Analysis of the temperature field in compound samples heated in multizone resistance furnaces Original Research Article

The heating of cylindrical compound samples in multizone resistance furnaces is studied. A global model is considered where the temperature fields in the sample and the furnace are coupled through the radiation exchange between them; the input thermal data is the electric power supplied to the heaters. Graphite-silicon-graphite samples are considered; the melting of the silicon part and the temperature field in the melt are analyzed in dependence of different parameters, like the radius of the sample and the power distribution among the heaters. By changing this parameter different surface temperature distributions in the melt are obtained, which in turn define different thermocapillary flow patterns. The possibility of counterbalancing these flows by vibrating the two supporting graphite rods simultaneously is addressed.