Benko - Car Bottom Furnaces

Car Bottom Furnaces are probably the most versatile furnace designs when considering “direct fired” type furnaces. Consider the Car Bottom design a Box Furnace design with a moveable hearth. The term “Car Bottom” refers to the style of the hearth (bottom) of the furnace where the workload is placed. The hearth in this case is built on a “car” frame fitted with wheels, which ride on tracks allowing it to roll out from the furnace proper into an open space allowing for maximum access to the workload space. Loading and/or unloading the furnace can be more easily be done without considering the constraints of the furnace walls or roof.

Although the Car Bottom design provides the opportunity to consider very deep furnaces for very long workload items or many multiples of smaller workload items (RIFCO has built a 75’ long furnace), it sometime makes sense when considering shallower depths as well. This might be the case when the workload is too heavy for a lift truck, but a higher capacity overhead crane can run directly over the furnace car when it is moved out of the furnace.

As noted above, the Car Bottom design could be considered a standard Box Type Furnace with a moveable hearth. However, when designed with a Guillotine style door, the Car Bottom Furnace can be used the same as you would the Box Furnace design. Just raise the door and DON’T pull out the car. Note- a furnace car fitted with a “Bulkhead” style door does not offer this advantage.