Mont-Joli Installs New Electric Oven

After over two years of testing and investigation, the team decided that instead of installing a new custom electric oven it was more efficient to convert these two existing propane ovens, where they will run on renewable hydro electricity. They are also able to reduce waste by reusing existing oven shells that were still in good condition.

The project team, managed by Eric Plante, used their skills and expertise to do the rebuild themselves. No one knows the ovens better than the people that use and maintain them every day and the project couldn’t have been done without their input and precision.

The ovens were designed in collaboration with Combustol, a Brazillian company who specializes in the production of industrial ovens and heat treatment equipment. They met the team on site and developed the specifications. From there, the Bradken project team rebuilt the first oven in the existing shell.

So far, the results have been impressive. The new oven consumes less energy than the older electric ovens (over 2,000 kWh saving per cycle), making it more efficient to run. It also has higher temperature homogeneity, and a treatment takes 2 hours less than the old ovens. This is partially due to the inclusion of convection fans which evenly circulate and help maintain the heat.

“The rebuild wasn’t easy, but I knew we could do it with the great team we’ve got at site. Early testing has shown good results in emission reduction while maintaining quality,” says project manager, Eric.

Learnings gained, both successes and failures, have been embraced and shared with other sites who are also looking to replace their gas-fired ovens. There are sure to be other ovens that can also be reconfigured to operate as more efficient electric heat-treatment ovens.

The installation of these new electric ovens are another step for Bradken to reach our carbon neutral goals and for Mont-Joli to become an emission-free foundry.