Análise comparativa entre um forno a gás natural e um forno à resistência elétrica instalados em uma empacotadora de latas em uma cervejaria

Abstract

Ovens are essential equipment for heat preservation at high temperatures and have undergone significant technological advancements over time. Among the latest heat sources developed, gas and electric ovens stand out, widely used in the industry. This work aims to conduct a comparative case study between two types of ovens: a gas oven and an electric oven, installed at different times in a can packaging machine of the Innopack - Kirsters SP A-H 89404282 model, located in a brewery. The gas oven uses an ignition system consisting of an ignition electrode, which generates a spark through an electric current, and an ionization electrode, which detects the presence of a flame to release the gas. It also has a control box that houses high, low, and differential pressure switches, as well as internal and external programmable logic controller responsible for the safety logic. On the other hand, the electric oven features banks of resistances connected to an external panel that includes contactors, relays, fuses, and the power supply. These systems are described to analyze the advantages and disadvantages of each technology in comparison to each other. Additionally, environmental damage and costs related to production line efficiency and energy consumption are analyzed. The results of the case study indicate that the electric oven is the best option, as the skills of the employees did not fully meet the demands of the gas oven, resulting in a prolonged troubleshooting time. Furthermore, the electric oven does not require a purging safety system, making it a more simplified and secure system for the brewery employees. The lack of necessary skills to adjust the safety programmable logic controller system and its components, as well as the lack of knowledge regarding gas behavior in the equipment, also led to non-compliance with the preventive maintenance schedule, accelerating premature wear of the gas furnace and ultimately affecting production line efficiency by approximately 7.35% at the end of its lifespan. Additionally, it was identified that the electric oven has 78.3% lower energy consumption costs compared to the gas oven, along with causing lower environmental impacts, promoting greater sustainability.