Foundry & Forging worked example

Ladle Preheat Energy with ladle preheater connected load of 43 kW: a worked example

This worked example runs the ladle preheat energy numbers for a tougher week than the baseline: ladle preheater connected load of 43 kW instead of the typical 85 kW. Estimate energy cost for ladle preheating before tapping, transfer, or pouring.

The inputs for this scenario

  • Ladle preheater connected load: 43 kW (the input this scenario stresses; the baseline uses 85)
  • Preheat burner runtime per cycle: 5 hr (held at the documented default)
  • Blended gas-and-electric energy rate: 0.12 $ / kWh (held at the documented default)
  • Heats poured per preheat cycle: 6 units (held at the documented default)

Working through the calculation

  • The calculation starts from the formula this tool documents: Total ladle preheat energy = ladle preheater load × ladle preheat runtime × blended energy rate.
  • Total ladle preheat energy works out to 25.8 $ at these inputs, and this is the headline figure for the scenario.
  • Ladle Preheat Energy energy used works out to 215 kWh at these inputs.
  • Ladle Preheat Energy cost per processed unit works out to 4.3 $ / piece at these inputs.
  • Hourly ladle preheat energy works out to 5.16 $ / hr at these inputs.

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 49.41% below the baseline at 25.8 $.
  • 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. A result at this level usually justifies acting on the stressed input before touching anything else, because every other figure in the table is downstream of it.

Results at a glance

  • Total ladle preheat energy: 25.8 $ (headline result)
  • Ladle Preheat Energy energy used: 215 kWh
  • Ladle Preheat Energy cost per processed unit: 4.3 $ / piece
  • Hourly ladle preheat energy: 5.16 $ / hr

Run it with your numbers

  • To rerun this with your own numbers, open the live Ladle Preheat Energy calculator, set ladle preheater connected load to your actual value, and adjust the remaining inputs to match your operation.

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.