EBNER | Products | Steel industry | GREENBAFx®
The Next Generation Bell Annealing Furnace
GREENBAFx®
The demands of the future are challenging all of us to design processes that are more sustainable, even as they remain competitive. With this challenge shaping our perspective, we have invested several years of intensive work in the development of the next generation of bell annealer furnaces. During development, an emphasis was placed on maximizing energy efficiency, eliminating emissions and simplifying operational processes.
This next generation of bell annealers, the GREENBAFx®, line of furnaces, features innovative systems for both inserting thermal energy into the process and recycling the energy discharged during cooling back into the process.
Extremley high energy savings up to 30 %
Innovative direct electric heating system inside the workbase
Emission-free process
Saving Energy and Eliminating Emmissions
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- Emission-free process, no CO2 or NOx emitted by the facility
- Energy savings of up to 30 % provided by the exchange of heat between charge stacks
- “Passive” process bell replaces heating bell, cooling bell and inner cover
- Fewer crane movement cycles required
- Independent heating system at each workbase
- Distance between workbases can be reduced
- Integrated electric heating and heat exchange systems can be retrofitted
Why choose GREENBAFx®?
The next generation of bell annealing furnaces impresses with numerous advantages for environmentally friendly and energy-efficient production.
Due to the integrated heating system and the direct transfer of heat to the process atmosphere, heat losses are kept to a minimum. In addition to this, GREENBAFx® furnaces feature an energy exchange system that recycles energy collected during the cooling process by feeding it to another workbase and preheating the charge. This allows energy savings of up to 30 % to be achieved.
No CO2 and NOX emissions from the facility.
The heating bell, cooling bell and inner cover employed at a typical bell annealer facility are replaced with a single “passive” process bell. As there is no need to input heat from an external source (a heating bell), and as there is no need to exchange bells or couple/uncouple utility lines when switching from heating to cooling, operation is greatly simplified. The GREENBAFx® system requires fewer interventions, improves reliability and streamlines processes – all the way from the time the process bell is clamped until the time it is released from the workbase.
Simplified operation increases the service lives of major components, for example inner covers.
As each workbase of a GREENBAFx® is equipped with an independent heating system, all waiting times for heating bells are reduced to zero.
At a GREENBAFx® facility, only two crane movement cycles are required during a heat treatment process: one when the process bell is placed and one when it is lifted off the workbase with the inner cover. This is a stark contrast to crane operations at a standard bell annealer facility, where 6 crane cycles are required. This greatly reduces the time required for a heat treatment process.
A GREENBAFx® facility can be equipped with different cooling variants:
- Straight air cooling
- Internal cooler
- Fast cooling system with combined internal/air cooler
- The need to open the cooling water supply is eliminated
A variety of systems are provided to recover waste heat, including:
- Atmosphere outburner in heat exchanger pipework
- Air/water or air/oil heat exchanger
- Air heating (to heat the workshop, heat the coil storage area, etc.)
- Tie-in to energy storage system
The (longitudinal) distance between workbases can be reduced, as thermal radiation from a hot inner cover is eliminated and process bells have reduced diameters. Heat shields for valve stands are no longer required.
Possibility for hybrid heating with additional heating bell (natural gas/hydrogen): Restriction in bell handling and heat exchange applications
GREENBAFx® provides a retrofitting capability for integrated electric-heating system as well as for heat exchange system
Driving Green Technologies
GREENBAFx®
The development of our GREENBAFx® facilities was driven by our customers’ desire for equipment that offered a balance between market competitiveness, regulatory compliance and energy efficiency. We sought to provide a highly competitive product that would enable them to achieve their goals more rapidly, reinforcing our position as a leader in sustainable thermal processes through technological innovation.
The furnace was designed to meet stringent environmental regulations, including those related to “green deals”, climate protection packages and legislation designed to reduce air pollution. By using less energy, the furnace will conserve natural resources and reduce both energy consumption and the need for emission certificates – which will lead to significant cost savings.
In short, the development of GREENBAFx® product line was motivated by the desire to provide a competitive, environmentally friendly and energy-efficient solution that would benefit both our customers and the planet.