Overview of Furnace Charge Feeder

A furnace charge feeder, also known as a furnace charger or furnace charging system, is a specialized piece of equipment used in industrial furnaces and kilns for the controlled feeding of materials into the furnace. These materials can include solid fuels, ores, scrap metal, fluxes, and other raw materials required for the metallurgical or thermal processes taking place within the furnace. 

Features

Robust Construction: Furnace charge feeders are typically built with heavy-duty materials such as steel to withstand high temperatures, harsh environments, and heavy loads.

Versatility: They can be designed to handle various types of materials, including solid fuels, ores, scrap metal, fluxes, and additives, depending on the specific furnace application.

Control Systems: Furnace charge feeders are often equipped with sophisticated control systems to regulate the flow rate, timing, and distribution of materials into the furnace. This ensures precise control over the metallurgical or thermal processes.

Safety Features: Safety features such as interlocks, alarms, and emergency stops may be incorporated to ensure safe operation and prevent accidents.

Working principle of ZG series vibrating feeder

ZG series vibrating feeder is driven by a new type of vibrating motor, which makes the screen body perform periodic linear reciprocating motion along the groove direction to achieve uniform and quantitative feeding. ZG series vibrating feeder is composed of material body, vibrating motor and damping device.

Material Loading: The furnace charge feeder is positioned adjacent to the furnace or kiln and is loaded with the required materials either manually or through automated systems such as conveyor belts or loaders.

Material Distribution: The feeder system controls the flow of materials into the furnace, ensuring an even distribution across the furnace bed or charge area. This is crucial for maintaining consistent temperature profiles and process conditions within the furnace.

Controlled Feeding: The feeder system may use mechanisms such as conveyor belts, screw feeders, vibratory feeders, or pneumatic systems to transport and deliver materials into the furnace at the desired rate and in the required quantities.

Monitoring and Adjustment: The furnace charge feeder may be equipped with sensors and monitoring devices to track material flow rates, furnace conditions, and other relevant parameters. Operators can use this data to adjust the feeding system as needed to optimize furnace performance and product quality.

Applications

Metallurgical Processes: Furnace charge feeders are widely used in metallurgical processes such as smelting, refining, alloying, and heat treatment. They are essential for introducing raw materials, fluxes, and additives into the furnace to produce metals and alloys with specific properties.

Heat Treatment: In heat treatment furnaces, charge feeders are used to introduce workpieces, tooling, or components into the furnace for processes such as annealing, tempering, quenching, and brazing.

Incineration and Waste Management: Furnace charge feeders can be used in waste incineration plants and thermal treatment facilities to feed solid waste materials, biomass, or alternative fuels into the furnace for combustion or pyrolysis.

Cement and Lime Production: In cement kilns and lime kilns, charge feeders are used to introduce raw materials such as limestone, clay, shale, and other additives into the kiln for calcination and clinker production.

Furnace Charge Feeder Usage and Maintenance

1. When the vibrating feeder is used for batching and quantitative feeding, it should be installed horizontally in order to ensure uniform and stable feeding and prevent the self-flow of materials. For viscous materials and materials with a large water content, it can be installed down 15degree.

2. It can be installed with a downward tilt of 15 degree.

3. After installation, the feeder should have a 20mm swimming gap, the horizontal direction should be horizontal, and the suspension device should adopt flexible connection.

4. Before the air test, all the bolts should be tightened once, especially the anchor bolts of the vibration motor, which should be tightened again after continuous operation for 3-5 hours.

5. During the test run, the two vibration motors must rotate in opposite directions.

6. During the operation of the feeder, the stability of amplitude, current and noise should be checked frequently, and if any abnormality is found, it should be stopped in time.

7. Lubricating oil is added to the motor bearings every 2 months, and lubricating oil is added once a month in high temperature seasons.