Development of a 5kg Capacity Induction Furnace for Melting Aluminium

Abstract

Aluminium being the most abundant metallic element, forming about 8% of the solid portion of the earth’s crust, is rarely available as rich ores. Hence most countries are dependent on supplies of it being imported. Nigeria, for instance, uses aluminium in all aspects of human endeavour which gives the country abundance of secondary raw material for aluminium production. Most of the furnaces available are either fuel by fossil fuel or are large or expensive. A5kg induction furnace has been developed for melting aluminium. The furnace is designed and fabricated using local materials for small scale production. The heating process is fundamentally based on electromagnetic means and the graphite was selected as the crucible material. A temperature of 775ᴼC was achieved in 8 minutes for the furnace which is satisfactory as it is higher than the melting temperature of aluminium (660.4 ᴼC). Therefore, this fabricated induction furnace can be encouraged to be used in our local foundries, companies and institutions in Nigeria and overseas as a medium for learning, faster production and to encourage local production.