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3.
APPLICATIONS
OF PROPANE
3(a).
Industrial Uses of Propane
3(b).
Process Firing
3(c).
Applications of Propane
3(a).
Industrial Uses of Propane
The
advantages are many:
1. Versatility
and accurate process control
2.
Longer crucible life in case of kilns and furnaces
3. Direct
firing without alteration or discoloration
4. No
contamination of fume problems with unburnt fuels 5. Intense
and controllable temperature upto 1600 OC
6.
Minimum carbon deposits reducing downtimes and contamination
7.
Controllability- burners can be adjusted instantly to precise
temperatures
8.
Clean
burning- lead free, sulphur free, carbon free. Being free from
contamination
residues, leading to better product quality, lesser
down times and no re-working
costs
9. In drying
ovens, more efficient and need less maintenance than oil systems
because
of one step heat transfer
10. In metal work:
safe, no risk for overheating or blow black. Produces a cleaner cut
than oxyacetylene due to greater flame stability. Cutting
temperature upto 1900 O C.
11.
Constant, controllable bath temperatures for homogenous melting
operations.
3(b).
Process Firing
In
industries, Propane is mostly used for Process Heating. Being clean
burning it does not leave residues of any kind for which it is
highly valued in industrial processes requiring cleanliness, high
energy heat and precise results. Many industries already use Propane
to power process furnaces, dryers, ovens and kilns.
(a) Batch furnaces: “Batches” of material are placed into
these for processing
(b)
Continuous
furnaces: materials are processed constantly and move through
these furnaces in a conveyor
(c) Direct-fired furnaces: this may be Propane’s most
desired industrial use. The
products of combustion come in direct
contact with the materials being treated.
Propane’s clean burning
qualities permit it to be used in direct-fired situations
where less
clean fuels, such as fuel oil, could produce imperfect results.
(d) Glass Plant furnaces: Propane is the
preferred energy source in glass plants,
where it is used as a fuel
to power melting furnaces, annealing furnaces and
tempering furnaces
(e) Heat treatment of metals: Propane gas is used for
bright heat treatment of
low-carbon steels, bright annealing of
copper, bright blazing of steel, and steel
brazing of non-ferrous
metals and low carbon steel powders.
(f) Indirect-fired Furnaces: In these furnaces,
combustion products do not come in
direct contact with those items
being heated. These type of furnaces include
muffle, radiant tube
and sealed crucible.
(g) Kilns: One of the most common Propane gas industrial
applications is to provide
heat for all types of kilns
(h) Ovens: Propane also fires ovens used in core baking,
curing and forming
(i) Process Heat Dryers: Some of these units include spray
dryers, room dryers,
paper dryers, conveyor dryers, rotary dryers,
pan dryers and tunnel dryers.
(j) Captive Power generation: Propane is used
for generating captive power and
electricity.
top
3(c).
Applications of Propane
1.
PROCESS
HEATING: textile, glass, television, bearing, automobile
2. KILNS & FURNACES: ceramics, incinerators, heat
treatment
3. DRYING OVENS: paint shops, food processing, ink printing,
tobacco curing, tea
drying
4. METAL WORK: cutting, brazing
5. METAL FABRICATION/CUTTING: melting, casting, wire drawing,
forming, forging
6. POWER GENERATION: captive power plants
7. AEROSOL: as HAP (Hydrocarbon Aerosol Propylent)
8. HOTEL & CATERING: hotels, hospitals, agriculture,
horticulture, poultry
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