Electron-beam furnace for titanium

We offer to supply multipurpose furnace (WU series) for the production of titanium ingots and slabs weighing up to 20 tons. The Figure 1 on the picture shows a general view, package and the main characteristics such as furnaces WU. Figures 2-5 show the general form of the furnace, the melting chamber, vacuum system, as well as the scheme of the smelting process. Figures 6-9 show the elements of management systems, central control panel, video control system, as well as the scheme of the automatic drawing of ingots.

The contract for the supply of electron-beam furnace includes:

  • full technical documentation;
  • equipment manufacturing;
  • delivery of the equipment to the site of operation;
  • installation of the equipment;
  • putting in operation;
  • technical supervision;
  • warranty service;
  • training of the personnel;
  • supply of spare parts and consumables.

Electron Beam Cold Hearth Melting (EBCHM) furnace WU -series for production of titanium and titanium alloys:

Capacity

 ≤ 5000 ton/year

Length of ingot/slab

≤ 8000mm

Diameter of ingot

 ≤ 1000mm

Cross section sizes of slab

≤ 500×1410mm

Weight

≤ 15000kg

To operate EBCHM furnace WU -series need to connect only 2 industrial sources: electricity and water.

Total consumption of electricity per 1 ton of cast billet

1300 - 1800 kW × h

The total amount of irrecoverable water losses
(Including sewage and household water) per 1 ton of cast billet

 ≤ 0.5 - 0.7m3

Layout of main units of EBCHM furnace WU-series for production of titanium and titanium alloys 

Basic set of EBCHM furnace WU-series consist of:

No Name of equipment Quantity
1 Mechanical units:  
1.1 Melting chamber 1
1.2 Side feed unit 2
1.3 Electron beam heating unit (EBH unit) 1
1.4 Withdrawal unit 1
1.5 Melting module (per each size of slab/ingot) 1
2 Special equipment:  
2.1 Gas-discharge electron beam gun WU up to 7
3 Systems:  
3.1 Vacuum system 1
3.2 System of preparation and supply of operating gas mixture 1
3.3 Water cooling system:  
4. Electricity:  
4.1 Electric supply system 1
4.2 High-voltage power supply HVPS up to 7
5 PC-based control system (CS) FOTON 1
6 Service platform 1
7 Spare equipment:  
7.1 Gas-discharge electron beam gun WU 2
7 Set of special tools 1
8 Set of spare parts for one operating year 1

Smelting scheme in EBCHM furnace WU:

Charge (4), loaded in non-melting containers (3) is fed with two sides into the melting zone, which is implemented in a melting chamber in a vacuum by electron beam of gas-discharge guns (6). Management of beams scanning allows to control conditions of process melting of the charge at the ends of charge workpieces, in cold hearth (2), in overflow lip and in withdrawal mold (1) and eliminates burns of technological tooling. Baffle (5) is installed to eliminate of falling splashes of molten metal into withdrawal mold. The signal from the cameras (7) is broadcast on the main control panel monitors in real time and is automatically processed by CS FOTON. Signal from the camera control of metal level in bath of withdrawal mold (8) allows to automatically manage device of withdrawing slab (9). 

Design features of EBCHM furnace WU-series: 

  • combination of scheme with opposite of each other horizontal side devices of feeding charge with the original design of melting module and a compact melting chamber is lead to reduce losses to evaporation and splashing of metal and to make the necessary degree of refining of the melt with appreciable reduction of power consumption;

  • the melting tool (cold hearth with overflow lip and withdrawal mold) is merged in modular build which is easily installed to the melting chamber and extracted from it;

  • the gas-discharge EB guns do not demand use of individual high-vacuum pumps, but at the same time they reliably operate over the range of pressures 10 - 0.01 Pa and are not sensitive to pressure changes in the technological melting chamber during melting process;

  • high voltage power supplies HVPS are compact and can be installed near to electron-beam heating unit and electron beam guns KV.

The supervision of technological process and operating of all furnace systems is carried through the PC-based control system (CS) FOTON designed upon a principle of SCADA-systems (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition) based on remotely Programmable Logic Controllers (PLC), are located in close proximity to the units and mechanisms of the furnace. 

Furnace can be controlled both from the remote main control panel and from local post consoles which are located directly near objects of control.

Layout of control units of CS FOTON on 3-d level of service platform 

An important feature of the control system of EBCHM furnaces of WU-series is a video surveillance system, consisting of five video cameras, which are mounted to melting chamber. This system is designed for the visual and parametric control of the whole technological process from melting the charge at the ends of workpieces to a state of the melt in the bath of the withdrawal mold, including monitoring the level of the metal. 

Video data is broadcast in 5 monitors of main control center in real time, allowing the founder to proactively operate the process of melting. 

Main control center of EBCHM furnace WU-series 

The subsystem of control of withdrawal unit has a new scheme for automatic control of melt metal level in bath of withdrawal mold, when signal from the video camera of control of level in bath passes through the video processor to a central computer, which by means of control cabinet of drives puts the desired mode of operation mechanism of withdrawing of the ingot.