A REPORT ON INDUCTION FURNACE BY

Akash Khaitan 08DDCS547

AT NIKITA METALS, KALYANESHWARI, BURDWAN, W.B. An Internship Program-II station
of
Faculty of Science & Technology, ICFAI University 26th May-17th July, 2010
A REPORT ON INDUCTION FURNACE BY Akash Khaitan 08DDCS547 CS
Prepared in partial fulfilment of the IP201 Internship Program-II course
AT NIKITA METALS, KALYANESHWARI, BURDWAN, W.B. An Internship Program-II station
of
Faculty of Science & Technology, ICFAI University 26th May-17th July, 2010
Acknowledgement
I would like to express my gratitude to Prof. R.C.Ramola Center Head FACULTY OF
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY, Prof. Nesa Moorty IP Coordinator FACULTY OF SCIENCE AND
TECHNOLOGY and towards all the faculty members for allowing me in taking the ind
ustrial training according to our curriculum and to bring about industrial aware
ness .This training at NIKITA METALS gave me an opportunity to realize the ways
the industries work and the problem it faces during the course. I also thank Mr.
Brahmanand Agrawal (Director), Mr. Arman Ali, M.r Sumant Chaudhary and Mr. S.R
Mishra of Nikita Metals who tried their best to provide us all the facilities ne
eded by my team and cooperated in all possible. Special thanks to Mr. Ajay Kumar
Khaitan (A Scientist and a world record holder) who gave us his precious time a
nd helped us in understanding the technical details about the each and every com
ponent of the industry. I thank our faculty in charge Prof. Ranjan Mishra who ha
s helped us all throughout with his guidance and also helped us in the completio
n of this report.
iii
Faculty of science & Technology, ICFAI University
Station: Duration:
NIKITA METALS 55 days
Center:
BURDWAN
Date of Start: 26th May,2010
Date of Submission: 16th July,2010 Title of the project: NIKITA METALS
ID No./Name(s)/Discipline(s)/of the student(s) : 08DDCS547 Name(s) and Designati
on(s)Of the expert(s): Mr Sumant Chaudhary (Technical Incharge),
M.r Arman Ali (Factory Incharge)
Akash Khaitan
CS
Name of the IP Faculty: Key Words: $Project Areas: Mr. Ranjan Mishra Induction F
urnace Industrial Training
Abstract:
This project deals with Induction Furnace Technology employing high frequency ma
gnetic heating.
Signature of Student
Signaure of IP Faculty
Date
Date
Table of Contents
1 2 Introduction Induction Furnace 2.1 3 4 5 6 7 8 Induction Furnace Diagram 1 2
3-4 5 6 7 8 9 10 10 11 11 12 13 14 15 16
16
Furnace Making Hydraulic System Magnetic Shielding & Analysis of an Induction Fu
rnace Final Product Induction Heating Induction Heating Requirements 8.1 8.2 8.3
Series resonant tank circuit Parallel resonant tank circuit Impedance matching
9 10
The LCLR work coil Water Treatment Unit 10.1 10.2 Water Purification Water Cooli
ng Tower
11
Power Control Methods
11.1 Varying the DC link voltage
11.2 11.3 11.4
Varying the duty ratio of the devices in the inverter Varying the operating freq
uency of the inverter Varying the value of the inductor in the matching network
16 17 17
11.5 11.6 12
Impedance matching transformer Phase-shift control of H-bridge
18 18 19 20 21 22 23
xxiv xxv xxvi
Chemical Lab 12.1 Sample Carbon Test
13
Air Pollution Control Unit 13.1 13.2 Electronic Precipitator The Plate Precipita
tor
14 15 16
Recommendations
References Glossary
1. Introduction
The complete induction plant consists of series of individual units which are as
sembled and are synchronized together in order to work as a complete induction f
urnace plant. The units are as follows: Induction Furnace Power Control Syste
ater Treatment Unit Air Pollution Control Unit Chemical Lab Test Unit Raw Materi
al Control Unit Transportation Unit
Fig 1.1Complete Plant Overview
Induction Furnace: It is the most important Unit that helps in melting the iron.
Power Control System: It consists of the sets of practical circuits that is res
ponsible for the effective power control in order to melt the metal Water Treatm
ent Unit: Water is an important component in the induction furnace plant. The ma
in purpose of water is in the regulation of a particular temperature that is it
works as a coolant in the induction furnace plant. Air Pollution Control Unit: A
s the name suggest it is required in order to keep the plant pollution free and
thus better efficiency. Chemical Lab Test: It is done in the chemical lab to tes
t the % of each component present in the raw material and to decide whether the
raw material is applicable for the plant or not. Raw Material Control Unit: Cons
ists of experienced labors who purchase raw material required for the plant Tran
sportation Unit: Controls the transportation section of the industry.
1
2. Induction Furnace
Induction furnace capacities range from less than one kilogram to one hundred to
nes capacity, and are used to melt iron and steel, copper, aluminum, and preciou
s metals. The frequency of operation of induction furnace also varies. Usually i
t depends on the material being melted, the capacity of the furnace and the melt
ing speed required. A high frequency furnace is usually faster to melt a charge
whereas lower frequencies generate more turbulence in the metal, reducing the po
wer that can be applied to the melt. When the induction furnace operates it emit
s a hum or whine (due to magnetostriction), the pitch of which can be used by op
erators to identify whether the furnace is operating correctly, or at what power
level.
Fig 2.1 Induction Furnace
An induction furnace is an electrical furnace in which the heat is applied by in
duction heating of a conductive medium (usually a metal) in a crucible placed in
a water-cooled alternating current solenoid coil. The advantage of the inductio
n furnace is a clean, energy-efficient and well-controllable melting process com
pared to most other means of metal melting. Most modern foundries use this type
of furnace and now also more iron foundries are replacing cupolas with induction
furnaces to melt cast iron, as the former emit lots of dust and other pollutant
s. .
Features of induction furnace:

Highest chemical durability. Lowest alloy losses. Leading to highest metal quali
ty with respect to impurities. High refractoriness. Available in various sizes.
Comes in different capabilities
Fig 2.2 Induction furnace (molten metal) 2
2.1 Induction Furnace Diagram
Fig 2.1.1 Induction Furnace Diagram
An induction furnace system has an active induction coil surrounding a crucible.
A passive induction coil also surrounds the crucible. The passive induction coi
l is connected in parallel with a capacitor to form an L-C tank circuit. A sourc
e of ac current is provided to the active induction coil to produce a magnetic f
ield that inductively heats and melts an electrically conductive material in the
crucible. The magnetic field also magnetically couples with the passive inducti
on coil to induce a current in the passive induction coil. This induced current
generates a magnetic field that inductively heats and melts the material. The re
sistance of the L-C tank circuit is reflected back into the circuit of the activ
e induction coil to improve the overall efficiency of the induction furnace syst
em. The crucible may be open-ended to allow the passage of the electrically cond
uctive material through the crucible during the heating process.
The three phase A.C. electric power is converted into D.C. power with the help o
f high voltage/high current rectifiers and the A.C. ripple components are remove
d with the help of large size inductors and capacitors. Now these rectified D.C.
power is applied to the
3
high power thyristors/IGBT. Now high frequency switching signal is applied to th
e controlling gates to obtain very frequency current which passes through the co
il surrounding the induction furnace crucible. Because of the high frequency osc
illations around the crucible magnetic fields are generated. Hence the ferrous m
aterials inside the crucible start melting The crucible contains about 7-9 tons
of scrap iron which melts within 30 minutes. The temperature rises about 1400-16
00 degree centigrade A huge amount of smoke and gases comes out which is collect
ed and sent to the ESP (Electro Static Precipitator) for purification.
Fig 2.1.2 Wave Forms at different places
Fig 2.1.3 Large Set of Capacitors at Nikita Metals
Fig 2.1.4 Control Panel with Inductor Capacitor (LC) Set up at Nikita Metals
4
3. Furnace Making
It is done with the help of ramming mass which is a refractory that can withstan
d high temperatures. The furnace outer wall is already present and the inner wal
l of the furnace is to be constructed.
Furnace inner wall making is done in following ways: Ramming mass is put at the
bottom square of the container
Fig 3.1 Top View Of the Furnace

The cylindrical shaped iron flask (which is thinner than container)is put in the
container The gap in between the iron flask and the container is filled with th
e ramming mass Now we get a cylindrical shaped hole The raw material to be melte
d is put inside it and the induction process is started. As the induction contin
ues the iron flask, the raw materials gets melted and only the ramming mass is l
eft with a hole of the flask shape This furnace obtained is used 10-15 times and
after that the refractory material is broken and the whole steps is repeated ag
ain

Fig 3.2 Iron Flask at Nikita Metals

5
4. Hydraulic System
The hydraulic system present in the induction furnace works with the help of a d
c generator. The hydraulic system with dc generator helps in the tilting the fur
nace. The hydraulic is such built that it provides facility for the workers to c
ontrol the degree of rotation on a particular axis from 0 to 90 degree. The furn
ace’s hydraulic system provides motive power to perform a number of other function
s including opening/closing the furnace cover, tilting the furnace and pushing o
ut the lining.
Fig 4.1 Hydraulic System in the induction furnace
Fig 4.4 Hydraulic System control at Nikita Metals Fig 4.2 D.C Motor (which contr
ols hydraulic system)
Fig 4.5 Tilted Furnace at Nikita Metals pouring molten iron
Fig 4.3 A tilted furnace (with the help of dc Motor & hydraulic system)
6
5. Magnetic Shielding & Analysis of an Induction Furnace
An induction furnace is an electrical furnace in which the current is generated
within the metal by induction heating and the heat generated by the electric res
istance that melts the metal. The magnetic iron cores around the coil are used t
o protect the coil from being damaged. The magnetic iron cores also prevent the
flux leakage so that the steel sheet outside the iron cores will not be heated.
The magnetic flux density distribution with and without the iron core. The flux
leakage of the furnace with iron core is lower than that of the furnace without
iron core. So the steel sheet outside the iron core is protected from being heat
ed. The Joule loss of the molten metal with and without iron core. The Joule los
s of the furnace with iron core is about 5% more than that of the furnace withou
t iron core. The molten metal is heated efficiently with iron core.
Fig 5.1 Coil surrounded by iron core
Fig 5.4 Coil of induction furnace surrounded by iron core at Nikita Metals
7
6. Final Product
The final product produced is the ingot which is prepared as a result of dried m
olten metal. The molten metal in the furnace after getting prepared is allowed t
o fall from the funnel to the refractory material A series of ingot cover which
are put together gets filled up from bottom to top ensuring no air gap is presen
t Finally the molten metal is dried inside the iron cover and thus the ingot is
obtained. Fig 6.1 Molten metal pour opening(Funnel)
Fig 6.4 Ingot at Nikita Metals
Fig 6.2Tilted Furnace Ready to pour molten metal
Fig 6.5 Final Product(Ingot) 8
Fig 6.3 Molten Metal being poured to Refractory
7. Induction Heating
Electromagnetic induction, simply induction, is a heating technique for electric
al conductive materials (metals). Induction heating is frequently applied in sev
eral thermal processes such as the melting and the heating of metals. Induction
heating has the important characteristic that the heat is generated in the mater
ial to be heated itself. Because of this, induction has a number of intrinsic tr
umps, such as a very quick response and a good efficiency. Induction heating als
o allows heating very locally. The heating speeds are extremely high because of
the high power density. The principle of induction heating is mainly based on tw
o well-known physical phenomena: 1. Electromagnetic induction 2. The Joule effec
t Electromagnetic induction The energy transfer to the object to be heated occur
s by means of electromagnetic induction. It is known that in a loop of conductiv
e material an alternating current is induced, when this loop is placed in an alt
ernating magnetic field When the loop is short-circuited, the induced voltage E
will cause a current to flow that opposes its cause – the alternating magnetic fie
ld. This is Faraday - Lenz’s law
Fig 7.1 Electromagnetic induction
Joule Effect If a ‘massive’ conductor (e.g. a cylinder) is placed in the alternating
magnetic field instead of the sort circuited loop, than eddy currents (Foucault
currents) will be induced in here (see Figure 7.2). The eddy currents heat up t
he conductor according to the Joule effect.
Fig 7.2 Induction of eddy currents
9
8. Induction Heating Requirements
3 things are essential to implement induction heating: 1. A source of High Frequ
ency electrical power, 2. A work coil to generate the alternating magnetic field
, 3. An electrically conductive workpiece to be heated, Practical induction heat
ing systems are usually a little more complex. For example, an impedance matchin
g network is often required between the High Frequency source and the work coil
in order to ensure good power transfer. Water cooling systems are also common in
high power induction heaters to remove waste heat from the work coil, its match
ing network and the power electronics. The control electronics also protects the
system from being damaged by a number of adverse operating conditions.
In practice the work coil is usually incorporated into a resonant tank circuit.
This has a number of advantages. Firstly, it makes either the current or the vol
tage waveform become sinusoidal. This minimizes losses in the inverter by allowi
ng it to benefit from either zero-voltage-switching or zero-current-switching de
pending on the exact arrangement chosen. The sinusoidal waveform at the work coi
l also represents a more pure signal and causes less Radio Frequency Interferenc
e to nearby equipment. We will see that there are a number of resonant schemes t
hat the designer of an induction heater can choose for the work coil:
8.1 Series resonant tank circuit The work coil is made to resonate at the intend
ed operating frequency by means of a capacitor placed in series with it. This ca
uses the current through the work coil to be sinusoidal. The series resonance al
so magnifies the voltage across the work coil, far higher than the output voltag
e of the inverter alone. The inverter sees a sinusoidal load current but it must
carry the full current that flows in the work coil. For this reason the work co
il often consists of many turns of wire with only a few amps or tens of amps flo
wing. Significant heating power is achieved by allowing resonant voltage rise ac
ross the work coil in the series-resonant arrangement whilst keeping the current
through the coil (and the inverter) to a sensible level. The main drawbacks of
the series resonant arrangement are that the inverter must carry the same curren
t that flows in the work coil. In addition to this the voltage rise due to serie
s
10
resonance can become very pronounced if there is not a significantly sized work
piece present in the work coil to damp the circuit. The tank capacitor is typica
lly rated for a high voltage because of the resonant voltage rise experienced in
the series tuned resonant circuit. It must also carry the full current carried
by the work coil, although this is typically not a problem in low power applicat
ions.
8.2 Parallel resonant tank circuit The work coil is made to resonate at the inte
nded operating frequency by means of a capacitor placed in parallel with it. Thi
s causes the current through the work coil to be sinusoidal. The parallel resona
nce also magnifies the current through the work coil, far higher than the output
current capability of the inverter alone. However, in this case it only has to
carry the part of the load current that actually does real work. The inverter do
es not have to carry the full circulating current in the work coil. This propert
y of the parallel resonant circuit can make a tenfold reduction in the current t
hat must be supported by the inverter and the wires connecting it to the work co
il. Conduction losses are typically proportional to current squared, so a tenfol
d reduction in load current represents a significant saving in conduction losses
in the inverter and associated wiring. This means that the work coil can be pla
ced at a location remote from the inverter without incurring massive losses in t
he feed wires. Work coils using this technique often consist of only a few turns
of a thick copper conductor but with large currents of many hundreds or thousan
ds of amps flowing. (This is necessary to get the required Ampere turns to do th
e induction heating.) Water cooling is common for all but the smallest of system
s. This is needed to remove excess heat generated by the passage of the large hi
gh frequency current through the work coil and its associated tank capacitor.
Fig 8.2.1 Parallel resonant tank circuit
8.3 Impedance matching This refers to the electronics that sits between the sour
ce of high frequency power and the work coil we are using for heating. Impedance
matching is the practice of designing the input impedance of an electrical load
or the output impedance of its corresponding signal source in order to maximize
the power transfer and minimize reflections from the load.
11
9. The LCLR work coil
This arrangement incorporates the work coil into a parallel resonant circuit and
uses the L-match network between the tank circuit and the inverter. The matchin
g network is used to make the tank circuit appear as a more suitable load to the
inverter. The LCLR work coil has a number of desirable properties: 1. A huge cu
rrent flows in the work coil, but the inverter only has to supply a low current.
The large circulating current is confined to the work coil and its parallel cap
acitor, which are usually located very close to each other.
2. Only comparatively low current flows along the transmission line from the inv
erter to the tank circuit, so this can use lighter duty cable.
3. Any stray inductance of the transmission line simply becomes part of the matc
hing network inductance (Lm.) Therefore the heat station can be located away fro
m the inverter.
4. The inverter sees a sinusoidal load current so it can benefit from ZCS or ZVS
to reduce its switching losses and therefore run cooler.
5. The series matching inductor can be altered to cater for different loads plac
ed inside the work coil.
6. The tank circuit can be fed via several matching inductors from many inverter
s to reach power levels above those achievable with a single inverter. The match
ing inductors provide inherent sharing of the load current between the inverters
and also make the system tolerant to some mismatching in the switching instants
of the paralleled inverters. Another advantage of the LCLR work coil arrangemen
t is that it does not require a highfrequency transformer to provide the impedan
ce matching function.
12
10. Water Treatment Unit
Water is essential component as it helps to regulate the temperature in the plan
t. The water treatment unit consists of two sub unit: Water Cooling Water Purifi
cation
The main purpose of the water cooling Unit is to make the hot water colder and p
ass it on The water purification is done to make the water free from any type of
impurities Fig 10.1 Water Cooling Tower
Fig 10.2 A Complete Water Treatment Unit
13
10.1 Water Purification
Ion exchange is an exchange of ions between two electrolytes or between an elect
rolyte solution and a complex. In most cases the term is used to denote the proc
esses of purification, separation, and decontamination of aqueous and other ion-
containing solutions with solid polymeric or mineralic ion exchangers . Typical
ion exchangers are ion exchange resins (functionalized porous or gel polymer),
zeolites, montmorillonite, clay, and soil humus. Ion exchangers are either catio
n exchangers that exchange positively charged ions (cations) or anion exchangers
that exchange negatively charged ions (anions). There are also amphoteric excha
ngers that are able to exchange both cations and anions simultaneously. However,
the simultaneous exchange of cations and anions can be more efficiently perform
ed in mixed beds that contain a mixture of anion and cation exchange resins, or
passing the treated solution through several different ion exchange materials. I
on exchangers can be unselective or have binding preferences for certain ions or
classes of ions, depending on their chemical structure. This can be dependent o
n the size of the ions, their charge, or their structure. Typical examples of io
ns that can bind to ion exchangers are:

Fig 10.1.1Ion exchanger

H+ (proton) and OH− (hydroxide) Single charged monoatomic ions like Na+, K+, or Cl−
Double charged monoatomic ions like Ca2+ or Mg2+ Polyatomic inorganic ions like
SO42− or PO43− Organic bases, usually molecules containing the amino functional grou
p
NR2H+ Organic acids, often molecules containing COO− (carboxylic acid) function
al groups Biomolecules which can be ionized: amino acids, peptides, proteins, et
c.
Fig 10.1.2 Ion exchange resin beads
Water Cooling Ion exchange is a reversible process and the ion exchanger can be
regenerated or loaded with desirable ions by washing with an excess of these ion
s.
14
Fig 10.1.3 Water Purification Unit at Nikita Metals (Ion Exchanger)
10.2 Water Cooling Tower
Water cooling is a method of heat removal from components. A cooling tower is a
heat rejection device, which extracts waste heat to the atmosphere though the co
oling of a water stream to a lower temperature. The generic term "cooling tower"
is used to describe both direct (open circuit) and indirect (closed circuit) he
at rejection equipment. A direct, or open
circuit cooling tower is an enclosed s
tructure with internal means to distribute the warm water fed to it over a labyr
inth
like packing or "fill." The fill may consist of multiple, mainly vertical,
wetted surfaces upon which a thin film of water spreads. In a counter
flow cooli
ng tower air travels upward through the fill or tube bundles, opposite to the do
wnward motion of the water. In a cross
flow cooling tower air moves horizontally
through the fill as the water moves downward. Cooling towers are also character
ized by the means by which air is moved. Because evaporation consists of pure wa
ter, the concentration of dissolved minerals and other solids in circulating wat
er will tend to increase unless some means of dissolvedsolids control, such as b
low
down, is provided. Some water is also lost by droplets being carried out wit
h the exhaust air (drift). Cooling towers are also characterized by the means by
which air is moved. Mechanicaldraft cooling towers rely on power
driven fans to
draw or force the air through the tower. A fan
assisted natural
draft cooling t
ower employs mechanical draft to augment the buoyancy effect. The high voltage c
urrent cables used in the furnace is covered by a water cable that is water flow
s in between the current cable and water cable .
Fig 10.2.1 Cooling Tower Design
Fig 10.2.2 Cables Surrounded by Water Cables
Fig 10.2.3 Water Cooling Tower at Nikita Metals
15
11. Power control methods
It is often desirable to control the amount of power processed by an induction h
eater. This determines the rate at which heat energy is transferred to the work
piece. The power setting of this type of induction heater can be controlled in a
number of different ways:
11.1 Varying the DC link voltage
The power processed by the inverter can be decreased by reducing the supply volt
age to the inverter. This can be done by running the inverter from a variable vo
ltage DC supply such as a controlled rectifier using thyristors to vary the DC s
upply voltage derived from the mains supply. The impedance presented to the inve
rter is largely constant with varying power level, so the power throughput of th
e inverter is roughly proportional to the square of the supply voltage. Varying
the DC link voltage allows full control of the power from 0% to 100%. However, t
hat the exact power throughput in kilowatts depends not only on the DC supply vo
ltage to the inverter, but also on the load impedance that the work coils presen
ts to the inverter through the matching network. Therefore if precise power cont
rol is required the actual induction heating power must be measured, compared to
the requested "power setting" from the operator and an error signal fed back to
continually adjust the DC link voltage in a closed
loop fashion to minimize the
error. This is necessary to maintain constant power because the resistance of t
he work piece changes considerably as it heats up.
11.2 Varying the duty ratio of the devices in the inverter
The power processed by the inverter can be decreased by reducing the on
time of
the switches in the inverter. Power is only sourced to the work coil in the time
that the devices are switched on. The load current is then left to freewheel th
rough the devices body diodes during the dead time when both devices are turned
off. Varying the duty ratio of the switches allows full control of the power fro
m 0% to 100%. However, a significant drawback of this method is the commutation
of heavy currents between active devices and their free
wheel diodes. Forced rev
erse recovery of the free
wheel diodes that can occur when the duty ratio is con
siderably reduced. For this reason duty ratio control is not usually used in hig
h power induction heating inverters.
16
11.3 Varying the operating frequency of the inverter
The power supplied by the inverter to the work coil can be reduced by detuning t
he inverter from the natural resonant frequency of the tank circuit incorporatin
g the work coil. As the operating frequency of the inverter is moved away from t
he resonant frequency of the tank circuit, there is less resonant rise in the ta
nk circuit, and the current in the work coil diminishes. Therefore less circulat
ing current is induced into the work piece and the heating effect is reduced. In
order to reduce the power throughput the inverter is normally detuned on the hi
gh side of the tank circuit’s natural resonant frequency. This causes the inductiv
e reactance at the input of the matching circuit to become increasingly dominant
as the frequency increases. Therefore the current drawn from the inverter by th
e matching network starts to lag in phase and diminish in amplitude. Both of the
se factors contribute to a reduction in the real power throughput. In addition t
o this the lagging power factor ensures that the devices in the inverter still t
urn on with zero voltage across them, and there are no freewheel diode recovery
problems.
11.4 Varying the value of the inductor in the matching network
The power supplied by the inverter to the work coil can be varied by altering th
e value of the matching network components. The L
match network between the inve
rter and the tank circuit technically consists of an inductive and a capacitive
part. But the capacitive part is in parallel with the work coil s own tank capac
itor, and in practice these are usually one and the same part. Therefore the onl
y part of the matching network that is available to adjust is the inductor. The
matching network is responsible for transforming the load impedance of the work
coil to a suitable load impedance to be driven by the inverter. Altering the ind
uctance of the matching inductor adjusts the value to which the load impedance i
s translated. In general, decreasing the inductance of the matching inductor cau
ses the work coil impedance to be transformed down to a lower impedance. This lo
wer load impedance being presented to the inverter causes more power to be sourc
ed from the inverter. Conversely, increasing the inductance of the matching indu
ctor causes a higher load impedance to be presented to the inverter. This lighte
r load results in a lower power flow from the inverter to the work coil. The deg
ree of power control achievable by altering the matching inductor is moderate. T
here is a also a shift in the resonant frequency of the overall system. The L
ma
tch network essentially borrows some of the capacitance from the tank capacitor
to perform the matching operation, thus leaving the tank circuit to resonate at
a higher frequency. For this reason the matching inductor is usually fixed or ad
justed in coarse steps to suit the intended work piece to be heated, rather than
provide the user with a fully adjustable power setting.
17
11.5 Impedance matching transformer
The power supplied by the inverter to the work coil can be varied in coarse step
s by using a tapped RF power transformer to perform impedance conversion. Althou
gh most of the benefit of the LCLR arrangement is in the elimination of a bulky
and expensive ferrite power transformer, it can cater for large changes in syste
m parameters in a way that is not frequency dependent. The ferrite power transfo
rmer can also provide electrical isolation as well as performing impedance trans
formation duty to set the power throughout. Additionally if the ferrite power tr
ansformer is placed between the inverter s output and the input to the L
match c
ircuit its design constraints are relaxed in many ways. Firstly, locating the tr
ansformer in this position means that the impedances at both windings are relati
vely high. i.e. voltages are high and currents are comparatively small. It is ea
sier to design a conventional ferrite power transformer for these conditions. Th
e massive circulating current in the work coil is kept out of the ferrite transf
ormer greatly reducing cooling problems. Secondly, although the transformer sees
the square
wave output voltage from the inverter, it s windings carry currents
that are sinusoidal. The lack of high frequency harmonics reduces heating in the
transformer due to skin effect and proximity effect within the conductors. Fina
lly the transformer design should be optimized for minimum inter
winding capacit
ance and good insulation at the expense of increased leakage inductance. The rea
son for this is that any leakage inductance exhibited by a transformer located i
n this position merely adds to the matching inductance at the input to the L
mat
ch circuit. Therefore leakage inductance in the transformer is not as damaging t
o performance as inter
winding capacitance.
11.6 Phase
shift control of H
bridge
When the work coil is driven by a voltage
fed full
bridge (H
bridge) inverter th
ere is yet another method of achieving power control. If the switching instants
of both bridge legs can be controlled independently then it opens up the possibi
lity of controlling power throughput by adjusting the phase shift between the tw
o bridge legs. When both bridge legs switch exactly in phase, they both output t
he same voltage. This means there is no voltage across the work coil arrangement
and no current flows through the work coil. Conversely, when both bridge legs s
witch in anti
phase maximum current flows through the work coil and maximum heat
ing is achieved. Power levels between 0% and 100% can be achieved by varying the
phase shift of the drive to one half of the bridge between 0 degrees and 180 de
grees when compared to the drive of the other bridge leg. The power factor seen
by the inverter always remains good because the inverter is not detuned from the
resonant frequency of the work coil, therefore reactive current flow through fr
ee
wheeling diodes is minimized.
18
12. Chemical Lab
Nikita metal consists of a big chemical lab with a number of chemical and testin
g tools in order to perform all the required chemical tests.
Fig 12.1 Chemical lab at Nikita Metals Chemical tests are done at Nikita metals
to maintain a particular composition of metals in the final product (ingot). A s
ample is tested and all the percentage composition of all the constituents are f
ound in the sample and accordingly the sample is mixed with other samples to mai
ntain a particular ratio of each constituents. The chemical test ensures a bette
r quality product and is an essential component of metal based industry.
19
12.1 Sample Carbon Test
At Nikita metals we were illustrated with a sample carbon test that is the aim w
as to find the carbon content in the given sample The apparatus used at Nikita M
etals during the test are shown below
Fig 12.1.1 Heating Furnace & Chemicals
Fig 12.1.3 Beam Balance & Digital Beam Balance
Fig 12.1.2 Reading Taker
Following are steps performed for the chemical test for carbon: 1 gm of sample i
s taken using beam balance (35 % carbon approx) Lead Oxide is added to the sampl
e

The product was kept in the heating furnace in order to melt the sample Initial
reading with iron is taken Final reading without iron is taken

Carbon content = final reading
initial reading

20
13. Air Pollution Control Unit
Air pollution can be defined as the harmful particles present in the air which c
an have dangerous impact on the surroundings. Air pollution control unit is an i
mportant unit as it is directly related to health of the labors and the environm
ent. Air pollution control in the induction furnace plant is done using Electros
tatic precipitator popularly known as ESP technology.
Fig 13.1 Complete Process of Air Pollution Control
Air Pollution Control Unit consists of the following: Steam Generator: The dust
particle that comes out as a result of combustion of metals, get mixed with stea
m and passes on to the Electronic precipitator
Electro Static Precipitator: An Electro Static Precipitator (ESP),or Electro Sta
tic air cleaner is a particulate collection device that removes particles from a
flowing gas (such as air) using the force of an induced electrostatic charge. E
lectrostatic precipitators are highly efficient filtration devices that minimall
y impede the flow of gases through the device, and can easily remove fine partic
ulate matter such as dust and smoke from the air stream
21
13.1 Electro Static Precipitator
Electrostatic precipitation removes particles from the exhaust gas stream of an
industrial process and sends a particle free gas to the chimney. Often the proce
ss involves combustion, but it can be any industrial process that would otherwis
e emit particles to the atmosphere. Six activities typically take place in the e
lectronic precipitator:

Ionization
Charging of particles Migration
Transporting the charged particle

s to the collecting surfaces Collection
Precipitation of the charged particles
onto the collecting surfaces Charge Dissipation
Neutralizing the charged part
icles on the collecting surfaces Particle Dislodging
Removing the particles fr
om the collecting surface to the hopper Particle Removal
Conveying the particl
es from the hopper to a disposal point
Fig 13.1.1 Electro Static Precipitator (Design)
The major precipitator components that accomplish these activities are as follow
s:

Discharge Electrodes Power Components Precipitator Controls Rapping Systems Purg

e Air Systems Flue Gas Conditioning Fig 13.1.2 Electronic Precipitator at Nikita
Metals
22
13.2 The Plate Precipitator
Fig 13.2.1 Plate Precipitator with Hopper (Dust Collecting System) The Plate Pre
cipitator present inside electronic precipitator works as follows: Particles sus
pended in a gas enter the precipitator and pass through ionized zones around the
high voltage discharge electrodes. The electrodes, through a corona effect emit
negatively charged ions into the gas.

The negatively charged gas field around each electrode charges the particles cau
sing them to migrate to the electrodes of opposite polarity, i.e. the collecting
electrodes. The charged particles gather on the grounded collecting plates. Rap
pers dislodge the agglomerated particulate, which falls into the collection hopp
ers for removal.

23
Recommendations
Some of the suggestion we would like add for the betterment of the industry are
as follows: Steel sheets covering the industry should be replaced by transparent
sheet in order to insure better light in the industry The furnace should have a
n opening at the top so that the slag can come out automatically and no worker i
s required for the same purpose.

The furnace wall presently made up of refractory material can be used 10 to 15 t

imes should be replaced by an alloy comprising of niobium, hafnium and titanium.
Proper neatness should be maintained in the industry

xxiv
References
http://www.google.com http://www.wikipedia.org http://www.richieburnett.co.uk/in
dheat.html http://www.furnace
design.com/Induction
Furnace.html http://www.neund
orfer.com/knowledge_base/electrostatic_precipitators.aspx Mr. Ajay kumar Khaitan
(Scientist)
xxv
Glossary
Control Panel: Cooling Tower: Crucible: ESP: Hopper: Hydraulic Jack: I.G.B.T: To
control the current, voltage and temperature etc The water cooling system The r
efractory tub where metals are melted Electro Static Precipitator for air pollut
ion control The waste collector of Electro Static Precipitator The jack to tilt
the crucible to pour the melted metals Insulated gate bipolar transistor is a th
ree
terminal power semiconductor device, noted for high efficiency and fast swit
ching.
Induction Furnace: Based on high frequency heating to melt metals Ingot: Ion Exc
hange: LC Tank: Moulds: Oscillator: Ramming Mass: Rectifiers: Thyristors: Final
solidified product from the melted metal Based on Anion & Cation Resins to remov
e water harness Inductor & Capacitor circuits to create electrical Oscillations
The dies in which molten metals are casted & shaped The LC circuit to create AC
signals The refractory material, which can withstand high temperatures The semic
onductor device to convert AC power into DC power The 3
Terminal semiconductor d
evice, controlled by gate for switching electric power.
xxvi