Siemens Energy, a recognized manufacturer of gas turbines and other energy technologies, has chosen an eco-friendly vacuum furnace from Seco/Warwick with high-pressure gas hardening (6 bar abs.) and high vacuum (HV) for one of its production facilities.
This solution will execute efficient and ecologically clean processes in a high vacuum range. Thanks to the use of a system consisting of a dry pump, an efficient Root’s pump, and five Oerlikon/Leybold turbomolecular pumps, the furnace will meet the partner’s restrictive requirements.
Another operating advantage of the Vector is the metal heating chamber, which prevents direct heat loss to the vacuum chamber’s wall and ensures very high process purity. The efficiency is also influenced by the ability to conduct the heating and cooling process at 6 bars with two gases (nitrogen or argon). The furnace has metal screen insulation and metal heating elements.
“While Vector is our standard product, this particular model has numerous options which will ensure a truly high standard, i.e., soldering processes with extraordinary cleanliness for oxidation-sensitive alloys,” said Maciej Korecki, vice president of the Vacuum Segment at the Seco/Warwick Group. “In addition, thanks to the inverter control, the customer will be able to switch on the optimal cooling power in the appropriate process segment. The great advantages also include low heat losses and good temperature distribution in the metal heating chamber. The vacuum furnace has numerous options such as directional cooling, dew point sensors, and isothermal quenching to increase its versatility. This is our first order from a Siemens Energy production facility, but in the past, we have supplied equipment to gas turbine manufacturers. Gas turbines can run on a variety of gases, including hydrogen. Green hydrogen, as an energy carrier without a carbon footprint, will gradually increase its market share not only in the energy industry, but also in other economic sectors, contributing to gradual decarbonization of the atmosphere. Seco/Warwick wants to be part of the energy transformation process and to support the green technology development, which is why this contract is so important to us.”
Vacuum furnaces use vacuum created by air evacuation as the protective atmosphere for the heat-treated part surfaces. The vacuum furnace’s main advantage lies in its operational versatility and the ability to carry out processes traditionally carried out in atmospheric furnaces. Differences in the vacuum furnace construction as well as the method of conducting the processes minimizes both media consumption and emissions to the environment, making the vacuum furnace itself a SECO/ECO solution when compared to traditional atmosphere furnaces.
Vacuum heat treatment’s eco-friendly features include:
- Perfect part surface quality (without additional operations).
- No intercrystalline oxidation (no additional mechanical treatment).
- No need to use protective gases (lower costs and emissions).
- Minimal consumption of process gases (cost savings).
- Minimum time for atmosphere preparation and conditioning (saving time and costs).
- Zero startup and shutdown time, work on demand (saving time, costs).
- No open flame, no risk of fire or explosion (safety).
- Clean process, no part washing required (reduced environmental pollution).
- Low heat and by-product emissions (limited global warming effect).
- Environmentally friendly (zero pollution).
- Zero CO2 emissions (carbon footprint reduction).
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