The study of bulk loading in high-temperature resistance furnaces

To simulate the thermal processes in electric furnaces it is quite convenient to use the finite element method in a two- and three-dimensional setting. The thermal conductivity is a property of the continuum and in the simulation of non-continuous environs it is necessary when using the finite element method to resort to a significant complication of the model, which significantly increases the time of the calculations especially in three-dimensional statement. In the design of the furnace structure it was necessary to achieve the required uniformity of the distribution of temperature inside the load, given the nature of heat exchange processes taking place in it, and taking into account the mutual arrangement of the heater and the platten with the load. The load by virtue of its characteristics in the beginning behaves like a thermo technical massive body, but with the increase of the temperature grows the role of radiant heat exchange within layers of the load to such an extent that the temperature gradient along the radius becomes insignificant. The results of the research showed an opportunity of significant simplification of the model of bulk load during thermal calculations in high temperature furnaces with a predominance of radiation heat transfer between the individual pieces of the batch.