Performance of electric brass furnaces

The number of kilowatt-hours per ton required to melt a given alloy under given conditions is helpful in comparing the performance of different electric furnaces among themselves, state Interior Department investigators in Serial 2597, “Present tendencies in electric brass-furnace practise,” just issued by the Bureau of Mines. In comparing electric furnaces with fuel-fired furnaces, the price paid for electric energy must be considered. In the early days of electric brass melting it was unlikely to compete with fuel when power cost over 1 cent per kilowatt-hour. With the development of the more efficient furnaces and the change in cost of fuel, it is today rare that an efficient electric furnace can not compete on 2-cent power.