Affiliations: [a] Faculty of Materials Engineering and Metallurgy, Silesian University of Technology, 40-019 Katowice, Poland | [b] Faculty of Energy and Environmental Engineering, Institute of Thermal Technology, Silesian University of Technology, 44-100 Gliwice, Poland
Correspondence:
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Corresponding author: Sławomir Golak, Wydział Inżynierii Materiałowej i Metalurgii Politechniki Śla̧skiej, ul. Krasińskiego 8, 40-019 Katowice, Poland. Tel.: +48 32 603 42 80; Fax: +48 32 603 42 80; E-mail: slawomir.golak@polsl.pl.
Abstract: Cold crucible furnaces are widely used in multiple special applications. Unfortunately, the efficiency of this type of furnace is significantly lower than that of other induction units. The paper presents methodology and the analysis results of influence of the cold crucible components geometry on efficiency of transfer energy from an inductor to a charge. Distribution and the total value of the Joule heat generated in the charge inside an induction furnace with a cold crucible were determined for various modifications of construction of the typical furnace. The obtained results allowed for proposing a solution of the cold crucible with a lowered, in comparison to the crucible wall, bottom and a reduced number of segments.
