Description
At the aluminium foundry of Pinter Guss, we at Gammel Engineering have developed a pioneering concept for optimizing the energy efficiency of the melting operations: ingot preheating via exhaust gas heat recovery. Gas-fired crucible furnaces with a melting capacity of around 500 kW each are used in the melting shop - an enormous amount of energy, with large amounts of waste heat previously going unused.
Our approach: The hot exhaust gases - with temperatures between 250 °C and 600 °C - from a total of five crucible furnaces are intelligently captured, bundled and directed into a newly designed preheating chamber. There, both fresh ingots and return materials are preheated to 300 °C within just three hours. The increase in efficiency is considerable: natural gas consumption in the melting phase can be reduced by around 15% as a result - a clear benefit for economic efficiency, resource conservation and the carbon footprint.
But that's not all: as experienced system developers, we always think one step ahead. The exhaust gases leave the preheating chamber at a sufficiently high temperature level to be available for other uses. In an in-depth analysis, we have therefore investigated two additional utilization paths: the use of residual heat to supply a neighbouring building and the integration of a compact absorption chiller for the post-cooling of cast components. This means that not only is the waste heat used - it becomes a strategic energy source.
This project shows what Gammel Engineering stands for: creative, resilient solutions based on in-depth system knowledge, coupled with a clear commitment to sustainability and cost-effectiveness. For Pinter Guss, a classic melting store has been transformed into an energy-efficient, future-oriented production site - with technology that works.