Ceramic or metallic? - material aspects of compact heat regenerator energy efficiency

The metal industry cannot afford the financial mismanagement in the era of rising energy prices and thus, the high efficiency devices should be used. In the metallurgical thermal processes the combustion air temperature increasing is one of the methods for obtaining the heat transfer intensification and the furnaces efficiency rising. Therefore the new and effective heating technologies in thermal processes are demanded all the time. The regenerative systems are most effective in terms of the heated air level. The individual regenerators for burners are the newest solutions where the temperature of 1100 °C is reachable for the exhaust temperature of 1200 °C. Based on research results, performed for the assumed exhaust temperature of 1100 °C, the paper presents possibilities of changeable different materials using as a regenerator filling in the aspect of its operation efficiency. Such materials as high-temperature steel, Al2O3 and SiC have been considered. The paper presents the selected data research, dealing with the air combustion temperature obtained for the same type of regenerator filling of considered materials. The fuel consumption reduction and reduction of CO2 emission, for metal regenerator filling, have been presented finally as an economic and environmental aspect accordingly to the air preheated.