US 4,217,090 A · Oven heating system

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 means and an opposed surface of a workpiece moving through said oven, and, second gas transferring means for receiving incinerated gases from said radiant header means and for transferring and discharging such gases into a plurality of said zones of said oven. There is also disclosed a method of curing a coating on a strip workpiece.

Claims13

Dependent claims

A strip curing oven apparatus for treating a workpiece carrying a coating containing a vapourizable 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 vapours contained therein and to discharge such gases, after incineration, at an elevated temperature and with a reduced solvent vapour content, into said radiant header means;
first gas-transferring means for transferring oven gases containing untreated solvent vapours 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;
duct means forming part of said oven gas circulation means and located along at least one edge of the workpiece and having outlets arranged to direct oven gases between said radiant header means and an opposed surface of a workpiece moving through said oven, and,
second gas transferring means for receiving incinerated gases from said radiant header means and for transferring and discharging such gases into a plurality of said zones of said oven.

4 more elements

The method of curing a coating on a strip workpiece carrying said coating and said coating containing a vapourizable solvent which is oxidizable to provide at least part of the heat requirement for said curing process, said process comprising the steps of;

passing said strip in sequence through an oven containing a plurality of sequential zones, comprising an upstream zone, and sequential downstream zones;
continuously circulating gases within said zones at an elevated temperature whereby to vapourize said solvent and entrain said vapourized solvent in said oven gases;
continuously extracting portions of said oven gases from at least one of said zones, and transferring the same to said upstream zone;
continuously incinerating said transferred gases in incineration means located in said upstream zone;
passing said incinerated gases, at an elevated temperature, through radiant header means located adjacent the path of said strip workpiece, whereby to radiate at least some of the heat from said incinerated gases towards said workpiece;
continuously transferring said incinerated gases from said header means to at least one of said downstream zones, and discharging the same in said zone;
continuously circulating a portion of oven gases from one of said zones, and,
continuously circulating said portion of gases through circulation ducts arranged to direct such gases along either edge of said strip, and ejecting same through openings between said radiant header means and an adjacent surface of said workpiece, said gases passing through the spacing therebetween, transversely relative to the axis of said strip.

5 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Oven heating system

Life of this patent

Oven heating system

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims13