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A numerical simulation of a line-type paint drying furnace

Jongrak Choi (Department of Mechanical Engineering, Sogang University, Seoul, Republic of Korea and CAE Technology Group, LS Mtron, Anyang, Republic of Korea)
Giyeob Yang (Department of Mechanical Engineering, Sogang University, Seoul, Republic of Korea)
Nahmkeon Hur (Department of Mechanical Engineering, Sogang University, Seoul, Republic of Korea)

International Journal of Numerical Methods for Heat & Fluid Flow

ISSN: 0961-5539

Article publication date: 29 July 2019

Issue publication date: 30 April 2020

170

Abstract

Purpose

Paint drying is a very important process in an industry where shorter drying time for productivity and lower energy consumption for production cost are required while maintaining the product’s painting quality. In the present study, a drying process in a line-type paint drying furnace equipped with nozzles for hot air supply and moving conveyer belt to dry painted automotive parts is numerically simulated for the flow and heat transfer inside the furnace to evaluate the quality of the drying or baking at the end of the drying process in a production line.

Design/methodology/approach

A baking window for a specific paint is used for judging the local degree of baking (DOB) of the painted parts, which can be useful to identify under-baked or over-baked locations of the painted parts, and hence the quality of the baking process.

Findings

Numerical results of a time history of temperatures at two monitoring points on the painted parts were obtained and compared to the measured data in an actual furnace and showed good agreement. Three types of paints were considered in the present study and numerical results showed different drying characteristics. In addition to the original furnace nozzle configuration, two more furnace nozzle configurations with different numbers, direction and speed of hot air supply were simulated to improve the furnace’s drying performance. As a result, a newly suggested nozzle configuration with quick drying paint can give us a remarkable improvement in surface averaged DOB compared to the original nozzle configuration with original paint.

Originality/value

The present simulation technique and DOB methodology can be used for the optimal design of a drying furnace.

Keywords

Citation

Choi, J., Yang, G. and Hur, N. (2020), "A numerical simulation of a line-type paint drying furnace", International Journal of Numerical Methods for Heat & Fluid Flow, Vol. 30 No. 5, pp. 2639-2653. https://doi.org/10.1108/HFF-11-2018-0697

Publisher

:

Emerald Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2019, Emerald Publishing Limited

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