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Show Table 2 - Ferrous Metal Heat Treating Energy Profile (1985 ) Number of furnaces Energy consumption (trillion Btu) Industry/ Fossil Natural Fuel furnace type fuel-fired Electric Total gas oil Electricity Total Steel: Continuous 480 25 505 16.9 0.6 0.8 18.3 Batch 2,490 95 2,585 43.1 1.6 1.7 46.4 Forging: Continuous 1,310 90 1,400 1.4 0.1 0.1 1.6 Batch 2,620 440 3,060 2.1 0.2 0.4 2.7 Foundry: Continuous 1,020 480 1,500 6.1 0.2 3.0 9.3 Batch 2,515 1,185 3,700 10.6 0.4 5.2 16.2 Powder metal: Continuous 75 185 260 0.04 0.1 0.14 Batch 40 460 500 0.02 0.2 0.22 Machinery: Continuous 4,200 2,100 6,300 3.4 0.3 1.9 5.6 Batch 21,225 11 ,555 32,780 11.9 1.1 7.1 20.1 35,975 16,615 52,590 95.6 4.5 20.5 120.6 furnace would be $150-$250 per kilowatt, while the gas-fired furnace would cost $80-$100 per kilowatt. The overall efficiency of electric-based technologies is much higher than for fossil fuel-fired technologies. Depending on the heat treating process, induction efficiencies typically range from 55 to 85 percent. In comparison, fossil fuel-fired furnaces typically operate at efficiencies ranging from 10 to 30 percent. This difference between efficiencies is offset, however, by the difference between electricity and fuel prices. Energy costs vary significantly by region, but in general, electricity costs 4-6 times as much as natural gas. The reduction of material loss from scale can be a major advantage of electric induction technologies in some appl icat ions. For example, in hardening operations in the forging industry, scaling can lead to a 2- to 4-percent material loss when fossil fuel-fired technologies are employed. Because of the rapidity of induction heating, scaling losses are reduced to about 0.5 percent. Such scaling can be reduced where a controlled atmosphere can be used. CONCLUSIONS Al though pre 1 iminary resul ts indicate that the ferrous metal heat treating market for natural gas will be relatively stable over the next decade, there are significant R&D opportunities for improving the competitiveness of natural gas-based techno logies. These R&D areas focus on improved furnace designs to increase flexibility and productivity and improved sensors and controls to allow increased compatibility with automation (see Table 3). The gas industry can capitalize on these R&D opportunities to ensure the future competitive position of natural gas-based technologies in the ferrous metal heat treating industry. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT Hagler, Ba illy & Company wishes to acknowledge the contributions of Joseph Greenberg, retired Vice President of A. T. Kearney, who provided detailed market profile and background information for this study. NOTE: This paper is based on a study performed for Gas Research Institute under Contract No. 5084-800-1065. 256 |