Heat treatment lines

Let’s take a look at homogenization in a conventional batch furnace. Here, the temperature profile of a log largely depends on its position in the batch: Logs at the edges of a batch are more exposed to the convection from the heated gases. That means they reach the set temperature ahead of logs in the center. Our new generation of batch furnaces with reversing air function heat up 20 percent faster. Due to the reversing airflow, there is only a slight temperature deviation between the outer and inner logs.

In a continuous homogenizing plant logs travel through the furnace and the cooling station on one level. First up, the furnace comprises a heating and a holding compartment. The heating compartment ensures the logs reach a uniform specified temperature. Installed at the end of the heating compartment, sting thermocouples verify the temperature of each log. Next, the logs travel to the holding compartment. Here they are kept to precisely the set temperature throughout the holding time. This period can be from two to nine hours. Finally, the cooling station cools the logs according to the selected regime. Simply adjusting the fan speed controls the cooling rate in the air cooler. All this ensures the heating, holding, and cooling parameters are exactly the same for every log.