Fraunhofer ISC, Center for High Temperature Materials and Design HTL, Bayreuth
Fraunhofer ISC, Center for High Temperature Materials and Design HTL, Bayreuth

Project Cluster EnerTHERM

Energy efficiency in continuous heat treatment plants: design of roller kilns

Motivation

EnerTherm sub-project B: Schematic representation of a roller kiln

In the ceramic and metal processing industry, continuously operated roller kilns are often used for sintering and finishing processes. The energy efficiency of this type of furnace can be improved by different approaches:

  1. Increasing the throughput by widening the furnace shaft
  2. Reduction of heat loss at the transport rollers
  3. Reduction of heat losses along the kiln longitudinal axis

 

Objective

EnerTherm sub-project B: Machining a transport roller
EnerTherm subproject B: Schematic representation of a transport roller in a roller kiln and its behaviour under thermal load
  1. The contribution of individual measures to increasing the energy efficiency of roller kilns is to be determined and evaluated by means of computer simulation.
  2. The transport system as a particularly critical component is to be redesigned using thermomechanical FE simulation.
  3. Test procedures are to be developed for transport rollers, which will be developed as a demonstrator in the sub-project: SiC/SiC components of roller kilns.

Approach

EnerTherm subproject B: Representation of the temperature distribution in a roller kiln
  1. Development of a thermal model for the roller furnace and its validation
  2. Design of the transport rollers under consideration of new composite materials and material composites, e.g:
    > fibre composites
    > hybrid construction methods
    > multilayer systems
  3. Simulation of the loads during geometric changes of the furnace system, especially the furnace width
  4. Determination of material characteristics for FE-simulation
  5. Development of test concepts for transport rollers under operating conditions

Other sub-projects

High Temperature Material Characterisation
Potential analysis thermoprocess plants
Optimisation of heat treatment processes
Simulation of thermal process plants
Development of lightweight construction materials
Development of joining processes
SiC/SiC components for roller kilns