Fuels Refractories and Furnaces

Fossil fuels are of great importance because they can be burned (oxidized to carbon dioxide and water) producing significant amounts of energy per unit mass. Furnaces are built of several kinds of high temperature (refractory) materials to hold the process material and hold in the heat without breaking down. Choices for heat source include arc combustion electrical or resistance indirect or contact or conduction induction infrared or radiant natural gas propane oil other fuel RF or microwave or dielectric and steam. Common applications for industrial ovens include aging annealing baking brazing or soldering burn-off curing drying firing or sintering foundry or melting heat treating hot pressing laboratory preheating and quenching.