Modelling of the energy transfer during scrap melting in microwave furnace

Abstract

Efficient recovery and processing of metal waste is a priority for today's economy. Several technologies are dealing with the recovery of metals through furnace melting but the extraction efficiencies are rather low. The paper studies the influence of heat transfer, produced by the action of microwaves, on the melting of metal waste batch. Correlation equations of the heat flux transmitted through the crucibles inside the oven were calculated by means of MATLAB modeling. Specific dimensions for the furnace enclosure were used in the paper. The simulation results were than compared to the experimental findings, to verify the model. The experimental stage consisted in the melting of aluminum and copper waste in the microwave installation, at laboratory level, and at the optimized parameters of the system.