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US 5,868,565 AGranted
Method of heat treating articles and oven therefor
OwnerWilliam C. Nowackinventor
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OwnerWilliam C. Nowackinventor
Estimating the term…
An industrial oven for heat treating a series of articles by transporting the articles through a heated tunnel in an enclosure, the enclosure having air barrier closures at the entrance and exit of the tunnel, the air barrier closure at the entrance of the tunnel having a blower with an inlet for receiving a gaseous medium and a nozzle for expelling the gaseous medium in a flow and directing the medium flow across the tunnel, the blower having a heater adapted to raise the temperature of the gaseous medium expelled through the nozzle above the temperature within the tunnel, the enclosure also having an exhaust port between the air barrier closures and an exhaust blower for removing a portion of the gaseous medium from within the tunnel and reducing the pressure of the gaseous medium within the tunnel to a pressure below that of the ambient atmosphere. Also the method of heat treating process articles in such an oven in which the gaseous medium of the air barrier closure at the entrance of the oven is heated to a temperature above that of the oven. Also the method of heat treating process articles in such an oven in which the gaseous medium of the air barrier closure at the entrance of the oven is provided with moisture, and further the method of curing process articles coated with powdered paint in an oven provided with an air barrier closure at the entrance to the oven in which the gasses in the closure are heated to a temperature above that of the oven and provided with moisture.
An industrial oven for heat treating a series of articles comprising an enclosure having a tunnel disposed therein with an axis of elongation, said enclosure having a first opening adapted to receive articles for processing and communicating with the tunnel, said enclosure having an exhaust port spaced from the first opening and communicating with the tunnel, means operatively associated with the enclosure to heat the tunnel to a heat treating temperature of at least 200 degrees Fahrenheit, a first air barrier closure disposed within the tunnel confronting the first opening and disposed between the first opening and the means to heat the tunnel and the exhaust port, said first air barrier closure having a first blower with a first inlet for receiving a gaseous medium and a first nozzle for expelling the gaseous medium from the first blower in a flow and directing the medium flow across the tunnel, said first blower having a first heater disposed between the first inlet and the first nozzle, the first heater being adapted to raise the temperature of the gaseous medium expelled through the first nozzle above the temperature within the tunnel, and an exhaust blower communicating with the exhaust port for removing a portion of the gaseous medium from within the tunnel and reducing the pressure of the gaseous medium within the tunnel to a pressure below that of the ambient atmosphere exterior of the enclosure.
An industrial oven for heat treating a series of articles comprising an enclosure having a tunnel disposed therein with an axis of elongation, said enclosure having a first opening adapted to receive articles for processing and communicating with the tunnel, said enclosure having an exhaust port spaced from the first opening and communicating with the tunnel, means operatively associated with the enclosure to heat the tunnel to a heat treating temperature, a first air barrier closure disposed within the tunnel confronting the first opening and disposed between the first opening and the means to heat the tunnel and the exhaust port, said first air barrier closure having a first blower with a first inlet for receiving a gaseous medium and a first nozzle for expelling the gaseous medium from the first blower in a flow and directing the medium flow across the tunnel, an exhaust blower communicating with the exhaust port for removing a portion of the gaseous medium from within the tunnel and reducing the pressure of the gaseous medium within the tunnel to a pressure below that of the ambient atmosphere exterior of the enclosure, and a second means including a source of water for providing a flow of water to the tunnel, whereby the atmosphere of the tunnel will include water vapor and have a significantly greater thermal capacity.
The method of heat treating a process article comprising the steps of heating the environment in an elongated tunnel in an enclosure to a temperature of at least 200 degrees Fahrenheit and suitable for treating the process article, transporting the article through an opening into the tunnel in the enclosure, providing within the tunnel a flow of a gaseous medium across the opening to reduce leakage from the tunnel through the opening in the enclosure, exhausting a portion of the gaseous environment within the tunnel to reduce the pressure of the gaseous environment within the tunnel to below that of the ambient atmosphere exterior of the enclosure, and heating the flow of gaseous medium across the opening to a temperature above the temperature of the interior of the tunnel.
An industrial oven for heat treating a series of articles comprising an enclosure having a tunnel disposed therein with an axis of elongation, said enclosure having a first opening adapted to receive articles for processing and communicating with the tunnel, said enclosure having an exhaust port spaced from the first opening and communicating with the tunnel, means operatively associated with the enclosure to heat the tunnel to a heat treating temperature of at least 350 degrees Fahrenheit, a first air barrier closure disposed within the tunnel confronting the first opening and disposed between the first opening and the means to heat the tunnel and the exhaust port, said first air barrier closure having a first blower with a first inlet for receiving a gaseous medium and a first nozzle for expelling the gaseous medium from the first blower in a flow and directing the medium flow across the tunnel, said first blower having a first heater disposed between the first inlet and the first nozzle, the first heater being adapted to raise the temperature of the gaseous medium expelled through the first nozzle to at least 400 degrees Fahrenheit and above the temperature within the tunnel, and an exhaust blower communicating with the exhaust port for removing a portion of the gaseous medium from within the tunnel and reducing the pressure of the gaseous medium within the tunnel to a pressure below that of the ambient atmosphere exterior of the enclosure.
The method of heat treating a process article comprising the steps of heating the environment in an elongated tunnel in an enclosure to a temperature of at least 350 degrees Fahrenheit and suitable for treating the process article, transporting the article through an opening into the tunnel in the enclosure, providing within the tunnel a flow of a gaseous medium across the opening to reduce leakage from the tunnel through the opening in the enclosure, exhausting a portion of the gaseous environment within the tunnel to reduce the pressure of the gaseous environment within the tunnel to below that of the ambient atmosphere exterior of the enclosure, and heating the flow of gaseous medium across the opening to a temperature of at least 400 degrees Fahrenheit and above the temperature of the interior of the tunnel.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.