Thermodynamic Evaluation of a Solar Convective Furnace for its Control Strategy Development

Abstract

Rajasthan being located in equatorial belt receives almost the highest solar energy in India. This energy can be harnessed using concentrated solar thermal (CST) technology. The harnessed energy can be employed for heat treatment of metal, e.g. Aluminium. Currently, high grade electrical energy is used for this purpose. Therefore, retrofitting such an existing industrial furnace will (a) save fossil fuel and (b) increase efficiency by reducing the required steps. Thermodynamic evaluation of such a solar convective furnace is presented in this thesis. This analysis provides input for design of a control strategy to be used in such a furnace system. The thesis also presents a part scale down model of an industrial furnace to be retrofitted with solar energy. Detailed design and experimental evaluation of the heat transfer is presented. This reveals that, indeed, development of controlling and operation procedure is necessary for operation of such a system in real life. The performed experiments also revealed the use of auxiliary heaters, as in an industrial furnace, during heat treatment of metal. Finally, it is concluded that the performed evaluation and experiments provide valuable inputs and insight to operation and implementation of such a furnace.