Research of thermal energy processes during silicon carbide production in the resistance furnace

Abstract

Thegoal. Silicon carbide is one of the most essential artificial inorganic materials widely used to produce abrasive instruments, high-temperature heaters, fireclay ceramics, and metallurgy. The most amount of silicon carbide produces in the resistance furnaces. One of the issues of the silicon carbide production process is the lack of supervisory of thermal state in the furnace working space, which does not always allow for select rational electrical modes and accordingly get the material of appropriate quality. One of the methods to solve this issue is computer modeling the thermal state of the resistance furnace. Therefore, the goal of this research is the development of a computer model of the thermal state in the reaction zone of the resistance furnace, that further allows the development of technological recommendations concerning modes of conducting the process of obtaining silicon carbide. In addition, the development of a mathematical model of the dynamics of the thermal state of the resistance furnace opens up new opportunities for improving the existing automated control systems, which is very important from the point of view of the implementation of the Industry 4.0 paradigm at the enterprises of the mining and metallurgical complex of Ukraine. Methodology. The thermophysical model of the silicon carbide production process in the resistance furnace was developed. By finite difference method, the dynamics of the thermal state of the reaction zone in the furnace are computed. Resultsandscientificnovelty. Zones of the existence of products of carbothermic reduction of silica due to the heat generated when an electric current is passed through the furnace core are sized up by results of modeling, and the temperature front of the progress of the reductive reactions was detected. Practical value. The developed model allows for evaluating the influence of supplied power dynamics on the reduction products size zones, obtaining the analytical dependences of changes in the thermal state of the reaction furnace zone, and thereafter developing the technological recommendations concerning silicon carbide production process performance and improvements for the furnace automated control system. The structure of control of the thermal modes of the resistance furnace and the control computer complex based on Siemens technology is proposed.