In most industrial applications and research activities, metals are generally categorized into two groups: the ferrous metals and the nonferrous metals. Chromium, manganese and iron are ferrous metals while all the rest are the nonferrous metals. The nonferrous metals can be further classified by their applications as follows:
a)Heavy metals: copper, lead, zinc, tin.
b)Light metals: aluminum, magnesium, titanium.
c)Precious metals: gold, silver, platinum group.
d)Metals in the iron and steel industry: nickel, chromium, cobalt, molybdenum, tungsten, vanadium, niobium, tantalum.
e)Metals in the electronic industry: cadmium, gallium, germanium, mercury, indium, rhenium, selenium, tellurium, manganese.
f)Metals in the nuclear industry: uranium, zirconium, hafnium, cesium, rubidium, beryllium, rare earth.
g)Metals in the chemical industry: bismuth, antimony, lithium.
The nonferrous metals family is much larger and plays an important role in industrial activities and people's daily life. The furnaces and kilns built for extracting and processing nonferrous metals are generally called FKNME. They vary a lot in structure and function. Currently up to a hundred different FKNME can be named. For the convenience of investigation, the FKNME, are classified as shown in Table 1.1, by their intended functions, heating sources, heating methods, working mechanisms, furnace structures and thermal performances.
1 Intended functions
Drying furnace (kiln), baking furnace, calciner, heating furnace, chlorinator, smelter, melting furnace, converting furnace, refining furnace, heat treatment furnace, reduction furnace, fuming furnace, volatilizing furnace, distillation furnace, diffusion furnace, anode furnace, cathode furnace.
2 Heating sources
Autothermic furnace, fuel furnace, electrical furnace.
3 Heating methods
Flam furnace, downdraft furnace (kiln), muffle, resistance furnace, inducting furnace, arc furnace, ore smelting electric arc furnace, electron bombard furnace, ion furnace, thermal plasma furnace.
3 Working mechanisms
Fluidized furnace, cyclone furnace, blast furnace, flash furnace, top blown converter, side blown converter, bottom blown furnace, bath smelter, hot air recycling furnace, air cushion furnace, suspension roasting furnace.
4 furnace structures
Rotary kiln, reverberatory furnace, multiple hearth furnace, vertical well furnace, crucible furnace, chamber furnace, vertical distillation kettle, tower redistillation furnace, carbon tube furnace, tungstate rod furnace, molybdenum wire furnace, bell furnace, walking beam furnace, carbon particle furnace, muffle.
5 salt electrolysis cell)
Simple-structured stoves (such as combustion chamber, air heating furnace).
Heater (heating furnace, heat treatment furnace, melting furnace, downdraft kiln, tunnel kiln, etc.)
High temperature reactor (converting furnace, bath smelter, molten.
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