Rotary drum furnace

Process Description

Fixed rotary drum furnaces and tiltable rotary drum furnaces (TTRF) are used for highly contaminated scrap with a high oxidic content and are the most widely used melting furnaces in the aluminum industry. Energy input is using burner systems. 

Tiltable rotary furnace for aluminum melting

Gas Application

Combustion with oxygen (oxy-fuel) instead of with air as an oxidising agent reduces fuel consumption and increases process efficiency. 

Advantages of Oxyfuel burner systems at a glance:

• Higher combustion efficiency
• Higher melting rate
• Faster heating-up times
• Lower fuel consumption
• Higher processing temperatures possible
• Faster reaction speeds
• Lower exhaust gas levels
• Less dust
• Lower emissions
• Lower production costs

Application of Oxipyr-Burner technology in rotary drum furnaces:

The table shows application possibilities for different tiltable rotary drum furnaces in the aluminum industry and the potential energy savings typically associated with the use of Oxipyr burner technology in rotary drum furnaces. 

Possible savings when switching from air to oxygen burners

More than 70 Oxipyr burner systems have been installed in rotary drum furnaces worldwide, of which more than 30 are in the aluminum industry.  

Messer SOlution

In addition to the gases required for your process, Messer offers a variety of equipment for its optimisation under the brand names Oxipyr and Oxijet.  

In order to select the optimum system, experts from Messer first carry out a comprehensive process analysis. Following calculations and basic engineering, suggestions are made for optimisation and further procedures. 

Oxipyr – Flex installed on a tiltable rotary furnace

Oxipyr – Burner Technology

The characteristics of the burner types are multi-faceted and range from low to high momentum burners, oxyfuel to oxygen/air mixing burners and burners for different fuels or fuel combinations. The systems are controlled manually, semi- or fully automatically following compositions or temperature.  

Oxipyr- IPC (internal post-combustion)  

The combustion ratio of fuel and oxidising agent is selectively altered, with the oxygen flow regulated as a function of exhaust gas parameters. As a result, through the post-combustion of pollutants in the exhaust gas, high-quality fuels can be relieved especially of the burden of volatile organic components (VOC).  Messer developed the Oxipyr-IPC process for this purpose.   When using the Oxipyr-IPC process, oxygen and fuel requirements are controlled automatically. Oxygen is always supplied via Oxipyr burners; with Oxijet oxygen lances used for certain types of furnace.

Advantages:

• Lower fuel consumption
• Reduces post-combustion burden
• Reduction in production costs