PM-11 Conference Report: Energy consumption in Powder Metallurgy production

India
March 2, 2011

The focus of the PM-11 International Conference on PM for Automotive and Engineering Industries, and 37th Annual Technical Meeting of the PM Association of India, was “Cost Effective Solutions through PM”. The following exclusive review for www.ipmd.net by Professor Ramamohan Tallapragada reports on a plenary presentation by GKN Sinter Metals that compares the energy usage of PM versus competing technologies. The event took place in Pune, India, from the 3rd to 5th February 2011

 

Energy consumption in the mass production of PM components

A paper by Vladislav Kruzhanov and Volker Arnhold, GKN Sinter Metals Engineering GmbH, Germany, on “Energy Consumption in the Mass Production of PM Components” was presented by Mr. Narsi Chandrachud, GKN Sinter Metals Ltd., India.

The speaker discussed energy consumption in Powder Metallurgy (PM) especially in terms of competitive processes such as casting, forging and machining. He then went on to explain the breakdown of energy consumption in PM, with particular focus on powder production, powder compaction, and sintering amongst other processes. The talk concluded with the economic aspects of energy savings in PM.

PM presents cost effective ways for mass production of intricate specialised components. Due to the advances in PM technology die-casting, forging, machining and other traditional processes now face strong competition. Further usage of PM is necessary to combat the rising energy costs and adhere to CO2 emissions legislation.

Energy_used_in_PM_parts_Pro

Fig. 1 Breakdown of energy consumption in PM parts production

As the energy consumed is dependent on the size of component and type of process used, the paper theorised that the average energy consumption at GKN Sinter Metals (5 kWh/kg) would be reasonably representative of the PM industry.

Additionally the paper states that the average energy used for production of water atomised powder (1.8 kWh/kg) at Hoeganaes Corp. (owned by GKN) would also be representative of the powder production industry as a whole.

Compared to the energy consumption for crude steel production of approximately 5 kWh/kg, 2 kWh/kg for water atomisation of scrap metal is relatively low. However, sponge iron powder produced from magnetite (Fe3O4) requires a larger amount of energy (approximately 4 kWh/kg).

Energy consumption for die-casting of iron-based materials is in the range of 6 kWh/kg, for forging in the range of approximately 2.5 kWh/kg and for machining in the range of 10 kWh/kg, typically twice the amount of energy compared to PM.

The most widely used powder metallurgy route is press and sinter. Energy consumed in the mass production of PM components was estimated by summation of the energy consumed in individual processes such as in the production of water atomised powder, blend preparation, compaction, de-lubrication, sintering , sizing, heat treatment and others.

Energy_used_in_powder

Fig. 2 The determined distribution of energy use (kWh/kg)

for the water atomisation process (Source: N. Dautzenberg,

VDI Bildungswerk, BW5084, 1981)

Powder production by water atomisation requires energy of 2.1 kWh/kg while theoretical considerations showed that it can further be reduced to 0.85 kWh/kg.

The average energy consumption for compaction (mechanical, hydraulic and hybrid presses) was estimated to be approximately 0.8 kWh/kg.

The energy balance during sintering was investigated in a 300mm wide experimental electric belt furnace. A typical sintering profile for ferrous components was considered. Energy consumption in each heating zone, temperature and consumption of water in each cooling zone, power of the belt drive, temperature of the components during sintering and surface temperature of the furnace casing were measured. The “productive” heat for heating parts was found to be 0.13 kWh/kg (theoretical 0.14 kWh/kg).

With a throughput of 75 kg/h, an energy consumption of 0.5 kWh/kg of sintered parts was observed where the “productive” heat accounted for only 30% of the energy used.

The remaining energy was dissipated from the furnace, i.e. the efficiency of the furnace was below 30%. A recuperation of the energy derived from the gas and water could increase the efficiency of the furnace while good heat insulation could minimise the “unproductive” heat significantly. After considering the energy consumed in the sizing and post sintering operations the energy consumed in sintering operation was found to be 1.5 kWh/kg, or 30% of total energy (5 kWh/kg) consumed in the production of ferrous parts by PM.

News | Articles | Market reviews | Search directory | Subscribe to e-newsletter

 

www.ipmd.net

Published on www.ipmd.net

News, articles and a fully searchable directory for the powder metallurgy industry

India
March 2, 2011

In the latest issue of PM Review…

Download PDF

Extensive Powder Metallurgy industry news coverage, and the following exclusive deep-dive articles and reports:

  • From powder modification to rejuvenation: Fluidised Bed Reactors in metal powder production and Additive Manufacturing
  • Retech: Enabling the atomisation of reactive and refractory alloys at substantially higher levels of productivity and lower cost
  • Sustainability in Powder Metallurgy: Highlights from the 41st Hagen Symposium
  • Innovations from Japan’s Powder Metallurgy industry: award winners highlight novel automotive and healthcare applications

The latest news from the world of metal powders, delivered to your inbox

Don't miss any new issue of PM Review, and get the latest industry news. Sign up to our weekly newsletter.

Sign up

Join our community

Discover our magazine archive…

The free-to-access PM Review magazine archive offers unparalleled insight into the world of Powder Metallurgy from a commercial and technological perspective through:

  • Reports on visits to leading PM part manufacturers, metal powder manufacturers and industry suppliers
  • Articles on technology and application trends
  • Information on materials developments
  • Reviews of key technical presentations from the international conference circuit
  • International industry news

All past issues are available to download as free PDFs or view in your browser.

 

Browse the archive

 

Looking for PM production equipment, metal powders, R&D support and more?

Discover suppliers of these and more in our
advertisers’ index and buyer’s guide, available in the back of PM Review magazine.

  • Powders & materials
  • Powder process, classification & analysis
  • PM products
  • Atomisers & powder production technology
  • Compaction presses, tooling & ancillaries
  • Sintering equipment & ancillaries
  • Post-processing
  • Consulting & toll sintering
View online
Share via
Copy link