The contribution of microwave heating to energy efficiency of high temperature processes- present status and future prospects

摘要

Energy efficiency improvements of industrial processes are seen worldwide as a major contribution for reduction of CO2 emissions and progress towards transition of industrialized countries into the “beyond petroleum” era. Existing high energy consumption processes use excessively carbon, oil or natural gas as energy source for e.g., pyrometallurgy of iron, copper, MG-silicon. Other basic materials like e.g. silicate glasses or sintered ceramics utilise gas burners for glass melting tanks or continuous gas fired sintering furnaces. All these technologies relay on the Carnot-Efficiency of combustion processes and can be only improved by full utilisation of waste heat. Energy transfer by convection, conduction and radiation and by momentum transfer is dissipative in nature, because of the low coherence length of radiation achieved upon combustion of fuels.