Development of 400 kW Class Aluminum Billet Heater Using HTS Magnet

In this paper, design, fabrication, and test results of the demonstration device for 400 kW-class aluminum billet heating using the HTS magnet were reported. Based on our user's request, the target of the demonstration device was to heat the aluminum billet of 155 mm in diameter and 500 mm in length from room temperature to 500 °C within 60 seconds. In the heating test using the demonstration device, it was demonstrated that the input heating power to the aluminum billet of 155 mm in diameter and 500 mm long was more than 400 kW. Based on the measured data of the heating tests, the heating efficiency was estimated to be 74.5%. It was shown that at least 30% reduction of energy consumption could be possible compared to conventional induction heating devices.