Counter-flow electric furnace & methods
AssigneeSabic Global Technologies B.V.
InventorMichael Edward HUCKMAN
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Radiative electric furnaces and methods of heating fluid are disclosed. The furnace can include a housing defining a radiant heating chamber having a length, a width, and a height; one or more first electric heating elements disposed on a first side of the radiant heating chamber; one or more second electric heating elements disposed on a second side of the radiant heating chamber and spaced apart from the first electric heating element(s); a plurality of first tubes disposed between the first and second electric heating elements, and extending at least a majority of the length of the radiant heating chamber; and a plurality of second tubes disposed between the first and second electric heating elements, and extending at least a majority of the length of the radiant heating chamber.
Claims15
A radiative electric furnace comprising:
- a housing defining a radiant heating chamber having a length, a width, and a height;
- one or more first electric heating elements disposed on a first side of the radiant heating chamber;
- one or more second electric heating elements disposed on a second side of the radiant heating chamber and spaced apart from the first electric heating element(s);
- a plurality of first tubes disposed between the first and second electric heating elements, and extending at least a majority of the length of the radiant heating chamber;
- and
- a plurality of second tubes disposed between the first and second electric heating elements, and extending at least a majority of the length of the radiant heating chamber;
- where the first tubes are configured to carry a fluid from a first end of the radiant heating chamber toward a second end of the radiant heating chamber, and the second tubes are configured to carry a fluid from a second end of the radiant heating chamber toward a first end of the radiant heating chamber;
- and
- where at least one of the second tubes is disposed one of (a)-(c):
- (a) between two of the first tubes;
- (b) between one of the first tubes and one of the first and second electric heating elements;
- or
- (c) both (a) and (b).
A method of heating a fluid in a radiative electric furnace, the method comprising:
- directing the fluid into a plurality of tubes between first and second electric heating elements disposed on opposing sides of a radiant heating chamber of the furnace, the tubes extending along a length of the heating chamber;
- where the plurality of tubes comprises a plurality of first tubes and a plurality of second tubes, and directing the fluid comprises simultaneously:
- directing a first portion of the fluid into the first tubes in a first direction extending from a first end of the heating chamber toward a second end of the heating chamber;
- and
- directing a second portion of the fluid into the second tubes in a second direction extending from a second end of the heating chamber toward the first end of the heating chamber.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.