Abstract: A method for controlled operation of a heated industrial furnace having a furnace chamber is provided. Fuel is conducted into the furnace chamber virtually without combustion air and a gaseous oxygen carrier is also conducted. The supply of fuel and the gaseous oxygen carrier is controlled by a control loop. A first adjustable manipulated variable in the form of a flow of fuel and/or a second adjustable manipulated variable in the form of a flow of the gaseous oxygen carrier is set by a final controlling element. In the control loop, an energy requirement is determined and fed to a quantitative control and to a quantitative fuel control for the fuel. The flow of the gaseous oxygen carrier is determined as a process value of a flow of the gaseous oxygen carrier and the flow of fuel is determined as a process value of a volumetric flow of fuel.