GB743800A - Improvements in or relating to a continuous furnace - Google Patents

Abstract

743,800. Continuous tunnel furnaces. ELFULUX. May 13, 1953, No. 13420/53. Class 51 (2). In a continuous furnace of the type which comprises a tunnel through which atmosphere gas is passed by a fan in the opposite direction to the articles to be treated, the tunnel being sub-divided in a series of aligned chambers in each of which the atmosphere gas is circulated transversely to the longitudinal direction of the tunnel by additional fans, the said transverse circulation being led outside the tunnel along the two vertical walls and a horizontal wall thereof and the said additional fans being arranged in this path of circulation outside the tunnel, the transversely circulated gas enters the tunnel through openings in the lower portion of one vertical wall and leaves the tunnel through openings at the lower portion of the opposite vertical wall. The invention is shown applied to a double tunnel furnace, Fig. 7, through which glassware may be traversed on a perforated conveyer 21. A fan 9 drives the furnace atmosphere gases externally of the tunnels and through ports 25 in the side walls 2, longitudinal partitions 26 forming the inner walls of the tunnels and defining ports 27 and a passage 28 leading the gases back to the fan. Upper ports 29 are provided to induce some circulation of the upper tunnel atmosphere. Flexible refractory ribbons, e.g. of stainless steel, may be suspended from the inner tunnel roof at certain points to contact the ware. The tunnel may comprise a succession of individual chambers each formed with an insulating casing and external sheeting and with means for heating, cooling &c., the circulated atmosphere. The latter may be oxidizing, reducing or neutral in its effect, or it may have a disinfecting or sterilizing action. The atmosphere gas may also be injected into one end of each tunnel by a flat, adjustable nozzle 33, Fig. 8, formed on a transverse pipe 31 pivoted about an axis 32.