Everything you Need to Know about Industrial Furnaces Chapter One – What is an Industrial Furnace? A furnace is a direct fired device used to provide heat for industrial processes that require heat in excess of 400° C (752° F). Any industrial application that relies on heat to create a reaction or heat materials for production uses an Industrial Furnace. Of the many types of equipment and machines used for production and processing, furnaces are the most reliable. Through the combustion of fuels and gases, raw materials and products are heated by direct or indirect contact. The construction of a furnace includes heat exchangers, air and flue blowers, fuel control, burners, pilot or ignition device, control circuitry, and a thermostat. Though these are typical components, furnace designs vary to meet the need of an application or function. Furnaces differ mainly by the types of fuel and how combustion is initiated. Regardless of the differences of operation, all furnaces serve the primary purpose of providing heat. Chapter Two – How Industrial Furnaces Work Different furnaces function differently and burn different types of fuel. For many years, furnaces were powered by wood or coal; this required constant refueling for continuous heat. Modern furnaces have moved on to fuels that are supplied automatically. How a Furnace Works The critical element in the operation of an efficient and economical furnace is its fuel. Though coal and wood were used for many years, they polluted the environment, required constant feeding, and made it difficult to keep a steady temperature. Modern furnaces have fuel fed directly into the furnace at a controlled rate or operate using electricity to maintain even temperature. Fuel fired furnaces are the most widely used. The nature of the fuel determines the design of the furnace but is not relevant to modern furnaces. As with any type of heat operated device, the supply of oxygen is important to the furnace's efficient operation. Electric furnaces use induction or resistance heating. The efficiency of electric furnaces, and the fact that they do not release flue gases makes them environmentally ideal. Unfortunately, the operation of an electric furnace is expensive. Resistance heating is the most expensive type of electric furnace, and it uses a circulating fan to maintain temperature uniformity. Resistors are made of various types of materials or the load to be heated may serve as a resistor. With induction heating, electricity passes through a coil that surrounds the load. The frequency of the current is determined by the type of load. The coils are water cooled to prevent them from overheating. Induction heating is used for heating a localized area of a workpiece. Furnace Burner Types The fuel is supplied to the burners where, predictably, it is burnt. Most Experimental Furnaces have more than one burner that can be mounted in different sections of the furnace depending on its design. The burner has an oxidizer to change the chemical energy into thermal energy. The type of fuel used in a furnace is determined by the burners. They mix the fuel and air and ignite them. Burners must be stable, cost effective, reliable, and energy efficient, and they must have proper flame dimensions. The components of the burner include the nozzle, mixing tube, downstream connection, and air fuel ratio control. The fuel and air are mixed to produce the best quality flame; forced air is required for the mixing process. The modern cell culture Incubator is much more than a box in which to keep cells warm. Talk of maintaining humidity, IR sensors, HEPA filters and decontamination cycles loom just as large in reviews and ads as mentions of temperature control. Yet how the box is heated (and perhaps cooled), how temperature uniformity is maintained and the speed at which the set point can be obtained and restored remain the heart of an incubator's functionality. After they're set up, and if left undisturbed, most incubators can maintain a 37°C temperature to within about one-tenth of a degree. To do this, they rely on one of two technologies. The first surrounds the box with water, making use of water's large thermal capacity to keep things inside at a constant temperature. The other option is to heat the air inside the box more directly. Each technology has distinct advantages and disadvantages related to humidity, decontamination and more. Industrial Drying Ovens are among the most common pieces of equipment found in factories across the US. Simply known as dryers, these versatile pieces of machinery can be used for an array of reasons across a multitude of industries. They can also be built to fit virtually any factory layout as long as the facility meets a few basic requirements. In this article, we'll discuss the different types of industrial drying ovens, their benefits, and the industries they are most commonly used in. What are Drying Ovens Used for? Despite the fact that most people associate the word oven with the benefits of baking, industrial models are present in food manufacturing, pharmaceutical, and even in painting processes. The main job of an industrial oven is to remove moisture from substances or products. This means that it can be used for evaporation, incubation, sterilization, baking, and many other procedures. Keep in mind that industrial ovens vary in size, capacity, and shape, depending on what they are used for, so the perfect model will depend on the application it's given. In the laboratory, it is important that all the right tools and equipment are present if a research study or set of experiments is to be carried out correctly. Choosing the correct equipment can be especially important if budgetary constraints are to be considered. Researchers should always be mindful of these factors and the unique needs of the study being carried out before choosing what to use in the laboratory setting. Over the years, a staggering amount of specialized lab equipment has been developed, with modern-day computer-aided equipment taking more of an active role in all kinds of projects. For the engineer, this is no different than any other scientist, as the demands of their particular field of study need specific, specialized lab equipment if their work is to be carried out to the best of their ability. Some of the essential Laboratory Equipment for engineers is discussed in this article. Mechanical Hand Tools The basics of any engineering toolkit, mechanical hand tools also have their place within the laboratory, whether it is a small research lab or large commercial enterprise. Simple tools including wire strippers, shear cutters, precision screwdrivers, leads, and alligator clips should all be on hand to make complex tasks much easier and help with the basic tasks. General Laboratory Equipment As the needs of a project can be varied, it is prudent to have general lab equipment on hand to carry out the functions necessary for accurate testing. This can include freezers, hot plates, fume hoods, and Bunsen burners. Multimeter A multimeter (otherwise known as a multitester or VOM) is an essential piece of equipment that is one of the most widely used tools in engineering laboratories. They can either have analog or digital displays and measure voltage, current, and resistance. There are two versions of the multimeter – hand-held and bench instruments, which can measure values to a high degree of accuracy.