Process heating finds its application in
various type of industrial application across different industry verticals.
Single manufacturing process involves different type of heat treatments. Hence,
it’s important to understand which type of heating application is required in
your processing. In layman’s language process heating is just generation of
heat and transfer to product under process, however there are lot of
technicalities involved based on type of product, time of manufacturing,
desired output quality, intermediate processes and etc.
Process heating applications can be grouped
into 14 key categories:
| Agglomeration and Sintering | Incineration/Thermal Oxidation |
| Calcining | Melting: High-Temperature |
| Curing | Melting: Low-Temperature |
| Drying | Metals Reheating |
| Heating Fluid | Separating |
| Forming | Smelting |
| Heat Treating | Other Heating Processes |
* Application of Process heating is not limited to
only these 14 categories, there are endless potential application of process
heating. Above categories are based on various study materials and our
experience. (www.riotcitywrestling.com)
In this article we will try to cover 7 of them
and other 7 will follow in upcoming articles.
Agglomeration
and Sintering
Agglomeration and sintering is process of
heating of a mass of fine particles below the melting point to form larger
particles or solid parts. Sintering is normally used in the manufacturing of
advanced ceramics and the production of specialty metals.
Application:
- Metals Production
Equipment Type:
- Various Furnace Types, Kilns,
Microwave
Industry:
- Metal
- Ceramic
Calcining
Calcination is a process of heating a
substance under controlled temperature and in a controlled environment. The
process is done for decomposition of calcium carbonate to calcium oxide
and carbon dioxide, through direct or indirect heating. Calcining is performed
to improve the chroma, tinctorial strength, pigmentary texture, weather
stability, light-fastness and thermal stability of pigment.
Application:
- Lime Calcining
Equipment
Type:
- Various Furnace Types
Industry:
- Cement
- Wallboard
- Pulp and Paper Manufacturing
- Primary Metal
Curing
Curing process employed in polymer
chemistry and process engineering applications that produces/increase the
toughening or hardening of a polymer material by cross-linking of polymer
chains. Curing is also used to speed up the cure of polyurethane rubbers and
plastics, platinum silicone rubbers, epoxy resins and other type of materials.
This process is usually performed in controlled heating environment. In the
manufacturing of plastics, curing is the cross-linking reaction of a polymer,
also common step in the application of coatings to metallic and non-metallic
materials.
Application:
- Coating
- Polymer Production
- Enameling
Equipment
Type:
- Various Furnace Types
- Ovens
- Kilns
- Lehrs
- Infrared
- UV
- Electron Beam
- Induction
Industry:
- Ceramics
- Stone
- Glass
- Primary Metals
- Chemicals
- Plastics and Rubber
Drying
Drying process is performed to eliminate or
remove moisture, water and other solvents from the material under processing
through direct or indirect heating. Drying is very common application found in
almost all type of industries such as stone, clay, glass industries, food
processing, sand, textile, pharmaceutical, chemical and ceramic are only few of
them. There are several types of dryer’s present operation in batch and/or
continuous mode like Conventional Dryers, Microwave Dryers, Radio Frequency
Dryers, Infrared Dryers, HOT AIR Dryer – Stenter, Tunnel Dryers, Pneumatic/
Flash Dryer, Drum Dryers, Spray Drying, Contact Drying- Steam Cylinders/Can,
Fluid Bed Dryers, Rotary Dryers and etc.
Application:
- Water, Moisture and Organic
Compound Removal
Equipment type:
- Fuel-Based Dryers
- Hot Air/steam
- Infrared
- Resistance
- Microwave
- Radio-Frequency
Industry:
- Stone
- Clay
- Glass Industries
- Food Processing
- Sand
- Textile
- Pharmaceutical
- Chemical
- Ceramic
- Petroleum Refining
- Agricultural
- Pulp and Paper
Fluid
Heating
In process of fluid heating the temperature of a liquid or gas increased, to achieve the complete or partial vaporization of the fluid, and is performed for a wide range of purposes in many industries, including chemicals, food processing, and petroleum refining. In chemical manufacturing, fluids are heated in both batch and continuous processes to induce or moderate a chemical reaction. Food processing applications include cooking, fermentation, and sterilization. In petroleum refining, fluid heating is used to distil crude oil into several component products.
Application:
- Food Preparation
- Chemical Production
- Reforming
- Distillation
- Cracking
- Hydro-treating
Equipment Type:
- Various Furnace Types
- Reactors
- Resistance Heaters
- Microwave
- Infrared
- Fuel-based Fluid Heaters
- Immersion Heaters
Application:
- Agricultural and Food
- Chemical Manufacturing
- Petroleum Refining
Forming
Forming operations, such as extrusion and molding,
use process heating to improve or sustain the workability of materials.
Examples include the extrusion of rubber and plastics, the hot-shaping of
glass, and plastic thermoforming.
Application:
- Extrusion
- Molding
Equipment Type:
- Various Ovens and Furnaces
Industry:
- Rubber
- Plastics
- Glass
Heat Treating
Hardness, strength, flexibility, and the
reduction of residual stresses are achieved by heat treating the material in
controlled heating and cooling environment. Heat treating processes need the accurate
control of temperature over the heating cycle. Heat treating is used
extensively in metals, glass, ceramic and plastic industry for tempering and
annealing.
Application:
- Hardening
- Annealing
- Tempering
Equipment Type:
- Various Fuel-Based Furnace
Types - Ovens
- Kilns
- Lehrs
- Laser
- Resistance
- Induction
- Electron Beam
Industry:
- Primary Metals
- Fabricated Metal Products
- Glass
- Ceramic
- Plastic