Critical Safety Tips for Operating Industrial Furnaces

1. Critical Operating Industrial Furnaces Safety Tips for The operation of industrial furnaces is a process that warrants proper training and instructions being provided to the operators as mishandling these kinds of equipment can result in fatal injuries. Firstly, all the industrial furnace manufacturers in India, as well as those abroad along with the companies that use these furnaces in their industrial processes, must ensure that the equipment is up-to-date on all safety standards. Secondly, the following safety procedures must be employed during all working hours to prevent any casualties. Safety Tips for Operating Industrial Furnaces 1.On Avoiding an Explosion : The most important reason for an explosion to occur is if all the factors for an explosion are present at the same time, unregulated. This is why the first step to safety is exercising an ignition sequence that is conducted with properly controlled means. 2.Monitoring the Flame : An explosion is caused when there is rapid oxidation of a material or fire that happens inside the furnace. The chemical reaction that leads to an explosion has four characteristics that make it possible to regulate the flame – a visible phenomenon, infrared radiations, ultraviolet radiations, and electrical conductivity. These four characteristics can be monitored through a detector that can record the presence of a combustible without a fire. Some furnace manufacturers in India also make these detectors that can be used to monitor the flame. There are essentially two kinds of flame monitors,

2. one detects ultraviolet radiation (and no other kind of radiation) and the other detects infrared radiations. 3.Knowing which Detectors NOT to use : The photocell detectors made from cadmium sulfide and lead sulfide (infrared detector) are quite sensitive to luminosity from other substances as well and can be quite easily ‘cheated’ to think that there is an unregulated flame. Moreover, at temperatures as high as 2000℃, there is a lot of infrared radiation emitted even if the flame is under control. This makes these detectors unreliable in this regard. This is why UV detectors are preferred as the surrounding material cannot emit the UV radiations that the flame does and so, it becomes easier to detect the flame using this detector. Visible light detectors are also not appropriate to use here as even they cannot detect certain kinds of flames like those fueled by natural gas. Starting up the Equipment There are five safe steps in which the equipment must be started up : 1.Supply Airflow : Check to see if the air pressure is above the minimum limit. Gas pressure should be above the minimum level but less than the maximum limit. 2.Purge Time : Make sure that there are at least four to five air changes inside the chamber so that the air does not accumulate and cause an explosion. Start the pilot, then open the pilot solenoid and energize it to ignite. 3.Pilot Testing During Startup : Check over the pilot and then shut off the power to the ignition. If the pilot does not start up within ten seconds then the power to the solenoid should be cut-off. 4.Gas Security Valves : Energize the circuit so that the security valves can be opened either manually or automatically. Close the ventilation valve and shut off the pilot. In the next ten seconds, check to see if the pilot valve de-energizes to interrupt the pilot. 5.Testing the Main Flame : Release the control so that the system can administer the temperature control on its own. While all these methods can ensure the safety of the operators in the working hours, it is equally important to ensure that the new equipment brought from any furnace manufacturers in India, or elsewhere, is safety compliant.