Go to GlobalSpec.com Home
Toolbar   The Engineering Toolbar
The Ultimate Resource for Engineering and Technical Research. (Learn More)

Inspecting Gas Fired Furnaces Using Infrared Thermography

From Flir Systems Incorporated
 

 
The natural gas fired furnace is a key component in our process lines. Our two vertical furnaces operate at an internal temperature of 2100° F. These furnaces are used to heat a five foot wide ribbon of steel to 1500° F as it moves through the furnace at speeds up to 600 feet per minute. Unplanned shutdowns of these furnaces can result in production losses as high as $84K. Traditionally, visual inspections have been the preferred method of monitoring wall insulation health. Peeled or blistered paint and a cherry red glow are used as indicators that insulation is breaking down inside the furnace. What isn't apparent is the severity of these breakdowns. IR thermography allows us to identify insulation breakdowns sooner and then map the severity of our finds. IR thermograms are a valuable predictive tool for planning the timing and duration of furnace repairs. Steelscape operates 12 gas fired furnaces. These are used to heat steel strip during the process of turning it into a product used by our customers to make roofing, siding, gutters, garage doors and steel buildings.
Product Announcements
Wellman Furnaces, Inc. - CAR BOTTOM & TIP-UP FURNACES
Car Bottom Furnaces can be provided for annealing, normalizing and stress relieving bars, tubes, forgings, large weldments and castings and can be gas fired or electrically heated with either... (read more)
Rath Incorporated - Laboratory Furnace and Kiln Linings (Up to 1800°C)
Rath Incorporated offers a complete line of vacuum-formed insulating boards and cylinders for laboratory furnaces and kilns for applications up to 1800°C. Whether you have a front or bottom loading... (read more)
Rath Incorporated - Custom Fabrication
Rath offers expert custom fabrication and turn key installation of our refractory insulation systems. From laboratory furnaces and kilns, thermo-analytical instruments to large ceramic shuttle and... (read more)
Zircar Zirconia, Inc. - Lab Furnace
The Hot Spot's unique design and insulating materials used provide 1700 Celsius firing capability on only 110 Volts. This high temperature lab furnace fits almost anywhere and is simple to operate. (read more)
Wellman Furnaces, Inc. - ROLLER HEARTH FURNACES
Wellman's broad experience in building Roller Hearth furnaces includes direct-fired and atmosphere furnaces for temperatures to 2100 F (1150 C). Fuel-fired or electrically heated designs are... (read more)
Consarc - An Inductotherm Group Company - Vacuum Induction Melting (VIM)
The Vacuum Induction Melting (VIM) Process, initially used to meet alloy requirements of specialized industries, is becoming more and more essential in the production of high performance materials for... (read more)
Rath Incorporated - Microwave Furnace Insulation
Rath Incorporated offers a broad range of products for thermally insulating microwave furnaces for temperatures up 1800°C. Rath Incorporated materials have low levels of impurities, resulting in... (read more)
 
Topics of Interest
6.10 Sintering Furnaces Sintering furnaces may be classified as batch-type or continuous furnaces. They have invariably gastight furnace shell or gastight muffle to maintain a reducing atmosphere. (Read More)
Dry refractories are supplied as a dry powder that is applied and fired in place. Silicate, phosphate or other binders are activated upon firing. Dry refractory powders or aggregates are tamped into... (Read More)
Infrared thermography is used throughout the petroleum refining industry and has a proven track record of cost saving in many areas of the business. This paper describes the examination and monitoring... (Read More)
Limitations For completeness, I will mention that there is some specialized stress relief straightening in gas and electric furnaces with parts placed in a retort. A retort is a metal box, usually... (Read More)
Infrared (IR) thermography is one of the most valuable diagnostic tools for predictive maintenance. It is a cost effective solution available in varying capabilities, depending on how many... (Read More)