Maximizing the productivity of a gas melting furnace with regard to the ecological efficiency of its operation

Due to the implementation of environmental regulations and the continual tightening up of the limits for pollutants in combustion systems, we are being forced to pay more attention to this area. A significant source of pollutants originating from the industry is, in particular, the formation of carbon dioxide (CO2) and nitrogen oxides (NOx) in combustion systems with air intake. The control of pollutant emissions has become a global concern due to the worldwide increase in the use of fossil fuels. Besides the fact that the insufficient combustion process has a significant share of emissions in the environment, it also reduces the overall efficiency and economy of the operation using this energy source. We encounter this problem also in the operation of gas melting furnaces. Therefore, the aim of this paper was to describe the results of experimental measurements of the amount of emissions produced during the gas melting furnace KOV 010/1998 operation, which is in practice predominantly used for the melting of Aluminium alloys. Experimental measurements were performed to design the most appropriate operating mode variant of the melting furnace with regard to maximizing its productivity and at the same time to minimizing the total amount of emissions produced during one melting cycle.