Foundry & Forging worked example

Ladle Preheat Energy with ladle preheater connected load of 210 kW: a worked example

This scenario runs the ladle preheat energy calculation on the strong side: ladle preheater connected load of 210 kW, with every other input held at its documented default. Use it when ladle preheat time, burner/electric load, and energy rate affect heat cost or metal temperature control.

The inputs for this scenario

  • Ladle preheater connected load: 210 kW (raised for this scenario; the documented default is 85)
  • Preheat burner runtime per cycle: 5 hr (unchanged)
  • Blended gas-and-electric energy rate: 0.12 $ / kWh (unchanged)
  • Heats poured per preheat cycle: 6 units (unchanged)

Working through the calculation

  • Applying the documented formula (Total ladle preheat energy = ladle preheater load × ladle preheat runtime × blended energy rate) to the inputs above produces each figure below.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 126 $ for total ladle preheat energy, the number this scenario is built around.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 1,050 kWh for ladle preheat energy energy used.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 21 $ / piece for ladle preheat energy cost per processed unit.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 25.2 $ / hr for hourly ladle preheat energy.

How this compares with the baseline

  • Against the tool's baseline example, where ladle preheater connected load sits at 85 kW and the headline result is 51 $, this scenario comes in 147% above the baseline at 126 $.
  • Use it when sizing preheat schedules, building a cost-per-ton energy model, or justifying a switch to a higher-efficiency or regenerative ladle preheater. Treat this as a target state: the delta against the baseline quantifies what the improvement is worth before you commit to chasing it.

Results at a glance

  • Total ladle preheat energy: 126 $ (headline result)
  • Ladle Preheat Energy energy used: 1,050 kWh
  • Ladle Preheat Energy cost per processed unit: 21 $ / piece
  • Hourly ladle preheat energy: 25.2 $ / hr

Run it with your numbers

  • Every input above is editable in the live Ladle Preheat Energy calculator, which recalculates instantly and can be shared with the inputs intact.

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.