ABSTRACT
This
research is centered on the design and fabrication of copula furnace and
atomizer for the production aluminium powder metal with the available
material.0.4kg of refined coke was chosen as the basis for material and energy balance
calculations and the design calculations performed from whose values are used
to produce the design drawings. Mild steel was used for the internal linings of
the furnace casing while other material were selected based on functionality ,durability
,cost and local availability. The furnace and atomizer were assembled and the
furnace inner wall of the casing was lined with refractory bricks made from
heated mixture of kaolin, clay, sawdust and water after which the cylindrical
shell was positioned .Testing was subsequently performed to evaluate the
performance of the furnace and the atomizer by first gathering of the aluminum
cans .The furnace was heated to 8700c and it was observe that the
furnace has 36.9% efficiency which is within the acceptable value for furnace
efficiencies. Atomizer produced various sizes of powder metal depending on the
type of mesh used and the shape obtained
was irregular in shape.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Cover Page
Title Page i
Certification ii
Dedication iii
Acknowledgements iv
Abstract v
Table of Contents vi
List
of Tables
xi
List of Figures
xii
List of Plates
xiii
CHAPTER
ONE: INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background
of Study 1
1.2 Aims
and Objectives of the Study 3
1.3 Problem
Statement 4
1.4 Scope
of Research Project 5
1.5 Relevance
of Study 5
1.6 Limitation
of Study 5
CHAPTER
TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW
2.1 Introduction to
Aluminium and Aluminium Recycling 7
2.2 Introduction to Powder Metallurgy 8
2.2.1Historical
Development 8
2.2.2 Atomization
Process 9
2.2.3 Classification of
Atomization process 10
2.2.4 Uses of Powder
Metals 10
2.2.5 Some Common Metal
Powder 11
2.3 Introduction to Atomizer 12
2.3.1 Classification of
Atomizers 13
2.3.2 Atomizer
Requirement 14
2.4 Introduction to Furnace 15
2.4.1 Types of Furnaces 15
2.4.2 Classification
of Furnaces 16
2.4.3 Introduction to
Copula 17
2.4.4 Parts of a Copula
Furnace 17
2.4.5 Zones of Copula 19
2.4.6 Copula Operations 22
2.4.7 Efficiency of
Copula Furnace 26
2.4.8 Advantages and
Limitations 27
2.4.9 Limitations in
Copula Furnace 28
2.5 Introduction to Refractory 28
2.5.1
Refractory Definition 28
2.5.2 Classification of
Refractory 29
2.5.3 Properties of
Refractory 32
2.5.4 Types of
Refractory 36
2.5.5 Selection of Refractory 39
2.5.6 Manufacture of
Refractory 39
2.5.7 Functions and
uses of Refractory 41
2.5.8 Uses of
Refractories 41
2.6 Introduction to Coal 42
2.6.1 Uses of Coal 43
2.6.2 Refined
Coal(Coke) 43
2.6.3 Production of
Coke 44
2.6.4 Properties of
Coke 44
2.6.5 Uses of Coke 45
2.6.6 Advantages of
Coal over other Forms of Energy 45
CHAPTER
THREE: MATERIALS AND METHODOLOGY
3.1 Introduction 46
3.2 The Design of Copula Furnace 47
3.2.1 Material Balance 47
3.2.2 Reaction
Mechanism 48
3.2.3 Energy Balance 49
3.2.4 Enthalpy Change 50
3.2.5 Standard Heat of
Reaction 51
3.3 Energy Balance for the Furnace 52
3.3.1 Combustion Chamber 52
3.3.2 Enthalpy of the
Reaction 53
3.3.3 Standard Heat of
Reaction 53
3.3.4 Enthalpy of Flue
Gases 54
3.3.5 The Design of the
Furnace 55
3.3.6 Design of the
Combustion Chamber 57
3.3.7 Design of the
down Section of the Furnace 58
3.4 Design of an
Atomizer 62
3.5 Costing and Safety
Measures 67
3.5.1 Costing 67
3.5.2 Safety Measures 69
3.6 Materials of
Constructions 70
CHAPTER
FOUR: RESULTS, OBSERVATION AND DISCUSSION
4.1 Results 79
4.2 Observations and
Discussion 80
4.3 The Size of the
Metal Powder produced 81
4.4 The Shape of
Aluminum metal powder produced 81
CHAPTER
FIVE: CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS
5.1 Conclusion 83
5.2 Recommendations 83
REFERENCES 85
APPENDIX A 88
APPENDIX B 94
APPENDIX C 97
LIST OF TABLES
Table 2.1 Melting point
Chart of pure Compounds 33
Table 2.3 Classes of
Fire Clay Brick 38
Table 3.1 Material Balance
Table 49
Table 3.2 Specification
Sheet for the Designed Atomizer 67
Table 3.3 Cost of
Materials 68
Table 3.4 Fabrication
cost 68
Table 3.5 Additional
Expenses 69
Table 4.1 Results from
the Copula Furnace 79
LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 2.1 Broad
Classification of Furnace 19
Figure2.2 Copula
Furnace 21
Figure 3.1 The
Combustion Chamber (Materials) 48
Figure 3.2 Balance
Around the combustion Chamber 52
Figure 3.3 Balance
around the Furnace 55
Figure 3.4 Internal and
External diameters 58
Figure 3.5 2D And 3D
views of the copula Furnace 59
Figure 3.6 3D View of
the Cupola Furnace Sections 60
Figure 3.7 Front View
of the Cupola Furnace 61
Figure 3.8 2D Sectioned
view of the Lower Section of the Atomizer 63
Figure 3.9 2D Sectioned
view of the Middle Section of the Atomizer 64
Figure 3.10 2D View of
the Lower Section of the Atomizer 65
Figure 3.11 3-D Section
view of the Atomizer 66
LIST OF PLATES
PLATE
1 ALIEN
KEY
PLATE
2 VERNEIR
CALIPER
PLATE
3 HAND
FILES
PLATE
4 TAP
WRENCH
PLATE
5 TWO
WAY GRINDING MACHINE
PLATE
6 LATHE
MACHINE
PLATE
7 DRILL BIT
CHAPTER
ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1
Background
of Study
Powder metallurgy is a technique
concerned with the production of metal powders and converting them into useful
shapes. It is a material processing technique in which particulate materials
are consolidated to semi-finished and finished products. Metal powder
production techniques are used to manufacture a wide spectrum of Metal powders
designed to meet the requirements of a large variety of applications. Various
powder production processes allow precise control of the chemical and physical
characteristics of powders and permit the development of specific attributes
for the desired applications. Powder production processes are constantly being
improved to meet the quality, cost and performance requirements of all types of
applications. Metal powders are produced by mechanical or chemical methods.
The most commonly used methods include
water and gas atomization, milling, mechanical alloying, electrolysis, and
chemical reduction of oxides.
The type of powder production process
applied depends on the required production rate, the desired powder properties
and the properties desired in the final part. Chemical and electrolytic methods
are used to produce high purity powders while Mechanical milling is widely used
for the production of hard metals and oxides. Atomization is the most versatile
method for producing metal powders.
It is the dominant method for producing
metal and pre-alloyed powders from aluminum, brass, iron, low alloy steel,
stainless steel, tool steel, super alloy, titanium alloy and other alloys.
Atomization
[Mehrotra 1984] is a process in which a liquid stream disintegrated into a
large number of droplets of various sizes. Basically atomization consists of
mechanically disintegrating a stream of molten metal into the fine particles by
means of a jet of compressed gases or liquids. It is an important process which
finds wide applications such diverse field as spraying for insecticidal use,
fuel injection in internal combustion engines, liquid spray drying, and liquid
dispersion in numerous liquid–gas contact operations such as distillation,
humidification, and spray crystallization.
The
technique of atomizing a metal melt, with fluid was connected with the
production of metal powders. The basic principle involved in atomization of
liquid consists in increasing the surface area of the liquid stream until it
becomes unstable disintegrated. The energy required for disintegration can be
imparted in several ways depending on the mode in which the energy is supplied.
The
atomization process [Mehrotra 1984] can be classified into three main
categories:
Pressure
atomization.
i. Mechanical
ii. Chemical or centrifugal atomization.
iii. Fluid atomization.
The
present work concentrated on the third type of atomization. The kinetic energy
of a second fluid stream, being ejected from a nozzle is used for
disintegrating of the liquid. The stream in a free fall is impacted by a high
pressure jet of second fluid which is usually gas or water emerges either
tangentially or at angle from nozzle. So that molten which in general, have
high surface tension can be atomized by the fluid atomization technique.
1.2 Aim and Objectives of the Study
1.2.1 Aim of Study
The aim of this study is to design and
fabrication a mini copula furnace and an atomizer for the production of
powdered metal from waste aluminium cans.
1.2.2 Objectives
of Study
The objectives of the study include the
following
i.
Determination of the volume of a single aluminum
can using a weighing balance.
ii.
Carrying out a material and energy
balance to determine the mass aluminum to be melted, amount of fuel required
and the required capacity of the furnace.
iii.
Carrying out mechanical design of the
mini-copula furnace required to melt the waste aluminum can,
iv.
Fabrication of the proposed designed
mini-copula furnace plant.
v.
Design of the atomizer for metal powder
production.
vi.
Fabrication of the designed atomizer
vii.
Analysis of the obtained aluminum powder metal.
1.3 Problem Statement
Wide-spread application and high demand
of powder metal in industrial and domestic processing activities and the
littering- rate of aluminum cans all over the country which poses a serious
adverse environmental condition, have grown at an alarming rate over the years.
Therefore, the purpose of this project is to design and fabricate a mini-copula
furnace and an atomizer for the production of powder metal from waste aluminum
cans which can be used for various domestic and industrial applications and
also serves as a good environmental pollution control for the aforementioned
waste.
1.4 Scope of the Research Project
This research project focuses on the
design and fabrication of a mini-copula furnace and an atomizer for the
production of powder metal from waste aluminum cans through process
atomization.
1.5 Relevance of the Study
The importance of this study includes
the following:
i.
To reduce the rate of environmental
pollution (air, soil and water pollution) caused by littering waste aluminum
cans.
ii.
Meet up with the ever-growing demand
for powder aluminum metal in the automobile industry
iii.
To save energy and raw
materials for the future industries.
iv.
To provide raw material for metal matrix composites and wide applications in
paint industries.
v.
To encourage researchers think of ways
of harnessing other waste materials.
vi.
To increase the availability of solid fuels for rockets.
vii.
It also serves as a reference material to any researcher
on this field.
1.6 Limitation of the Study
The factors
hindering effective execution of this study are:
i.
Inadequate power
supply for the operation of the fabricating machines.
ii.
Inadequate
fund
iii.
Time limit towards
successful completion of the project
iv.
Use of readily
available air as the atomizing fluid instead of costly pure nitrogen.
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