Evaluating Heat Flux Profiles in Aluminum Reheating Furnace with Regenerative Burner

Abstract: Properly understanding heat flux characteristics is a crucial prerequisite to efficiently applying a regenerative burner in an aluminum reheating furnace. A series of experiments was conducted in this study in order to establish a database of the best available burners according to furnace temperature, excess air ratio, and flame combustion mode as they affect heat flux characteristics at the burner plane (Z = 0 mm). A heat flux model was developed to estimate heat transfer in the furnace, and the heat flux proportions of the other two horizontal levels (Z = 400 mm and Z = 750 mm) were investigated. The contour profile of heat flux indicates that total heat flux (THF) and radiation heat flux (RHF) increases with furnace temperature increment (900–1100 ◦C). Low excess air ratio (1.2–1.3, at furnace temperature 1100 ◦C) not only reduced the heat flux gradient, but also contributed to enlarge high THF areas and the maximum RHF. The flameless combustion mode displayed larger average THF and RHF uniformity than that of conventional combustion mode. Therefore, the burning effect of operating condition 1 (gas velocity, 90 m/s; excess air ratio, 1.2; flameless combustion) is better than the other conditions. A change of furnace temperature and excess air ratio had mildly effect on convection coefficient, but combustion mode was in contrast. The estimated heat flux distribution from the measured heat flux at the whole burner plane was in agreement with the fitted line of the axis of burner B. Although the intercept of the simulated equation was slightly underestimated, the error can be eliminated by improving the experimental conditions. The results presented here similarly apply to all regenerative burners. A comparison of heat flux among the three horizontal levels indicated that the RHF proportion comprised about 80% of the THF at each level, and a slightly increase (21.1 kW/m2) of THF in the high level from the low levels.