Treatment equipment and furnaces
FIB BELGIUM and PYROTEK sign an exclusive global distributor agreement for the wire industry
Pyrotek Inc. has contracted with FIB Belgium s.a. to be the exclusive global distributor for its new model overflow transfer system (OTS) and related parts and services within the wire industry.
Founded in 1936, Brussels-based FIB manufactures equipment for various sectors and is a leading supplier of batch heat-treatment installations and continuous lines for wire patenting, annealing, galvanizing and oil-tempering. It also supplies heating equipment to the glass, ceramic, heat treatment and non-ferrous industries.
The FIB-made lines produce wire for the automotive industry, the construction of large cables, springs, agriculture and construction. Products utilizing wires treated with the company’s equipment include France’s high-speed train (TGV), the viaduct of Millau, San Francisco and Mont Blanc cable cars and suspensions in Mercedes, Audi, Volkswagen and other vehicles.
The Pyrotek pump, which is made from stainless steel materials and has a small footprint, is being used as a molten lead transfer device as part of FIB’s original equipment designed for the wire industry. FIB wanted to offer its customers a method that would allow a complete bath pump-out in a more efficient way.
In the production of metal wires, lead tanks are regularly used with hardening, relieving, annealing and other furnaces.
All these processes require a liquid lead solution that comes in contact with wires. The accumulation of iron oxides modifies the fluidity characteristics of lead and negatively affects process performance. This phenomenon requires an annual draining of the baths. Any replacement of the crucible requires pumping liquid lead out of the vessel. The pump-out of a kettle has typically been performed by pumps with volutes. This technology is limited, however, because it leaves a deposit of molten lead at the bottom of the bath that must be removed manually. The pump-out operations are time consuming, lead to a loss of production and are painful for workers.
In a three-day trial, FIB used Pyrotek’s 740-millimetre (29-inch) high OTS system to empty a 600-millimetre (24-inch) deep crucible of molten lead. The FIB setup included a furnace and two pots, also called kettles. One pot held about 600 liters (159 gallons) of molten lead, which was then transferred to the second pot using the OTS system. The object was to have as little lead as possible remaining in the first pot after the transfer. Multiple tests were performed, using different RPM settings on the transfer system’s pump motor each time, while measuring the flow rate. Setting the motor at 1500 RPMs yielded the best results.
For a kettle containing 14 cubic meters (494 cubic feet), or 160 metric tons, of lead at 490°C (914°F), the previous pump-out method typically took two to three hours to complete at a flow rate of 4.5 cubic meters (159 cubic feet) per hour. With the OTS, emptying the pot took 75 seconds at a flow rate of about 21.3 cubic meters (752 cubic feet) per hour – nearly five times faster. Only 30 millimeters (1.2 inches) of molten lead remained in the kettle.
