Energy balance of a belt sinter furnace

Controlling the energy consumption in PM processes is becoming increasingly crucial, as in all competing industries. It has been shown that the core PM process of sintering is responsible for most of the energy consumption. 1 2 To improve understanding of the energy flows, a detailed analysis has been undertaken of a typical belt furnace, involving the mass flow of belt, sinter trays and payload as well as the flow of protective gases, combustible gases and electric energy. Different loading conditions were investigated to generate a complete image of the furnace. Various details have been analysed in a flow canal to understand the physics. The monitored data were matched and checked against a calculated physical balance.