Cleaner Engineering and Technology (Feb 2022)
Electronics and waste material recycler energy-efficient electric furnace system
Abstract
Steel and iron manufacturing, nonferrous metal production, glass production, ceramic processing, and the creation of various forms of items all rely on material production. High temperatures are used in furnaces for smelting and recycling. An electric furnace may be suitable as natural gas is not widely available everywhere. Bangladesh's melting and recycling machinery is powered by a traditional gas furnace, which is expensive and inefficient. By recycling and reusing scrap metal, natural ore, and alloys, the suggested model has the potential to revolutionize, reducing the build-up of natural energy alloys, gas, and ores. The proposed electric furnace has an enclosed form and uses electricity to generate heat efficiently. To melt reusable metals, electronic materials, and waste materials, an electric furnace system based on the Arduino Mega as an alternative to the PID controller with Solid State Relay has been developed, which will manage and control the temperature around 1350 °C (1623.15 K or 2462 °F) by collecting data from the furnace thermostat. This model is made of stainless steel, with a steel frame for the outer shape of the furnace body and control box, a ventilation hole for removing hot gas from inside the furnace, an airtight door for opening the furnace chamber, a digital temperature controller with a furnace B-type thermocouple for measuring and controlling temperature, an ELB for safety, and heat insulation materials with a Nichrome80 heating element in the chamber. The model uses an Arduino Mega to regulate power and temperature while reducing heat loss via the furnace body, reducing time delays, and increasing efficiency. The findings demonstrate that the desired temperature is reached fast and with less electricity than the other electric furnaces, indicating that the model is energy efficient. The smelting temperature for aluminum, copper and other similar materials has been effectively covered. This model has better efficiency since there is no heat loss. The melting and recycling processes will help the furnace-related sectors the most. However, this could be especially beneficial for a developing economy like Bangladesh, where gas and fuel are expensive.
