Here at Caltherm, we are striving for greener, more energy-efficient industrial ovens and furnaces, aiming to reduce energy while maintaining performance. To help us achieve these, we’re using two tools: proactive design and technology.
Read on to find out how we are using these to the advantage of our customers.
Proactive design
We’ve been communicating closely with all prospective customers to ensure they are aware of greener fuel options. Electricity is greener than natural gas, but it costs more to heat an oven or furnace this way due to the price per kilowatt. Understandably, not everyone can see the benefits of making such a switch, especially if they are going to be worse off financially.
However, we are helping our customers to save money by improving the energy efficiency of our products and using fewer thermal bridges; where inner ‘hot’ components are in direct contact with external ‘cold’ components. In contrast to other manufacturers, we offer thicker insulation, above the industry norms, as standard. Even after 40 years, we are dedicated to finding new ways to improve the energy efficiency of our machines, using thermal imaging to map their external temperature and using this data to improve our designs.
Technology
As well as the above, we’ve worked hard to offer energy-saving technology, including self-recuperative gas burners, which pre-heat the incoming combustion air; heat exchangers, which heat factory air and water and can even pre-heat the oven/furnace process air; and high-efficiency air re-circulation fans and motors, which save electricity.
For a batch oven, a door open/closed limit switch could help. Doors on batch ovens are often opened frequently, letting warm air spill out. An open/closed limit switch avoids loss of heat through methods like configuring the fan to run at a lower speed when the door is open. This also makes using this equipment easier and safer.
We are also improving efficiency by removing unnecessary mass within the working chamber, minimising the non-structural metal work within our ovens. This enables faster heat-up rates, using less power, which means you are saving energy and money. We use the same method for internal furniture too, including load frames and racks.
Another way to save money on electric ovens is time switches, which enable them to be run overnight when energy costs are cheaper. The oven can be loaded during a normal day shift, and then set to automatically switch on in the evening. For customers that are on an energy tariff that is cheaper overnight, this can offer considerable savings.
Finally, air circulation fans and motors are a considerable source of energy consumption. For many processes, fans can be slowed down as much as 50% without affecting the outcome. This is achieved via a variable speed drive (VSD), which is often installed in the main oven control panel.
To learn more about how Caltherm can support you with a bespoke product, please get in touch.