Induction heating has been around ever since Nicola Tesla discovered and harnessed the phenomena. His industrial applications made much of the modern world we know today possible. So what exactly is induction heating?
Induction heating is a process designed to heat an electrically conductive material such as a metal for several purposes. It can thermally expand the material, forge the material or soften the material or to heat treat the material. The process has many other industrial applications, since it can change its physical properties without the material coming into contact with the inductor. It is also easy to set up, offers a fast time-to-temperature, and delivers exceptional heating efficiency, accuracy, and uniformity in part temperature.
At Thermo International we have generated booming growth worldwide with our latest induction heating innovations that have solved industrial challenges around the world.
Removal of Worn-Out Boiler Tubes In a Power Plant
In large industrial boilers as found in many power plants water is fed into a large header then up through small tubes to another header where the heater water or steam is gathered and sent to be used in other places in the power plant. These tubes degrade over time and must be replaced.
In the past skilled technicians used cutting torches to slice the tube and then beat it out with chisels. Often this resulted in damage to the tube sheet that required welding and machining prior to fitting and rolling in the new tubes.
The solution was utilizing our portable induction machine with a specially designed internal coil. This heated the tube rapidly where it is rolled into the tube sheet. The tube reaches 2500F degrees within 30-90 seconds. This rapid heating causes the tube to attempt to expand but, since it is constrained by the tube sheet and is heated to a malleable temperature, the tube shrinks. Simultaneously a hydraulic puller was used to pull the hot tube out while it is still hot.
Thermo International is headquartered in Mount Olive, New Jersey with affiliates in Canada, South America, Europe and Asia. Visit the website at thermointernational.com.