Development of Vertically Grooved Energy Efficient Crucible

摘要

Reduction of energy consumption was required in the production and the environmental aspect (reduction of carbon dioxide) for metal casting. A graphite crucible used for a crucible furnace which melts and holds metals was dramatically improved by modifying its shape, which had not been considered before, for the reduction of energy consumption. As a result, the crucible that could increase the thermal conduction efficiency by 30% was developed. The increase of the area that received the heat became possible by placing the vertical grooves around the outer surface of the crucible. In addition, the reduction of the fuel gas consumption by 8 to 10% was realized in melting and holding of die casting, and gravity casting and the short time melting could also be achieved, which enabled to improve the production efficiency, save energy consumption, and reduce the environmental burden. We report the production process of the energy efficient crucible and the result of the experiment for the energy saving.