Regenerative Combustion for Aluminum Melting: Applications Target Heat Recovery Efficiency Above 85%

Regenerative Combustion in Aluminum Melting

In aluminum processing and recycled aluminum production, the combustion system determines how effectively heat from flue gas can be reused. For a natural gas aluminum melting tilting furnace, regenerative combustion uses heat-storage media to recover heat from exhaust gas and reuse it for combustion-air preheating.

The furnace described in the PDF is a rectangular, single-chamber hydraulic tilting furnace designed for melting aluminum and aluminum alloy scrap, as well as skimming, refining, and temperature adjustment of molten aluminum. It uses a regenerative natural gas combustion system with a pair of regenerative burners.

How the Regenerative System Recovers Heat

The two burners alternate between combustion and exhaust. While one burner is firing, the other absorbs heat from the flue gas through regenerative media. After the reversing cycle, the stored heat is used to preheat incoming combustion air.

The proposal specifies combustion-air preheating around 1000°C, main exhaust temperature of ≤200°C, and stated regenerative heat recovery efficiency above 85%.

Understanding Heat Recovery Above 85%

For overseas B2B buyers, the heat recovery efficiency above 85% figure should be understood as a design parameter for the regenerative combustion system described in the proposal. It should not automatically be interpreted as the overall energy efficiency of the complete furnace under every production condition.

When comparing a natural gas aluminum melting furnace, buyers can therefore examine heat recovery together with combustion-air temperature, exhaust temperature, burner configuration, and unit gas consumption.

Regenerative Combustion and Melting Performance

The furnace performance guarantee specifies a melting rate of ≥4 t/h and unit gas consumption of ≤65 Nm³/t-Al. The acceptance test uses 100% aluminum ingots and defines the melting endpoint as molten aluminum reaching 720°C.

These parameters provide a defined technical basis for evaluating an aluminum melting tilting furnace. However, actual production conditions can vary with raw material form, charging frequency, target temperature, and operating procedures.

PLC-Based Combustion Management

The regenerative combustion system uses PLC control for purging, automatic ignition, burner reversing, and flame monitoring. The proposal specifies a Siemens S7 PLC and flame detection equipment. In the event of flame failure, the system is designed to shut off the main flame and generate an alarm.

The combustion and exhaust fans also use variable-frequency control to adjust airflow according to operating requirements and support furnace-pressure control.

For aluminum processors evaluating a regenerative aluminum melting furnace, these measurable parameters provide a practical basis for understanding the combustion system, heat recovery design, and relationship between fuel use and melting performance.