BFI VDEh-Betriebsforschungsinstitut GmbH

Initial situation:

Industrial furnaces are insulated with refractory materials to minimise heat loss through the furnace walls. During furnace operation, the thermal insulation materials are exposed to high temperature loads, temperature changes, possibly aggressive atmospheres and dust loads. In the course of furnace operation, the thermal insulation must be regularly checked and repaired and replaced if necessary. When selecting the insulation materials, attention has so far mainly been paid to low thermal conductivity. The emissivity and reflectivity of the furnace wall, their influence on the heating process of the product and on the thermal insulation usually play a subordinate role or are not considered at all.

Project targets:

The transferability of the results from the previous project ‘VeRefCo’ from a pilot plant to an industrial furnace will be proved.

The ‘CERACOAT’ coating from the previous project is to be applied in two thermal processing plants at Gontermann-Peipers and analysed in operation. As the conditions in the industrial plant differ from those in the technical centre, an operational investigation is necessary. The influence of the coating on the heating of the product and the heat losses during operation will be demonstrated in order to be able to make reliable statements about the savings effect.

Innovative approaches:

A new stable coating with low emissivity reduces wall heat loss and at the same time minimises wear on the thermal insulation.

Benefits for the industry:

A coating that can be applied cost-effectively to fiber insulation on thermoprocessing systems with little time and effort would be an easy-to-implement and financially favorable option,

- increase the efficiency of the process,

- reduce the heating time and thus increase throughput and

- increase the service life of fiber insulation.