ESG builds an excellent Slot Forge Furnace. These furnaces are utilized to preheat the ends of the pipe prior to upsetting. The upset is a critical part of the pipe because of the threads that will be applied and the critical nature of the joint. Any non-uniform thickness can be a defect that can make the joint unusable.
The pipe needs to be thoroughly heated to 2200 F before the first strike and may need to be reheated in between strikes. Since the furnace is operated at such a high temperatures, the recoverable heat from the gas is only about 20%. Induction heaters have been used in place of the gas furnaces due to the high gas usage and hot environment. With lower natural gas prices and greater scrutiny on quality aspects,some operators have chosen to use the gas slot forge.
