Rotary furnaces are ideal for physicochemical processing.
The TSO rotary tube furnace is perfect for use in the laboratory to process batches of materials. Originally developed in partnership with the Imperial College of Science & Technology in London, the furnace allows samples to be heated and mixed simultaneously in a controlled atmosphere.
TSR rotary tube furnace heats and mixes simultaneously in a controlled atmosphere whilst the material continuously passes through the work tube. The TSR features three heating zones, adjustable rotation speed, an adjustable tilt, and a work tube that can easily be removed and replaced. Ceramic or metal work tubes are available and the TSR rotary tube furnace can be supplied with feeders and inert gas packages.
In addition to the standard range of rotary furnaces, Carbolite Gero has extensive experience in the engineering of custom-made products on laboratory, pilot plant and industrial scale. A few of many examples are listed below. Feel free to contact us to discuss the requirements for your application!
The Carbolite Gero rotary furnace range has numerous applications in research areas such as material science and geology. Specific applications include: gaseous reduction of ores and analysis of ores and metallurgical slags, synthesis of: catalysts; pigments for paints; calcination of oil slate; doping of ceramics with rare earth metals.
All of our ovens and furnaces provide excellent temperature uniformity and the rotary furnace range is no exception. The high quality resistance wire heating elements used in these models provide rapid heating and short cool down times.
A rotary tube furnace is suitable for the heat treatment of granular or particulate materials that continue to flow at high temperatures. Materials that need to be processed in either air or inert atmospheres are suitable. Materials that become sticky at high temperature are not suitable.
Rotary tube furnaces can be either a batch processing furnace (TSO) or a continuous processing furnace (TSR). The capacity of a batch is in the range 620 to 1740 ml, whereas the continuous furnace can process material up to the capacity of the feed of collection hopper e.g. 5 litre.
The continuous movement of the sample ensures that the entire surface area is exposed to the atmosphere during processing. This improves gas diffusion whilst reducing gas consumption, and increases heat treatment efficiency, when compared to a static process. With the TSR rotary tube furnace, the material is continuously passed through a hot furnace that is maintaining a consistent temperature profile, improving product homogeneity.
The time taken for material to pass through a rotary tube furnace is widely adjustable. In the TSR continuous rotary tube furnace, material flow rate can be controlled by both the rotation speed of the work tube and the angle of work tube inclination. Process time is also reduced because there is no need to wait for the furnace to heat up and cool down, unlike a batch process.
The atmospheres possible within the work tube or vessel of both the batch (TSO) and continuous (TSR) rotary tube furnaces are: air, inert gas such as nitrogen or argon, and reactive gas such as hydrogen (with appropriate safety equipment). Steam injection is also possible.