Kiln for ceramic products

A kiln for firing ceramic ware comprising an enclosing structure having side walls and a roof, movable floor means for supporting the ware within the enclosing structure, said floor means being adapted to permit gas to flow downward therethrough and including means for exhausting gas laterally below the level of the floor, a flue extending longitudinally of the kiln along each side wall near the bottom thereof, each flue having a plurality of ports therein in position to receive gas exhausted from said floor means, whereby said gas flows longitudinally in said flue, a plurality of burners spaced apart along each side wall near the bottom thereof, said burners being the sole source of heat in the kiln, each burner including means for directing a stream of hot gas vertically upward in the kiln adjacent the side wall, a refractory block associated with each burner having a vertical Venturi passage therein positioned to receive the stream of hot gas from the burner, the burners and associated blocks being disposed in the flues at spaced intervals and each burner and its associated block being vertically spaced apart to permit gas in the flue to flow between them, and external means for supplying air to said burners in excess of the amount required for combustion to induce a high velocity stream of gas from each burner such that a major portion of the gas flowing in the adjacent flue is entrained in said stream to sustain a high velocity upward flow of a large volume of gas, said gas being redirected by the roof of the kiln to flow downward through the ware.