Enabling energy savings in the global casting industry by the Induction Feeder SIMulator

In contrast to water, which expands in volume as it freezes to ice, metals typically shrink during solidification. Foundries compensate for this by adding additional molten metal from "feeders". The feeder is a metal reservoir placed in the casting mold. When the casted part shrinks as it solidifies, the feeders supply more molten metal to fill in the missing volume. However, also the feeders will solidify. To compensate for the shrinkage in the part, the feeders must be kept liquid until the part has fully solidified. Today, this is done by making the feeders large, and in some cases, it must be made as large as the casted part. EFFEEs technology keeps the feeder metal liquid, even if the feeder is small. Since we don't need to melt as much metal for the feeder, we save a lot of energy. In the project, IFE will develop a new software, IFSIM - Induction Feeder SIMulator, based on their existing simulation technology. This tool will help EFFEE and EFFEs customers to better understand how the induction heat and the stirring imposed by the electromagnetic field will affect the casted product. New casting technology opens opportunities for new products, or great enhancements in quality and efficiency. IFSIM will be a tool to develop better casting processes by using the opportunities of EFFEEs technology.

This project aims for dramatic improvements to induction heated feeders that can bring significant energy savings, reduced resource consumption, lower cost and increased capacity to the global casting industry. We will achieve this by enabling the startup company EFFEE to more effectively commercialize their induction heated feeder technology. In a previous RENERGI project this technology was demonstrated to reduce the energy consumption of a casting process by 35%. Now, we want to bring these energy savings to the global casting industry. The major road block for the adoption of induction heated feeders in the global casting industry is the industry’s uncertainty in how the novel casting technique affects the material quality and the casting process. By a literature study, we will develop a deeper understanding of how the induction field affects the casting process, and create a simulation tool which incorporates this knowledge: IFSIM. The simulation tool will greatly enhance EFFEE's ability to guide potential customers about how they should best use the induction heated feeders. Finally, we will also explore new improved casting processes that employs the characteristic properties of the induction feeders to the benefit of the product quality and the process. By active use of the induction heated feeders one may be able to cast more complex geometries through improved solidification control. By gentler heat exposure and process control, we may achieve better material quality. In this work we will use IFSIM to provide Oshaug Metall concrete improvements to their casting processes, and improvements to EFFEE's feeders.