Data for "A Small-Scale High-Temperature Gas-Atomization Furnace for Developing Reduced Activation Alloys for Laser Powder Bed Fusion"

This research experiment aimed to design a small-scale, high-temperature furnace capable of reaching temperatures of at least 1800ºC. This furnace is to be used as part of an in-house gas-atomizing chamber that will allow for rapid development and testing of novel copper alloys in order to find a material comparable to GRCop-42, to use in the additive manufacturing of fusion components, without the issue of neutron activation that GRCop-42 has.

After conducting validation experiments, a small-scale furnace has been developed that can reach temperatures of ~2300ºC. This archive contains the CAD files used to prototype the final furnace design and the MATLAB files used to analyze data during validation experiments. MATLAB files contain the raw validation data from our temperature profile, power vs. temperature, rise-fall time, and PID oscillations tests, as well as the script created to run the analysis.

Names of MATLAB files and associated data:

PID_Pyrometer_Tests.xlsx: Raw temperature data from pyrometer during each test rise-time + temperature oscillation test with the various PID settings.

Comparing_PID_settings.m: The various rise times and oscillations of all PID settings tested on the power supply.

Furnace_rise_fall_time_150amps.m: The rise and fall time of the furnace when power supply current was set at a constant value, 150 amp.

PID_rise_rates.m: Displays the rise rates of each PID setting for the first 5 seconds after reaching 800ºC in command window.

PID_Tests_Fluct.m: Outputs the Zoomed-in graph of system behavior around the target temperature for each PID setting and outputs the oscillation period for each setting. Oscillation period values were only considered/recorded for behaviors that were oscillatory and neglected for those that were not.

pkpk_bar_graph.m: Outputs a bar graph and numerical values of the average peak-to-peak temperature values for each PID setting. Helped delineate which settings were oscillatory and which were not.

Power_v_Temp_no_Tant_inner_outer.m: Graphs the furnace's core (left y-axis) and outer (right y-axis) temperatures as a function of power, without the use of tantulum, as well as best fit lines—the core temperature was fitted to the equation connecting conductive and radiative heat lost to power.

Power_vs_Temp_with_tantalum.m: Plots the core temperature of the furnace during a test with tantalum.

Power_v_Temp_with_and_without_tant_2.m: Plots the core temperature of the furnace, comparing temperature during a test with and without tantalum. Negligible temperature difference proved the tantalum radiation shield unnecessary.

Temperature_Profile.m: Plots the inner temperature of the carbon tube as a function of distance from the center, when the furnace was set to 1000ºC.

Power_v_Temp_rad_cond_losses.m: This plots the data from the Temp C Power Test (inverted to Power V Temp), along with the portion of heat loss due to radiative and conductive losses.