Gas Catalytic Infra-Red Boosters Save Energy and Time
Heraeus Nobleight of Neston, Wirral has demonstrated that the installation of a gas catalytic infra-red booster oven in front of a conventional gas oven can offer significant benefits and savings. These range from savings in energy to faster production.
Gas catalytic ovens are available in various sizes and can operate on natural gas or propane. They are flameless, as they rely on initially heating a platinum catalyst ceramic composite heater panel. Once the catalyst has reached a given temperature, the gas switched on and flows evenly into the back of the panel, where it intermingles with the hot platinum catalyst. This initiates a chemical reaction, which produces carbon dioxide, water vapour and infra-red radiation in the long to low medium wave band of the spectrum. Once the catalytic reaction is established, approximately five minutes after the gas is turned on, the electrical pre-heat is switched off and the reaction is maintained, without flame, until the gas is shut off, without any deterioration of the platinum catalyst. The surface temperature of the heater depends upon the gas flow and this is controlled by a precise gas pulse system (GPS).
Typical applications for gas catalytic ovens include the gelling of powder coatings, food drying, thermo forming, textiles drying, leather curing and curing coatings on heat-sensitive substrates, such as MDF. However, they can also be installed as booster ovens to upgrade existing production lines in a wide range of industries. They require less space than conventional convection ovens and they can be switched on and off as required so that their booster effect can be selected at will, providing quick pre-heat with short lines.
Heraeus specialises in the production and application of high quality energy sources covering the electro-magnetic spectrum from ultraviolet to infra-red. It has over 40 years experience in infra-red technology and offers the expertise, products and systems to provide efficient and effective solutions to drying, heating and curing problems throughout industry. Gas catalytic infra-red entered the Heraeus portfolio when Vulcan Catalytic Systems Ltd was acquired last year
www.heraeus-infraredsolutions.co.uk
