Abstract: A melting furnace includes a melting portion to which a metal material is supplied; a burner for melting the metal material in the melting portion; a heating portion that receives the molten material from the melting portion; a temperature regulating portion that receives the molten material from the heating portion; a separator that separates the heating portion and the temperature regulating portion, wherein the lower portion of the separator is immersed in the molten material to form, below the separator, an inlet; an immersion heater wherein at least part of the immersion heater is immersed in the molten material in the temperature regulating portion; and a gas introduction path that is formed in the separator, and that introduces combustion gas from the burner into a space above the molten material in the temperature regulating portion; wherein the burner is controlled so that the combustion gas has an oxygen concentration of 5% or less.

Abstract: The present invention provides a melting furnace capable of suppressing oxidation of molten materials and improving the quality of the molten materials. As shown in FIG.

Abstract: A furnace as described in this invention comprises a temperature regulating portion to assist in melting a non-ferrous material, such as an aluminium, and to reserve said material for the subsequent casting or injection molding procedure. The furnace provides a mean to eliminate an oxide, such as iron oxide, which generally floats on the top layer of a molten material inside a melting portion and a heating portion by preventing the flow of said oxide into the temperature regulating portion. A sensor or any detector that can detect the level of the molten material is utilized to measure the surface level of said molten material. A temperature regulating burner, which is a flat flame type, is utilized on the ceiling of the temperature regulating portion in order to prevent any oxidation reaction to occur as well as to reduce the concentration of oxygen inside the portion.

Abstract: A furnace as described in this invention comprises a temperature regulating portion to assist in melting a non-ferrous material, such as an aluminium, and to reserve said material for the subsequent casting or injection molding procedure. The furnace provides a mean to eliminate an oxide, such as iron oxide, which generally floats on the top layer of a molten material inside a melting portion and a heating portion by preventing the flow of said oxide into the temperature regulating portion. A sensor or any detector that can detect the level of the molten material is utilized to measure the surface level of said molten material. A temperature regulating burner, which is a flat flame type, is utilized on the ceiling of the temperature regulating portion in order to prevent any oxidation reaction to occur as well as to reduce the concentration of oxygen inside the portion.

Abstract: A heating furnace includes a furnace body, a workpiece loading unit, a hearth, and a hot air supply device. The furnace body forms a furnace chamber. The furnace body has a workpiece passing opening. The workpiece loading unit is arranged inside the furnace chamber. The hearth rotates to allow the workpiece loading unit to rotate inside the furnace chamber. The hot air supply device is arranged inside a heating chamber. The hot air supply device sends out hot air into the furnace chamber. The heating furnace further includes a tubular partition. The tubular partition is arranged inside furnace chamber. The tubular partition divides the furnace chamber into an inner space and an outer space. The workpiece loading unit is arranged in the inner space.

Abstract: The heat transfer efficiency is improved. A heat treatment furnace includes a furnace body 10, a hearth 12, a blowing apparatus 14, a wind passing member 16, a heating apparatus 18, and a rack 20. The furnace body 10 has a doored opening 36. The wind passing member 16 has a cylindrical portion and wind guiding portions. The cylindrical portion has an entrance port and rack-opposing flow-out ports. Wind enters through the entrance port. The rack-opposing flow-out ports are opposed to the rack 20. Wind flows out from the rack-opposing flow-out ports. The wind guiding portions are attached to the cylindrical portion. The wind guiding portions block part of the wind which flows along the inner circumferential surface of the cylindrical portion, to guide the wind to the rack-opposing flow-out ports.

Abstract: The present invention provides a thermoelectric conversion material including a half-Heusler alloy represented by the formula QR(L1-pZp), where Q is at least one element selected from group 5 elements, R is at least one element selected from cobalt, rhodium and iridium, L is at least one element selected from tin and germanium, Z is at least one element selected from indium and antimony, p is a numerical value that is equal to or greater than 0 and less than 0.5. A preferable example of the half-Heusler alloy is NbCo(Sn1-pSbp). The thermoelectric conversion material according to the present invention is n-type, and therefore, it is desired that the material is combined with a p-type thermoelectric conversion material to make a thermoelectric conversion element.

Abstract: A borate single crystal which can stably perform light wavelength conversion with high efficiency down to the ultraviolet region is represented by the chemical formula (A2O).(B2O3)x, and is an orthorhombic crystal belonging to the P212121 space group, wherein A includes two elements selected from the group consisting of Li, Na, K, Rb, and Cs, and 1.5<x<2.5.