds a refractory-lined cavity containing the
charge material. An induced current is produced in the charge material by an alternating current in the coil. Once the
charge is molten, stirring action occurs as a result of the interaction of currents in the melt with the magnetic field.
Stirring velocity increases at higher power and lower frequencies.

The oxides of aluminium (alumina), silicon (silica) and magnesium (magnesia) are the most important materials
used in the manufacturing of refractories. Another oxide usually found in refractories is the oxide of calcium (lime).
Fire clays are also widely used in the manufacture of refractories.

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Figure 1. Coreless Induction Furnace

2. Losses in Induction Furnace

The Sankey diagram below shows that 20 - 30% of electrical energy supplied to a coreless furnace is absorbed by
the cooling water system. There has been considerable effort to improve the efficiency of coil design and refractory
lining construction to reduce these losses. As the coil and crucible diameters increase, the area of exposed metal
surface also increases, along with heat losses through the lid. In addition, the larger the furnace diameter the more
difficult it becomes to de-slag, increasing operator discomfort from greater heat exposure. However, the larger the
furnace diameter the more readily it can be charged, decreasing the risk of charge bridging or damage to the top of
the crucible refractory lining. When considering the ‘optimum’ crucible there will always be a trade-off between
energy efficiency and ease of operation.

A major heat loss to the cooling water system of coreless induction furnaces is via conduction through the refractory
lining. The lining thickness can be used to control heat loss, but, as this dimension also affects the coupling between
the charge and the coil, power factor values and electrical efficiency, only limited scope for energy conservation is
possible. Some foundries use the refractory lid to close the furnace opening to stop the heat loss (radiation loss) from
the molten metal during melting, while some foundries also adopt a policy of ensuring that the lids are well-fitted
and sealed at the finish of melting, thereby retaining the maximum amount of heat before recharging.

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Figure 2 Energy losses in a mains frequency coreless furnace (Sankey Diagram)

3. Energy Study of Foundry

The foundry has many processes that need to be carried out in order to produce a casting, and each of them has their
own share of cost in the final production cost. Though they seem trivial in the eyes of a common man, but when the
study is been carried out for the energy study of the foundry, then all such aspects needs to be considered. A diagram
below shows the process energy cost distribution for all the major sectors of the foundry.

Based on the International Energy Agency (IEA)’s statistical data published in 2012, the iron and steel industry has
the technical potential to reduce its energy consumption by approximately 20% of the current total energy
consumption of the sector, by applying best available technology (BAT). Research is also examining ways to
improve melt loss, which directly affects the net melting energy consumption. This analysis assumes that yield and
scrap losses are proportional to energy losses.

The process energy cost is necessary to identify the areas where the foundry can implement new techniques to cut
down the production cost, and thus improve the profit. But apart from this process energy cost, the major factor
which plays an important role in the cost savings of the foundry is the energy consumption by each sector of the
foundry. The standard distribution of the energy consumption of the different sectors of the foundry is been given in
the table below. Any deviation from this data shows that the particular sector of the foundry has the potential for the
energy savings.

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Figure 3: Process Energy Cost Distribution of the foundry [15]

Table 1: Standard Distribution of Energy Consumption [2]

Sr.No Sections Energy

Consumption
1 Melting 70%
2 Moulding and core making 10%
3 Sand plant 6%
4 Lighting 5%
5 Compressor 5%
6 Other 4%

The energy consumption table above shows the standard percentage electrical distribution in the foundry industry as
defined by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII standard). [2]

As we can see in the above table that the highest energy consumption in the foundry is by the melting sector, so we
can say that the melting unit of the foundry has the highest potential for the energy savings. So we will carry our
experiments related to melting unit only, so we can end up with some conclusive results by performing various
experiments.

4. Experimental Work

There are many process parameters in the melting sector of the foundry which can contribute to the conservation of
energy if they are taken proper care of. But to constrict our study, we have considered only three process parameters
viz. charge material (quality), charging practice (size), and radiation loss.

The process is been carried out in the induction furnace of capacity 500 kg, water cooled, and having the maximum
output power of 550 kW. The dimensions of the furnace are as follows.

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(a) (b)
Figure 4. (a) Top view, and (b) Cross-sectional view of the dimensions of induction furnace

The materials being melted are put into the furnace in a batch of 500 kg during each melt cycle. There are total 13
experiments that consist of 13 different sets of mixtures of materials that are being melted at different times. The
500 kg mixture comprised of 260 kg Pig Iron, 150 kg MS Scrap, and remaining 90 kg of weight of casting scrap.

The experiment also consists of 13 sets of experiments that is performed for the calculation of the prevention of
radiation loss. All the other parameters during the experiment remain the same. For the prevention of the radiation
loss, the polycrystalline wool of 4cm thickness is been put on the opening of the furnace. The total melt time is 55
minutes, out of which the furnace is been kept open for 20 minutes for the charging and de-slagging of the melt, and
for the rest 35 minutes the opening is been covered with the polycrystalline wool to prevent the radiation loss.

The different materials used during the experiment are as follows:

(a)

(b)

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(c)

(d)

(e)

(f)

(g)

(h)

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(i) (j)

(k) (l)

(m) (n)

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(o) (p)

Figure 5. (a) Pig iron (big pieces) (b) Pig iron (small pieces) (c) Old Casting scrap (small pieces) (d) Old Casting
scrap (big pieces) (e) Old casting scrap (small and rusty) (f) Runners/risers and excess casting parts (dirty surface)
(g) Runners/risers and excess casting parts (clean surface) (h) Very small or compact casting scrap (rusted) (i) Very
small or compact casting scrap (not rusted) (j) Machined Casting scrap (fresh and clean) (k) Chips formed during
machining (l) Iron Powder (m) Recycled Scrap (small pieces) (n) Recycled Scrap (big pieces) (o) MS Scrap (p) the
casting which the company manufactures where the experiments were carried out

The experimental results obtained during melting them for both with and without radiation loss is been given in the
table below.

Sr. No. Charge Material Open Top Closed Top

1 Pig Iron ( Big Pieces ) + M.S. Scrap + Old Casting Scrap – (Small Pieces) 357 330
2 Pig Iron ( Small Pieces ) + M.S. Scrap + Old Casting Scrap - (Small Pieces) 337 319
3 Pig Iron ( Small ) + M.S. Scrap + Old Casting Scrap – (Big Pieces) 343 323
4 Pig Iron ( Small ) + M.S. Scrap + Old Casting Scrap – (Small and 351 332
Rusted/Dusty)
5 Pig Iron (Small ) + M.S. Scrap + Runners/Risers & Excess Casting Parts 341 323
(Dirty Surface)
6 Pig Iron ( Small ) + M.S. Scrap + Runners & Risers ( Clean Surface ) 333 316
7 Pig Iron (Small) + M.S. Scrap + Very small / compact casting scrap - Rusted 335 319
8 Pig Iron (Small) + M.S. Scrap + Very small / compact casting scrap – Not 327 312
Rusted
9 Pig Iron(Small) + M.S. Scrap + Machined Casting Scrap - Fresh & Clean 334 317
10 Pig Iron (Small) + M.S. Scrap + Chips formed during Turning 323 310
11 Pig Iron (Small) + M.S. Scrap + Iron Powder 318 306
12 Pig Iron (Small) + M.S. Scrap + Recycled slag – Small Pieces 346 330
13 Pig Iron (Small) + M.S. Scrap + Recycled slag – Big Pieces 339 317

Table 2. Experimental results for radiation loss and without radiation loss

Thus from the above table it can be observed that the radiation loss is higher in few of the mixtures. Thus the total
savings of units of electricity by preventing radiation loss can be shown in the form of graph.

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Figure. 6 Graph showing the total number of units that can be saved by the prevention of radiation loss

5. The cost analysis of the process

In the market, all the different casting scraps come at different prices depending upon the type and quality of the
material. Our experiment consists of those different quality of casting scrap, so their cost analysis becomes an
important aspect in deciding whether that particular casting scrap is worth using or not. The same analysis would be
done by comparing it with the total cost of the melting of those casting scrap to give a better comparative result.

For the comparative result of the cost of the raw materials and their melting cost, the below table is generated. The
table consists of the values like the cost of the raw materials as per the market conditions, and the value of per unit
cost of the electricity, and the total difference in the cost of the raw material and the melting cost.

Table 4 Comparison of the cost of the material and the cost of the melting

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In the provided chart, here the mixture 1 is not been shown during the presentation, because it is just marked in the
above table only to show that the melting cost of mixture 1 is obviously higher than that of the mixture 2; where
they both have same casting scrap as their raw material and just the pig iron is changed in both of them. So this
shows that the pig iron used in the mixture 1 is not at all suitable to be used in terms of the cost analysis.

The above values obtained as the difference in the cost of the raw materials and their melting cost, they can be
represented in a simpler way in the form of the chart. The higher the value of the cost difference, the costlier it
would be to melt that raw material as per its market value of the raw material and the corresponding value of
electricity consumed to melt them.

Figure. 7 Graph showing the cost difference of the melting cost and the cost of the raw materials

It can be observed from the above chart that the mixtures 4 and 12 have the highest cost difference in terms of their
melting cost and their raw material cost. So this shows that they are not suitable to melt in the induction furnace
when their corresponding electricity consumption is been taken into account to melt the material. They can be easily
used in the other types of furnace.

6. Slag Produced during melting

When the metal is being melted, then all the impurities present in the raw materials get accumulated at the top of the
molten metal as they are light in weight in comparison to the molten metal. Thus, they can be removed from the
molten metal by addition of fluxes like sodium carbonate, calcium fluoride, calcium carbide, borates, olivines,
sodium chloride (rock salt), calcium aluminates and ilmenite. [20]

The melting of different quality of casting scrap material produces different amount of slag, depending upon the dirt,
dust, sand and other impurities like different oxides present in the raw material. The following result is necessary in
determining the selection of the material based on how much loss of the material the company has to sustain by the
use of that particular quality of the material. The following values are the average of the two sets of experiments
performed.

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Table 5 Slag Produced during the melting operation

The values of the amount of the slag generated during the melting of each mixture can be expressed in the form of a
chart for the easy analysis.

The chart below shows the amount of the slag generated from each mixture composition

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Figure. 8 Graph showing the weight of slag produced during the melting

From the above graph and the corresponding values, it can be noticed that the melting of the mixtures 4, 11 and 12
have the maximum production of slag during the melting. Thus the company has to bear the metal losses associated
with it when melting such mixtures.

The loss of the metal associated with the production of the slag can be termed in the cost analysis form, where the
cost of the raw material is been taken as the comparative term along with the amount of the slag produced. The
related information of the comparative study is been shown in the form of the table, as shown below.

Table 6.5 Cost analysis of the Total loss incurred from the slag production

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7. CONCLUSION

From the above experiments performed, it can be observed that the radiation loss is less in those mixtures which are
compact in size. It is also observed that the radiation loss plays an important role in the conservation of the energy.
So it is recommended that the foundries should always cover the top open surface of the furnace with the refractory
material to prevent the heat from escaping into the atmosphere. Also from the cost analysis of the process it can be
observed that there are some materials which are not suitable to be melted in the furnace as they might add up the
manufacturing cost. The study of the slag generation during the melting of each mixtures shows that those materials
which have more dirt stuck to their surface, or the materials which are rusty, they have more amount of the slag
generation. Thus these types of materials are less suitable to be melted in the furnace. Thus from the above all
experiments, it can be concluded that the foundry remains are the best scrap material to be used for the melting. But
as the material demand would not be fulfilled by the foundry remains (as they are very less in quantity), so the best
possible alternative to it would be the small casting scrap which are not rusty. Thus by such study, the foundries can
have tremendous help in increasing their profits.

8. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
This report is the result of my research done at the Department of Production Engineering, Ahmedabad
Institute of Technology, Ahmedabad in the academic year 2018-19. This research supported by Ahmedabad Institute
of Technology, Gujarat Technological University and Shivam Castings, Ahmedabad, Gujarat.

My gratitude goes to my guides Assistant Professor Dr. Gajanan Patange and Apurva Indrodia for continuous
guidance and support throughout my work. I would also like to thank Shivam Castings, Ahmedabad for their support
in conducting experiments in industry.

Finally, a special thank you is due to my friends and family, who have supported me during my research.

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