Abstract: A strip curing oven apparatus for treating a workpiece carrying a coating containing a vaporizable solvent which is oxidizable to provide at least part of the heat requirement of said oven apparatus and which oven apparatus comprises an oven having a plurality of oven zones, such workpiece being movable through said oven zones in sequence, radiant header means disposed within one said oven zone so as to radiate heat toward a workpiece moving through that oven zone, incinerator means for incinerating oven gases to oxidize solvent vapors contained therein and to discharge such gases, after incineration, at an elevated temperature and with a reduced solvent vapor content, into said radiant header means, first gas-transferring means for transferring oven gases containing untreated solvent vapors from at least one of said oven zones to said incinerator means, oven gas circulation means located in said oven zone containing said radiant header means for circulating oven gases for passage between said radiant header

Abstract: A method of curing a solvent based coating on a strip comprising passing the strip through oven zones, circulating hot gases in the zones to vaporize solvents and entrain them in such gases and cure the coatings, the solvents being released in high volume one zone, and in low volume in another zone, incinerating some of the gases in the zones to oxidize solvent vapors and returning them to the zones, extracting some solvent-rich gases without incineration from the high release zone and distributing them to other zones, incinerating the solvent-rich gases as they are introduced into the other zones to oxidize solvent vapors and discharge high temperature combustion gases in the zones supplying some heat for the zones and reducing solvent vapors, extracting some of the gases from some zones and introducing them into the high solvent release zone to partially replace the gases transferred, the balance being made up by upstream migration of zone gases within said oven, and exhausting some gases to atmosphere.