Resurrection of a CFEI 100 KVA Induction Furnace

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awemawson:
Russ yes quite a bit of progress recently, but loads more to do. I think one problem is going to be relocating the generator, as in these lock down days I can't get someone to work with me - you can't keep your 2 metre separation when push, pulling and rescuing errant rollers moving a few tons !

I'm hoping not to have to store water, and rely on what the bore hole can produce 'on demand' - I'll have another intensive pumping session in a few days now I've got the petrol water pump running again and see how low I can get it, and actually measure how quickly it recovers.

So after a spot of lunch I resumed work with the needle gun and finished off both sides of the frame casting. Underside is just a flat surface so was very quickly done, but the upper side is rather fiddly - it's not come out perfectly as it's proving impossible to accurately direct the needle at vertical walls in channels, but it's perfectly serviceable. To be frank were I to paint it it probably needs a quick tickle with the sand blaster but it's not at the top of my priority list at the moment.

So the to do list:

a/ Determine final location of Furnace Driver, Furnace Body (ies), Water Cooling equipment.

b/ Run single and (low power) three phase power to the appropriate locations

c/ Run water main from bore hole to foundry in a trench (plus dig trench)

d/ Run power for bore hole pump from foundry in trench

e/ Run (high power) three phase from generator to foundry in (another) trench

f/ Run compressed air to Furnace Body location

g/ Sort out a pump / filter arrangement for bore hole

h/ Sort out large bore drain plumbing from heat exchanger exhaust to nearest surface drain

There are a few issues with the various trench / conduit runs as other services are in the way, and also concrete paths, and some plonker has just put in a substantial concrete base for an Oxy-Acetylene storage cage JUST where the bore hole output pipe needs to go :ddb:

russ57:
See, hardly anything left to do. ..

As I have been heard to say on occasion, the first 90% is done, now just the last 90% to go...

-Russ

awemawson:
Having fixed the Honda WD20X petrol driven water pump it was time to do another trial pumping of the bore hole. My intention was to pump as low as possible and try and get an idea of the structure, and rate of water return.

My suction hose, complete with it's strainer and one way foot valve is marginally over 5 metres, so I was limited by that length - (of course the absolute maximum would have been 32 foot or 9.7 metres, that being the Torricellian vacuum limit for supporting a column of water)

It only took 48 minutes, shifting a calculated 27,600 litres (or 27.6 tons if you prefer) at a great gushing rate into our stream, before the pump was gulping on air having reached the end of the pipe. An impressive performance for a pretty tiny and rather old pump, and certainly an impressive gusher into the stream.

I made several attempts to take decent pictures of the inside of the bore hole, but all are pretty hard to make out - I even lowered a 240 volt LED flood light on a rope in a rather gingerly fashion, but still not too good.

The construction seems to be 24" concrete sections with integral steel steps for the first couple of metres, then it widens out to a significantly wider bore, but not concentric with the first bit, which is offset so the two circle meet tangentially.

There certainly seems to be enough for my modest 45 litres / minute for a few hours every now and again :lol:

mattinker:
Promising!

hermetic:
And it looks pretty clear and clean too!

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