[TheForge] microwave heavy metal session

Thu Feb 12 14:01:01 2004

Magnetrons (the ones that I have seen, and that's a bunch) vary between =
30
and 60% efficiency.  This does not include losses within the power =
supply.

Other microwave devices tend toward the lower efficiencies.

Blast furnaces have to use air, otherwise combustion would not be
possible<G>.

-----Original Message-----
From: [email protected] =
[mailto:[email protected]]
On Behalf Of Bill & Kirsten
Sent: Thursday, February 12, 2004 12:41 PM
To: [email protected]
Subject: [TheForge] microwave heavy metal session

This is from New Scientist, www.newscientist.com, issue 7 February 2004, =
p.
24. It's fairly short, so I'm typing it in as I see it on the page.

"Giant microwave ovens could one day replace the blast furnaces =
currently
used to make steel.  Jim Hwang from Michigan Technological University,
situated not far from the largest iron ore mine in the world, produced a
pound of steel in his lab using a super-strength oven he made by =
combining
the magnetrons of six household microwaves into a single unit.
  He showed that making steel in a microwave oven wastes less energy =
than a
traditional furnace, because microwaves only heat up molecules that are
polarised- meaning they have an unevenly distributed charge- while a =
furnace
heats everything in it.
   Steel is a blend of iron and carbon made by heating iron oxide to =
over
1000=BAC in the presence of coke and reducing agents.  Blast furnaces =
waste
vast amounts of energy heating up the surrounding air.  Microwaves =
however,
heat up polarised iron oxide, but not neutral molecules such as =
nitrogen,
which make up almost 80 per cent of air."

I think some Michigan blacksmiths should visit that scientist. -Kirsten
[email protected]  http://home.centurytel.net/Fiorini_and_Skiles

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