Performance of 450 kW permanent magnet heater for aluminum billets

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to present the main experimental results obtained on the first prototype of an innovative induction heating system. MAGNHEAT was a LIFE project, funded by EU Commission, proposed to demonstrate the possibility of industrial application of a new technology for the induction heating of aluminum billets before extrusion. This technology uses permanent magnet heaters (PMHs), which constitute a high efficiency solution for the heating of high conductive metals.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper briefly describes the main steps of the project: the design of the PMH, the realization and installation of the demonstrator on an extrusion production line of Pandolfo Alluminio SpA and, mostly, the performance of the system.

Findings

The main results achieved during the preliminary tests on an industrial line have been summarized by evaluating some key performance indicators, as reported in the paper.

Originality/value

The new technology allows a significant reduction of the energy consumption and guarantees the same performance of a classical induction heater.

Citation

Forzan, M., Dughiero, F., Lupi, S. and Zerbetto, M. (2020), "Performance of 450 kW permanent magnet heater for aluminum billets", COMPEL - The international journal for computation and mathematics in electrical and electronic engineering, Vol. 39 No. 1, pp. 206-212. https://doi.org/10.1108/COMPEL-06-2019-0235