Abstract: This disclosure is directed to a method for controlling the preheating zone of a tunnel kiln which includes firing and cooling zones. The method comprises forcedly blowing air from the entire ceiling portion of the preheating zone in the downward direction to diffuse hot combustion gas present in the upper portion and to reducing a difference in temperature between the upper and lower portions of the preheating zone. Air may be blown into the preheating zone at a flow rate determined from the quantity of the combustion gas within the preheating zone.

Abstract: Continuous ovens are known for soldering electronic components on circuit boards, with a conveyor belt having supports for the circuit boards, and having infrared radiators disposed in a spaced-apart relationship along the conveyor belt above and/or below the plane of belt movement, which are associated with at least one preheating zone and, following this zone in the direction of movement of the belt, with a soldering zone. To develop a continuous oven such that the temperatures between large and small components to be soldered on circuit board will be nearer one another in the soldering zone than in conventional ovens, a cooling zone is disposed between the preheating zone and the soldering zone, in which a forced cooling is performed with a gaseous coolant which is driven by a blower through nozzles disposed in the cooling zone substantially perpendicularly to the plane of the conveyor belt.

Abstract: An improved practice for the vacuum brazing of aluminum alloy workpieces in a multi-chamber braze furnace is disclosed. When magnesium-containing aluminum alloys are brazed in a furnace having a braze chamber and adjacent exit chamber, there may be advantage in providing thermal barriers between a load of hot brazed workpieces and the furnace walls of the exit chamber.

Abstract: The invention relates to a process and a continuous furnace for the thermal treatment of substantially flat bodies of a ceramic material. Disposed in a continuous furnace having a roller table 5, between a heating zone 1 and a cooling zone 2, is a firing zone 3 which can be divided off by partitions 6, 7 from the heating zone 1 and the cooling zone 2, and in which the bodies to be fired are very rapidly heated to firing temperature, being horizontally reciprocated to prevent deformations. During firing, the conveying of the bodies in the cooling zone 2 continues, while conveying in the heating zone 1 is interrupted, the movement of the bodies being completely stopped or the bodies being horizontally reciprocated. During the dividing-off of the firing zone 3 the gases heated in the cooling zone 2 are conducted via a bypass 12 to the heating zone 1, to participate in the heating of the bodies.

Abstract: A tunnel kiln for firing ceramic shaped bodies including a preheating zone, a firing zone and a cooling zone. Arranged in the preheating zone is a recovery circuit composed of a decomposition product receiving part and a discharge port for discharging the recovered decomposition product.

Abstract: A semiconductor wafer processing furnace includes an elongated processing chamber enclosing a first zone and a second zone extending along a first reference axis, and a wafer support assembly having a support member and associated translation elements for selectively translating the support member between the zones, along the first reference axis, in response to an applied position signal. Temperature elements control the first and second zones to have selected first and second temperatures, respectively. A controller applies the position signal to the translation elements, in response to an applied control signal representative of a desired temperature of the region surrounding the support member. Responsive to the position signal, the translation elements position the support member along the reference axis such that the temperature of the region surrounding the support member substantially matches the desired temperature.

Abstract: In a method for ceramising glass plates, in which the plates to be ceramised are hung vertically, a plurality of plates are hung transversely of the transport direction so that they form a plate package. This plate package is passed through a plurality of chambers of an oven in which it is subjected to a direct succession of different temperatures.

Abstract: Continuous thermal treatment for the strengthening of metallic workpieces is carried out by placing a batch of at least two workpieces on a basket hinged on a continuously advancing conveyor chain; introducing said workpieces in said basket through a first instantaneously opening and closing gate into a uniformly heated first thermal treating step wherein the continuously advancing workpieces are heated at a temperature of about 560.degree. C.; introducing the heated workpieces in said basket through a second instantaneously opening and closing gate into a second thermal treatment step placed immediately after the end of the first step and in communication therewith, by lifting a vat containing a cooling fluid to immerse said workpieces in said basket into the cooling fluid of said vat to rapidly cooling said workpieces to a temperature of about 100.degree. C. and thereafter lowering said vat.

Abstract: An oven is provided for baking a substrate having a printed circuit obtained by depositing on an insulating substrate, by silk screen printing, an insulating or resistive ink comprising an organic material which forms a temporary binder of this ink, which oven is provided with gas injection means for baking in the desired atmosphere, means for extracting the reducing gases and/or baking residues obtained by transformation of the organic materials under the effect of the temperature, and means for sweeping these reducing gases in the direction of the extraction means so as to accelerate removal thereof without creating any zone of stagnation or turbulent flow.

Abstract: A roller furnace having a passage (3) for the firing of ceramic or refractory products, such as tiles and the like, is provided with a passage (6) running parallel to, and arranged below the firing passage (3) for effecting a heat treatment on a product, possibly with hot gases removed from the firing passage (3).

Abstract: An oven construction in which an elongated oven assembly is provided by manufacturing a plurality of oven modules at a factory location and then shipping the modules to the usage site where they are assembled together in end-to-end fashion to form the final oven assembly. Each oven module includes an outer shell and an inner shell mounted so as to be spaced apart for insulation therebetween. The shells are interconnected at one point along the length thereof, but are allowed to expand differentially along the remainder of their lengths. The outer shell is rigidly tied to a foundation but the inner shell, through any of various approaches, is allowed to slide or move relative to the foundation everywhere except the one point where it is secured to the outer shell. Each module has a bellows-type expansion joint around the periphery of one end to allow for interconnection of the modules, one to another.

Abstract: Apparatus is provided for heating powder material charges to high temperatures at a fast rate, and for moving the charges through process operations, and for maintaining the temperatures of preheated charges and protecting the charges against contamination as they are moved through process operations.

Abstract: Apparatus is provided for heating powder material charges to high temperatures at a fast rate, and for moving the charges through process operations, and for maintaining the temperatures of preheated charges and protecting the charges against contamination as they are moved through process operations.

Abstract: An oven for heating can ends comprising a generally elongate heating chamber having walls which closely surround a conveyor for conveying the can ends through the chamber, a source of infra-red heat arranged in the upper region of said chamber and having a parabolic reflector by means of which radiant heat is directed downwardly onto a generally narrow band which corresponds in width to the width of the region of the can end to which sealant and/or repair lacquer has been applied, said conveyor being constructed from a plurality of interconnected slat-like elements having upturned edges the spacing between the upturned edges being selected so that the edges engage narrow portions of the curled edge of the can end whereby the can end is supported with the surface to which sealant or lining compound has been applied directed downwardly so that the heat source principally heats the upwardly directed surface of the can ends, a cooling chamber of similar dimensions to said heating chamber following said heating ch

Abstract: Apparatus is provided for heating powder material charges to high temperatures at a fast rate, and for moving the charges through process operations, and for maintaining the temperatures of preheated charges and protecting the charges against contamination as they are moved through process operations.

Abstract: A reheating furnace has a row of heating chambers and a mobile roof whose sections can be moved relative to each other so as to expose the tops of selected chambers for admission or evacuation of slabs. The slabs are lowered into and lifted out of selected heating chambers by an elevator which is mounted on tracks at a level above the motors for carriages which shift the roof sections relative to the chambers. Each chamber can be heated by a set of burners independently of the other chambers. The elevator stacks the slabs in such a way that one marginal portion of each slab is exposed for pronounced heating by combustion products and the other marginal portion is nested between and is heated by the neighboring slabs.

Abstract: A continuous heat treating furnace for heat treating a ferrous metal work in a protective atmosphere, including a furnace separated into a charge chamber and a heat treating chamber by a partition door and provided with a transport device for transporting the work. A first heating device, a recirculating fan and a gas purge device are provided in the charge chamber, while a second heating device is provided in the heat treating chamber supplied with the protective atmosphere, whereby the work is preheated through convectional heat transfer in the charge chamber simultaneously with high-temperature purging of the charge chamber and then, is heat treated under the protective atmosphere in the heat treating chamber.

Abstract: A method of heat treating metallic workpieces using a continuous-heating, sher-type, or gravity-discharge furnace having at least two treatment chambers through which the workpieces successively pass. The chambers, which are provided with doors, serve to respectively heat treat a plurality of workpieces charges, with individual ones of the charges being cyclically received by the respective chambers, being conveyed through the latter while heat treatment is undertaken, and subsequently being released by the chambers. Charges requiring different treatment and/or duration, especially different case-hardening depths during carburization in a two-stage process, can be simultaneously treated while fully utilizing the capacity of the furnace by irregularly conveying the charges in at least one of the treatment chambers in such a way that the charges are released by the chamber or chambers after varying retention times.

Abstract: An apparatus for soaking steel pieces including cold steel pieces and hot steel pieces. The apparatus is of the type which includes: a soaking furnace for subjecting the steel pieces to a soaking treatment; a preheating chamber for preheating the cold steel pieces before the cold steel pieces are introduced into the soaking furnace, the preheating chamber being connected to the soaking furnace for receiving waste heat from the soaking furnace for the preheating treatment and having an outlet portion for discharging the cold steel pieces; and a mechanism for introducing the steel pieces into the soaking furnace and for advancing the steel pieces through the soaking furnace.

Abstract: A multi-zone furnace having one or more walking beam conveyors operative in association with movable isolation doors to provide selective isolation of furnace zones and efficient transport and processing of a product through successive furnace zones.

Abstract: A top-fired, lifting or walking, hearth-type furnace includes an upstream preheating zone and a downstream primary heating zone. Stock, such as billets or ingots, to be heated is passed sequentially through the preheating zone and primary heating zone. Each zone has therein support members for supporting the stock. The support members of the preheating zone are at a level higher than the support members of the primary heating zone, with a step therebetween, whereby hot flue gases in the preheating zone circulate upwardly around the support members therein and the stock supported thereby. A lowering and lifting apparatus is located at the step to transfer stock from the support members of the preheating zone to the support members of the primary heating zone.

Abstract: A plant for preheating and, possibly, heat-treating bars (2) of aluminum or aluminum alloys and subsequently severing the bars (2) into slugs (10) comprises a furnace (4) for the heat treatment and preheating only, if desired, billet hot shears (7), and a quick preheating furnace (16) connected between the hot shears and the furnace. Upon selection of the operating mode of heat treatment of the bars (2), the quick preheating furnace serves as cooling apparatus providing for temperature controlled cooling and corresponding renewed heating to a predetermined billet pressing temperature when the admissible temperature is not reached. When the plant operates alone to preheat the material, the quick preheating furnace serves as preheating furnace the exhaust gases of which serve to preheat the bars (2) in the furnace (4) through an exhaust gas conduit (19). This plant permits particularly economic and flexible operation, i.e.

Abstract: The ceramic roller-hearth kiln is divided into three zones, of which the first and last are utilized for the initial heating and the cooling of the material respectively, and the central zone, which is provided with combustion means and utilized for high-temperature firing, comprises a conduit for the forced counter-current suction of the gaseous products of combustion between said second and said first zone, from said conduit there branching two ducts for the feed and recovery of part of the hot gas to and from the first zone; the cooling zone being constituted by three successive sections comprising, respectively, direct cooling by blowing air on to the material, cooling by induction and cooling by forced ventilation, the hot air recovered from said cooling zones being fed to the head of the kiln, to flow into said forced suction conduit.

Abstract: An oven which is suitable for use in baking bread and which incorporates a baking chamber through which an endless conveyor is driven for transporting product support trays into, through and from the chamber. The conveyor enters the lower region of the chamber, exits from an upper region of the chamber and makes a plurality of horizontal passes in ascending through the chamber. A bank of controller regulated heating elements is located between each of the horizontal passes of the conveyor but tunnels are provided in the lower region of the chamber to prevent heat from being radiated downwardly onto the product support trays during their initial stage of conveyance through the chamber.

Abstract: Inside a furnace body a number of material-stay spaces are set along a predetermined circular locus of travel of materials to be treated. The furnace body is divided into a heating chamber and a cooling chamber, and some of the stay spaces are located in the former chamber while the others are in the latter. A material is placed into one of the stay spaces located in the heating chamber, and heated therein. Then the material is moved into and stopped at one of the stay spaces located in the cooling chamber, and cooled therein. This process of heating and cooling the material is repeated a predetermined number of times so as to treat the material as desired.

Abstract: A large scale, industrial system and method for dehydrating fruits, nuts or other produce. The system includes two long air tunnels which are placed end-to-end. Each air tunnel has a conveyor which is used to transport the produce through the air tunnel. As the produce exits one air tunnel, it is dropped from one conveyor onto the other, thus permitting the produce to be turned over before it enters the second air tunnel. Each air tunnel is divided into a number of separate air chambers in which the heated, circulating air is confined so as to reduce heat loss, thus increasing the energy efficiency of the system, and also providing for separate control of the air temperature and humidity levels in each air chamber. Countercirculation of air between adjacent air chambers aids in confining the air through the separate air chambers, as well as the use of resilient flaps which are used to enclose the ends of each air chamber through which the conveyor enters and exits.

Abstract: A device for thermally treating scrap employs a charging facility for conveying scrap to a furnace chamber. The charging facility is fitted with a waste gas flue and a loading port and has a pre-loading space in which the scrap is pre-heated. The device is easily operated and can be run with relatively little loss of energy by having the pre-loading space of the charging facility releasably connected to the furnace chamber and/or waste gas flue such that the pre-loading space is fed with waste heat from the furnace chamber. Preferably the pre-loading space is part of a waste gas or waste heat circuit. The pre-loading space is also provided with an extendable unit which can be pushed into the mouth or loading port of the furnace for feeding the scrap to the furnace.

Abstract: An apparatus for heat-treating pipes comprising a furnace chamber for accommodating a plurality of pipes as arranged in parallel, a chain conveyor disposed in the furnace chamber for transporting the pipes in a direction at right angles to the axes of the pipes, and a plurality of stopper means for stopping the pipes intermittently at suitably spaced-apart positions in the path of transport by the chain conveyor and causing each of the pipes to rotate about its own axis in cooperation with the chain conveyor. Since the pipe is intermittently stopped and rotated about its own axis during heat treatment, the pipe is free of thermal deformation to an elliptical shape. Pipes can be heat-treated in succession in a small space, therefore with a very high efficiency. The motion of the chain conveyor is utilized for rotating the pipe without necessitating any additional device for the rotation.

Abstract: A scale-covered, hot-rolled steel work is heated under a reducing atmosphere and is then allowed to slowly cool while placed under the reducing atmosphere. Thereafter the work is maintained at a predetermined temperature under an oxidizing atmosphere to cause the scale to be re-oxidized. The work with the re-oxidizing scale is then allowed to stand to cool quickly, imparting fine cracks to the scales. The scales can readily be removed from the work during the subsequent pickling step.

Abstract: In a method of shrinking screw caps (2) on to the mouths (1) of containers (13), the screw caps are acted upon by a hot gas jet (7, 8) from nozzles (3, 4), along a feed path (6), from both sides. The flow axes (7, 8) are displaced relative to each other so that there are no pressure build-up and stagnation effects. The resulting advantageous temperature pattern at the nozzles means that savings in heating output can be attained. In addition, there is no longer any need for the bottles to be rotated about their own axis (10).

Abstract: A heat-treating apparatus for practicing a method in which when red-hot iron pipes produced by a centrifugal casting machine are cooled, the pipes are slowly cooled over the temperature range of 800.degree. to 700.degree. C. to ferritize the pipes without separately annealing the pipes. A heat-treating furnace disposed close to one end of the rotary mold of the casting machine has furnace chambers each provided with pairs of rotatable rollers for supporting the pipe in rotation to prevent the deformation of the pipe. Each of the chambers has heating burners or a cooling heat exchanger for adjusting the temperature and cooling speed of the pipe placed in the chamber. According to a preferred embodiment, the furnace chambers are separated by openable partition members of circular-arc section, and each of the chambers has turnable levers for transferring the pipe to another chamber adjacent thereto.

Abstract: A warming device is constructed to enclose barrels filled with lubricating oil for the purpose of maintaining the oil at operating viscosities even when ambient temperature conditions are severely cold. The barrel warming device includes a housing for supporting a plurality of barrels, a heating device placed on the housing for providing heat to the housing and the barrels, a movable hoist able to place or remove the barrels into or from the housing, and a skid which supports the housing and enables the easy transportation of the barrels. The barrel warming device has particular utility for storing various weights of lubricating oil needed by oil drilling rigs which are operated in cold climates.

Abstract: An apparatus for the continuous porcelain enameling of sheet ware including the combination, in succession, of a drying zone for the incoming ware either integral or separate, a pre-heating zone for the ware following the drying zone, a heating zone for the ware after the pre-heating zone or zones, in which the porcelain enamel coating is fused onto the surface, and a cooling zone or zones. Burner means are provided for introducing hot combustion gases into a serpentine tube radiant heater which is in the heating zone to heat the ware by means of flameless radiation. After leaving the heating zone, the hot combustion gases are directed into the final pre-heating zone where they transfer some of their heat to the ware passing through that zone. Finally, the combustion gases leaving the pre-heating zone are directed into the drying zone where they transfer heat by convection to remove moisture and slightly pre-heat the ware, whereupon the relatively cool combustion gases are exhausted from the drying zone.

Abstract: A method of producing carbon fiber by making infusible and carbonizing pitch fiber which is obtained by melt-spinning petroleum-tar pitch or coal-tar pitch, and a method of making pitch fiber infusible in an air atmosphere containing NO.sub.2, at an elevated temperature by introducing a cross-sectionally U-shaped tray with pitch fiber suspended from bars placed across an upper portion thereof into an infusible material producing furnace having gas exchanging chambers in the inlet portion and outlet portion thereof as well as at least two gas circulating means each of which comprises a combination of a blower or a fan and a heat exchanger, and retaining said tray in said furnace.

Abstract: A process and apparatus are disclosed for controlling losses in volatile working fluid systems. In accordance with the process, the object upon which a work operation is to be effected is sequentially moved from a first sealable chamber to a second such chamber and back to the first chamber. While in the second chamber the object is exposed to a working fluid vapor which elevates the temperature of the object to a level near the boiling point of the working fluid. Thereafter, while still in the second chamber, a substantial portion of the working fluid is drained from the object such that the sensible heat acquired by the object upon its elevation of temperature is sufficient to evaporate working fluid remaining on the object upon its removal to the first chamber. Upon removal of the object to the first chamber the object is thoroughly dried through control of the partial pressure of the working fluid vapor contained within the first chamber atmosphere.

Abstract: A kiln includes a hollow elongated housing which has an inlet and an outlet spaced from each other defining between them the interior of the housing designed to receive through the inlet the items to be treated. The housing includes a number of sections operative for treating the items as they gradually pass through the sections towards the outlet with different respective treating regimes. The sections downstream of the housing are interconnected with the section upstream of the housing so as to recover the heated gas from the downstream sections and supply the same into the upstream section in predetermined quantities and at a predetermined temperature.

Abstract: A vacuum aluminum soldering furnace comprising an evacuatable soldering cber having two lateral heating zones. The soldering chamber has a middle heating zone arranged parallel to the lateral heating zones and the heating element of the middle heating zone is preferably arranged removable from the soldering chamber.

Abstract: A reheating furnace for use in a hot rolling line including a heating furnace which is positioned between a continuous casting apparatus and a rolling apparatus rolling workpieces at a higher speed than they are cast by the casting process, the furnace serving as a heating and buffer zone. The reheating furnace is longitudinally divided into two heating sections which are changed over so as to receive workpieces for heating and the workpieces are charged into one of the two sections after the other of the two sections has been filled up. The furnace is operated to collectively forward the workpieces heated up to predetermined rolling temperatures to the rolling apparatus for efficient rolling.

Abstract: The apparatus includes a plurality of extruders which feed parallel streams or ribbons of raw material or charge along rollers through successive chambers in a kiln and through an annealing lehr to zones where the material is cut. The surfaces of the raw material are coated on three sides with a parting or releasing agent and, on the side to be exposed, with a glaze or engobe, or left uncoated.The firing chamber of the kiln has opposed rows of fuel burners on the sides directed toward ports on the other side and refractory rollers which protrude through the side walls and are supported on circumferentially spaced wheels. Wheels between adjacent ends synchronize rotation of the rollers. Manifolds feed the stack gases from the firing chamber into the preheating chamber.The process includes using charges which are either a mixture of a small amount of soluble carbonaceous material and water to adjust the carbon and moisture content of the clay or silica with carbonaceous material and water.

Abstract: An oven for firing ceramic materials which is provided with a firing chamber and with a plurality of rotatable transverse rollers for advancing the material to be fired along the chamber. The oven is provided with a horizontal auxiliary surface disposed in the lower part of the chamber, spaced from the material being fired, and with means for displacing the auxiliary surface longitudinally along the chamber in a direction opposite to the direction of travel of the material being fired. The vertical distance from the auxiliary surface to the roller axes is preferably not less than twice the axis-to-axis spacing between the rollers and not more than twice such roller spacing plus the diameter of the rollers. The speed of travel of the auxiliary surface is a submultiple of the speed of travel of the material being fired. The auxiliary surface is preferably constituted by a plurality of plates bearing on the oven floor and actuated for displacement in a preferably intermittent manner by thruster devices.

Abstract: In a method of treating lumpy and granular materials with gaseous media, the materials to be treated are introduced into open containers having at least two adjacent chambers communicating or connected with each other in their bottom regions. The materials to be treated lie on and contact the bottom and walls of the chamber as a packed bed where the at least two chambers communicate. A plurality of the open containers are arranged one behind the other so as to form a closed circuit or chain and are closeable by stationary lids or hoods arranged in the conveying direction. Each hood has a supply conduit for one container chamber and a drain conduit for the other container chamber. The container chain is moved in phases below the lids or hoods, the lids or hoods closing the containers during each standing phase while the treatment gas is transmitted through the container chambers.

Abstract: A kiln includes a hollow housing which has an upper and lower wall, an inlet and outlet. The lower wall of the housing is provided with a first set of baffles spaced from one another along the length of the housing and extending towards the upper wall of the housing. The upper wall of the housing is provided with a second set of baffles spaced from one another along the length of the housing and extending towards the lower wall. The first and second sets of baffles bound betweem them a gap defining a transport path for items to be treated. At least one set of baffles is adjustable so as to vary the width of the gap.

Abstract: The apparatus includes a plurality of extruders which feed parallel streams or ribbons of raw material or charge along rollers through successive chambers in a kiln and through an annealing lehr to zones where the material is cut. The surfaces of the raw material are coated on three sides with a parting or releasing agent and, on the side to be exposed, with a glaze or engobe, or left uncoated.The firing chamber of the kiln has opposed rows of fuel burners on the sides directed toward ports on the other side and refractory rollers which protrude through the side walls and are supported on circumferentially spaced wheels. Wheels between adjacent ends synchronize rotation of the rollers. Manifolds feed the stack gases from the firing chamber into the preheating chamber.The process includes using charges which are either a mixture of a small amount of soluble carbonaceous material and water to adjust the carbon and moisture content of the clay or silica with carbonaceous material and water.

Abstract: The oven according to the invention comprises a plurality of heated superimposed channels and a plurality of rollers for supporting and advancing the ceramic materials, generally tiles, arranged transversely in each channel and closer to the ceiling than to the floor of the channel. Preferably the distance of the roller axes from the channel floor is not less than twice the pitch of the rollers and their distance from the channel ceiling is not more than such pitch. Preferably the channels are each constituted by a plurality of laterally juxtaposed chambers separated by partitions, the rollers extending through the channels without engaging the partitions. The superimposed adjacent channels are preferably separated by hollow slabs and slabs are located above the highest and below the lowest channels, hot gases being introduced into the cavities within the slabs and flowing out through apertures in the slabs to heat the tiles, or electrical resistances are provided in the slabs.

Abstract: A football drying machine having a frame and wheels so that it may be moved about, a vertical axis supported at its lower end of the frame, a carousel affixed about the vertical axis, the carousel having a number of radial compartments each dimensioned to receive a football, a shroud covering the carousel and having an opening in the top so that as the carousel is rotated the opening aligns with the compartments for placing footballs into or taking them out of the carousel, a gas burner supplied by a gas tank carried on the frame, a fan for moving heated air from the gas burner, a plenum chamber connecting the burner and fan to direct heated air into the bottom of the carousel and within the shroud to heat footballs positioned in the carousel, and a handle affixed to the upper end of the shaft for rotation of the carousel.

Abstract: An apparatus for heating materials such as aluminum billets to a temperature suitable for extrusion is disclosed. The apparatus has at least two zones arranged in tandem, a preheat zone and one or more primary heating zones. Every zone has inner and outer chambers. The outer chamber is supplied with high temperature gas at a pressure in excess of that of the inner chamber. The chambers are separated by baffles which define narrow slot-like aspirating throats through which secondary gases from a secondary source are jetted after entraining high temperature gases from the primary chamber. The secondary gases are at a lower temperature to provide efficient impingement of the gases on a target such as a billet with the primary gases providing the principle heat source. The apparatus is of the closed type utilizing rapid recycling of gases for efficient use of thermal energy.

Abstract: The furnace comprises a hearth for the longitudinal displacement of pellet containers, means for injecting gas at both ends of the furnace, for sucking gas between preheating and sintering zones and for condensing the binder, means for displacing the containers from an introduction lock-chamber to an extraction lock-chamber, a conveyor belt which passes through a glove box and provides a leak-tight connection between the lock-chambers. A station for loading containers with pellet sub-containers prior to sintering and a station for unloading the pellet sub-containers after sintering are juxtaposed within the glove box.

Abstract: A plurality of core rods with parisons thereon are mounted to an indexing head with the core rods disposed in a temperature conditioning chamber and wherein the core rods are simultaneously rotated to effect temperature distribution throughout the parisons. Pluralities of core rods are angularly disposed and simultaneously rotated. The apparatus is particularly useful in orientation injection blow molding, wherein the parison is a relatively thick cross section or wherein the parison thermoplastic has a low thermal conductivity.

Abstract: A heat processing system in which a product is efficiently conveyed through a high temperature furnace and in which the product can be stored within a section of the furnace at a temperature less than the critical temperature to which product exposure must be limited. The furnace includes multiple sections each of a respective operating temperature, one of the sections being of high temperature to which a product can be exposed for only a limited time. A supply of product carriers is contained within the furnace onto which a product is supplied for transport forwardly through the furnace for unloading at an opposite end thereof, the carriers being returned rearwardly through the furnace back to a loading area. During an emergency mode of operation, loading of the product is discontinued and the product already within the furnace is transferred from the critical heat section to an adjacent section for storage at a lower temperature less than the high critical temperature.

Abstract: A wheel mounted grain drier for towing behind a farm vehicle or the like. The grain drier having a pair of horizontally mounted augers with perforated hollow auger shafts. In the drier the grain is conveyed along the length of cylindrical chambers by the augers as a gas fired blower vents hot air along the length of the hollow auger shafts and out the perforations thereby drying the grain as it is conveyed.