Development of Compact Modular Hybrid Heat-Treatment Furnace EC Hybrid I: Approximately 50% Greater Energy Savings Plus Diversified Low-Volume Production Capability
October 28, 2019
Chubu Electric Power Co.,Inc.
Chubu Electric Power Co., Inc. (President Satoru Katsuno; head office in Higashi-ku, Nagoya City) and Ecology and Combustion Inc. (CEO Satoshi Takanashi; head office in Kita-ku, Hamamatsu City) jointly developed EC Hybrid I, a compact modular hybrid heat-treatment furnace, and are set to launch sales on November 1.
Heat treatment, in which aluminum or other raw material metals are heated and chilled, is carried out in factories manufacturing automotive parts and other components to improve component strength, hardness and other properties.
Large gas furnaces are generally used for heat treatment. However, the large amounts of air intake and exhaust necessary, particularly for temperature control during low temperature treatment, results in significant energy loss.
Manufacturers have sought the development of equipment capable of handling a range of production items and volumes due to the greater need for diversified low-volume production as well as in the interest of greater productivity by countering risks of defective products and decreased production capacity when equipment problems arise because of the high volumes treated in large furnaces.
The EC Hybrid I comes equipped with a hybrid heater that selectively utilizes a gas burner capable of rapidly heating at high output and an electric heater offering highly precise temperature control as well as an inverter control for the recirculating fan, which provides the furnace with the capability to set optimal heat source and air velocity to specific heat-treatment processes. This has made it possible to realize an energy savings of approximately 50% compared to a conventional hot-air circulation-type heat treatment furnace having the same processing capability as the EC Hybrid I.
In addition, integration of the gas burner and electric heater as well as equipment configuration optimization reduced furnace size by roughly 50%.
Moreover, modularization of the heat treatment furnace allows for more flexible compatibility to handle diversified low-volume production and because multiple units are interconnected, the furnaces may be substituted if one fails.
The EC Hybrid I will be offered to customers with heat treatment furnaces to enable them to achieve greater energy and space savings as well as construct a more flexible production system.
【Specifications】
|
Heating temperature
|
Maximum 540°C
|
|
Air velocity
|
Maximum 50 m/s
|
|
Output
|
Gas: (13A) 60 kW Electric: 20 kW
|
|
Dimensions
|
W: 1,300 mm × L: 3,200 mm × H: 2,400 mm
|
|
Reference price
|
￥16,000,000 (per unit) (Note)
|
(Note) The EC Hybrid I is planned to be marketed in multiple-unit connections.
Top of Page
