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Is a Rotary Tube Furnace right for your process?

Updated: 20/07/22

Rotary tube furnaces provide an efficient way to transfer heat over a short time and continuously run batches of materials. In some applications, such as powder processing, the furnaces will help to minimize material handling. When deciding whether a rotary tube furnace is the right piece of equipment for your process, there are several things to consider. This post will look at those considerations and the relevant products Deltech offers.

What Specifications Can Be Adjusted?

At Deltech, rotary tube furnaces are custom designed and can be built for your particular requirements. This means that no matter what application you need a rotary furnace for, you can specify your requirements for a range of aspects, including:

  • Temperature control: With maximum operating temperatures up to 1700 degrees Celsius
  • Workspace size
  • Residence time
  • Tube rotation rate
  • Tube inclination angle
  • Temperature profile
  • Atmosphere flow rate
  • Powder bed depth
  • Feed rate

Essential Aspects To Consider When Choosing A Rotary Furnace Tube

When choosing a tube for your rotary tube furnace, the following are key points to consider: rotational speed, amount of material, the diameter of the tube, suspended length, and tube thickness. Additionally, the material used to create the tube alters the potential application.

  • Alloy tubes: Alloy tubes are the best option for tube diameters larger than nine inches. However, they are limited to temperatures under 1200 degrees Celsius.
  • Ceramic tubes: Ceramic tubes are a safer option if metals in the alloy could potentially react with a high purity product or off gas. It’s also worth noting that ceramic tubes are needed for high-temperature processing.
  • Quartz tubes: Quartz tubes, although not permeable, are only suitable for processing under 1300 degrees.
  • Other tubes: Both lower-grade silicon carbide tubes and alumina oxide tubes are porous, which means that they are undesirable for most applications that require processing in a controlled atmosphere.

Aspects to Consider When Choosing a Furnace

Rotary tube furnaces are not suitable for all applications. For example, when long residence times are required, a slight inclination angle and a slow tube rate are needed in the process. This is because it’s challenging to control residence time for more than two hours, so if your product requires longer processing times, you should consider a bottom load, front load, or top hat furnace. These furnaces are available with optional controlled atmosphere capability and will ensure temperature uniformity over more extended periods.

Deltech Furnaces

Deltech rotary tube furnaces are resistance heated depending on the maximum required temperature, along with other requirements and considerations. We use heating elements, including wire wound, silicon carbide, or moly disilicide. We are an ISO 9001:2015 certified company, and our control systems are Intertek UL508A compliant.

If you would like more information about our rotary tube furnaces, would like a quote or require any additional details, please do not hesitate to contact us. We’d be more than happy to help!