Abstract: Heating fluid in a chamber comprising a floor or ceiling and an upwardly or downwardly extending heat receiving wall by positioning a vortex burner substantially at or above the chamber floor in proximity to the heat receiving wall, delivering fuel and air to the vortex nozzle and burning the fuel to make a combustion product, imparting a swirling flow to the combustion product while directing the swirling flow along an elongated path, jetting fuel at a location positioned adjacent the vortex burner, and burning the jet fuel, thereby forming jet flow combustion products that mix with the vortex burner combustion products, and directing the resulting hot mixture generally vertically adjacent to the heat receiving wall for transferring heat thereto.

Abstract: A burner tip having a converging portion with a multiplicity of ports. The ports are sized and positioned so that a substantially constant ratio is maintained between any selected cross-sectional flow area within the converging portion and the sum of the port areas downstream from that cross-sectional flow area, thereby maintaining a substantially constant pressure within the tip. A disk is positioned at a downstream portion of the converging portion to flatten the flame.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for reducing NO.sub.x emissions in a gas burner in which the burner includes a burner supply for supplying fuel gas and primary air to the furnace and projecting the fuel gas into the furnace, a secondary air supply for supplying secondary air to the burner, and a recirculating device for mixing the secondary air with the spent gases inside the furnace, which is then recirculated and combusted to reduce NO.sub.x gases. The method of the invention includes the steps of supplying fuel gas and primary air to the furnace, projecting the fuel gas into the furnace, combusting the fuel gas and primary gas to produce spent gases, supplying secondary air to the furnace, mixing the secondary air with the spent gases inside the furnace to produce diluted air, and recirculating and combusting the diluted air with the fuel gas and primary air to reduce NO.sub.x emissions.

Abstract: A vortex burner includes a flame ring for forming a swirling mixture of fuel gas and air and moving it in a downstream direction into a burner cup, and a deflector plate downstream of the flame ring and arranged crosswise of the flow to divert the flow outwardly along the burner cup surface.

Abstract: Method and apparatus for mixing gases while providing a substantially constant gas-to-gas ratio while increasing or decreasing the flow of the mixture, wherein the flows of gases introduced into the mixing step are turbulent and have a Reynolds number of above about 2000.

Abstract: A low NOx gaseous fuel burner that creates a wall hugging flame, even in a cup. It is comprised of two staged premix units, one unit, in a cup, running very lean and the second unit, extended into the furnace, running very rich, the combination being stoichiometric.

Abstract: Strip elongation in a continuous annealing furnace is controlled by passing the strip around a first driven roll, thence through a portion of the furnace, thence around a second driven roll, wherein the elongation of the strip is sensed. One method is to sense the amount by which the peripheral speed of the second roll exceeds the peripheral speed of the first roll. Roll speeds are monitored by precision resolvers. Another method is to utilize a strip width measurement to determine elongation. Mechanisms are used for profiling tension throughout the furnace length.

Abstract: Strip elongation in a continuous annealing furnace is controlled by passing the strip around a first driven roll, then through a portion of the furnace, then around a second driven roll, wherein the elongation of the strip is sensed. One method is to sense the amount by which the peripheral speed of the second roll exceeds the peripheral speed of the first roll. Roll speeds are monitored by precision resolvers. Another method is to utilize a strip width measurement to determine elongation. Mechanisms are used for profiling tension throughout the furnace length.

Abstract: A staged, superposition gaseous fuel burner provides substantial reduction of nitrogen oxide content in the combustion gases by providing a transverse turning plate in the burner tip and by staging the delivery rich combustion gases, by introducing premix gaseous fuel in stages spaced with respect to incoming secondary air, thereby exposing the incoming secondary air to spaced stages of the rich mixture.

Abstract: A gaseous fuel burner provides substantial reduction of nitrogen oxide content in the combustion gases by creating a screen of premix combustion products, by introducing secondary gaseous fuel for admixture with the screen, and by exposing secondary air to the mixture for reaction with the secondary gaseous fuel.

Abstract: A controlled primary air inspirating gas burner is provided with a fuel inspirating jet and an induced primary air passageway, with a means forming a separate control primary air passageway, together with means for controlling the introduction of control primary air. The content of nitrogen oxides in the flue gas is substantially reduced by introduction of regulated amounts of control primary air into the burner.

Abstract: A vortex burner is provided in a burner block, having a sleeve spaced within the burner block, the sleeve being shorter than the burner block opening and spaced within such opening to provide a passageway between them. The burner block has an exvoluting cup which creates negative pressure therein, tending to draw cooling air inwardly into the cup, cooling the short sleeve.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for regulating furnace combustion air flow are provided which measure a gaseous combustion product in furnace gas after combustion, generate a present signal responsive to the measurement and change flow rate of combustion air in response to the generated signal in a manner the same as flow rate was changed in response to a previously generated signal if the present signal relates to the previous signal in the manner the previous signal related to a signal ancestor thereto but change the flow rate of combustion air in response to the generated signal in a manner opposite the manner the flow rate was changed in response to the previously generated signal if the present signal relates to the previous signal in a manner opposite the manner the previous signal related to a signal immediately ancestor thereto.

Abstract: The induction preheating apparatus and methods of the present invention include a furnace for selectively preheating certain portions of irregularly shaped work objects prior to heating to a final uniform temperature in another furnace. The method includes selectively controlling the intensity of the induction magnetic field to provide magnetic field portions of higher intensity adjacent those portions of work objects tending to absorb less energy and magnetic field portions of lower intensity adjacent those portions of the work object tending to absorb energy at a higher rate. The method and apparatus of the present invention are used to achieve substantially uniform temperatures in irregularly shaped work objects after final heating in a main heating furnace.

Abstract: In a calciner of the type having a radiant heat source and a screw conveyor for advancing material to and through a calcining reaction chamber by means of mated, intermeshing, rotating conveyor screws, an improvement comprising scraper means attached to and rotating with the conveyor screws for preventing agglomeration of material in the conveyor and for absorbing heat and conducting the heat to the material and lifter means attached to and rotating with the conveyor screws for increasing exposure of the material to the radiant heat and for absorbing heat and conducting the heat to the material.

Abstract: A Vortex burner is provided in a burner block having a conduit spaced within the burner block passageway to provide an annular space between them. Fuel gas flows through the central portion of the burner, and is tangentially discharged through gas nozzles. Primary air is induced through the portion of the burner surrounding the fuel gas inlet means. Secondary air is induced into the burner through the portion of the burner surrounding the primary inlet means via draft. A deflector member disposed at a suitable angle to the primary air conduit and protruding from the discharge end of said conduit, directs the secondary air along the cup surface and causes it to mix with the partial premixture of primary air and gas. The deflector member aerodynamically directs the primary air and gas premixture along the cup surface. The secondary air flow prevents annular recirculation of hot gases.

Abstract: In a burner mountable in a passageway leading into a furnace including a housing received by said passageway, having a discharge end opening into said furnace, a first conduit within said housing, a second conduit within said first conduit, said housing, said first conduit and said second conduit being annularly spaced, means for introducing respective fuels into space between said first and second conduits and into said second conduit, means for introducing air into space between said housing and said first conduit, fins for inducing swirling motion of air discharged from said housing into said furnace, means for discharging respective fuels from said first and second conduits into said furnace through said housing discharge end, the housing discharge end extending into the furnace interior, a sleeve receiving the first conduit therewithin and extending forwardly therefrom, a cap having an inwardly facing lip about a discharge end of the sleeve proximate the housing opening the lip defining a discharge throu

Abstract: A cracking furnace has a radiant heating zone provided with fuel-fired burners and through which a preheated feedstock is passed, combustion gases from the radiant heating zone passing into a convection zone before being discharged from said furnace. The convection zone is provided with heat-exchanger means for preheating said feedstock. The heat-exchanger means in the convection zone is subdivided into a plurality of functionally separated heat-exchanger bundles and the feedstock is passed selectively through the bundles in accordance with the composition of the feedstock.

Abstract: Floatable tube sheets are provided for use in a reformer furnace or the like wherein a plurality of vertically oriented catalyst tubes are disposed in the fire box with the upper tube ends extending through the fire box roof. The tube sheets are located proximate apertures or channels in the roof through which the upper tube ends protrude and provide a seal to substantially minimize air leakage through the roof. At the same time, the tube sheet plates permit vertical expansion and contraction of the tubes. The tube sheet plates themselves are moveably mounted to the roof so that they can float vertically upwardly and downwardly through a limited distance so as to compensate for tube movement in those instances in which the tubes become bent or bowed during operation. At least a pair of contiguous tube sheet plates surround each tube to facilitate easy tube sheet removal without resulting in attendant removal of any neighboring tubes or, in some instances, furnace shutoff.

Abstract: For use as a replacement for existing gas to burners, oil having an API gravity of about 10-80 is preheated and mixed with about 0.1 to 1 pound of steam per pound of oil, at a pressure of about 30-150 pounds per square inch gauge. The resulting mixture is heated to a temperature above the condensation temperature of the mixture, the temperature being approximately in the range of 450.degree.-800.degree. F. The mixture has flow properties which are essentially equivalent to those of gas under the same conditions of temperature and pressure. The mixture is delivered to the nozzle of the gas burner and is burned therein.An apparatus is provided for burning either oil or gas, and includes a gas burner having nozzle means for mixing air and gas, a gas conduit connected thereto, and an oil supply also connected to the burner, the oil supply being fed from an oil vaporizing apparatus as just described above.