US 8,571,396 B2Granted

Rapid thermal firing IR conveyor furnace having high intensity heating section

AssigneeTP Solar, Inc.

InventorsPeter G. Ragay, Richard W. Parks, Luis Alejandro Rey Garcia

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Abstract

High reflectance element IR lamp module and method of firing multi-zone IR furnaces for solar cell processing comprising lamps disposed backed by a flat or configured plate of ultra-high reflectance ceramic material. Optionally, the high reflectance plate can be configured with ripples or grooves to isolate each lamp from adjacent lamps in the process zone. Furnace cooling air is exhausted and recycled upstream for energy conservation. Lamp spacing can be varied and power to each lamp individually controlled to provide infinite control of temperature profile in each heating zone. The high reflectance element may be constructed of dense ceramic fiber board, and then coated with high reflectance ceramic composition, and baked or fired to form the finished element.

Claims18

Dependent claims

An improved IR lamp heated furnace having a continuous longitudinal product treatment path through contiguous multiple processing zones, comprising in operative combination:

a. at least one of said zones configured as a firing zone module which includes a high reflectance alumina ceramic element oriented to span a lateral width of said processing path, said high reflectance element having at least one face directed toward said path configured as a flat, rippled or channelled surface, said ripples or channels of said surface being oriented to span said lateral width of said processing path;
b. an array of tubular IR lamps disposed in said firing zone module spaced from said high reflectance element configured face, and where said face is configured with ripples or channels, a center line of each said lamp of said array is centered in and parallel to a center line of said ripples or channels to extend across said lateral width of said processing zone;
c. means for retaining said lamps in said firing zone module in spaced relationship from said high reflectance element to effectively direct IR light from said lamps into said process zone uniformly onto an exposed face of products being transported through said processing zone;
d. a continuous conveyor belt for transporting products to be processed continuously through said zones;
and
e. a cooling system for cooling at least one annealing zone downstream of said firing zone module.

3 more elements

A method of heating product in an industrial processing furnace having a conveyor belt carrying product through multiple contiguous processing zones comprising the steps of:

a. providing a plurality of IR lamps in an array in at least one firing zone oriented to direct high intensity IR radiation uniformly into said firing zone;
b. placing product having at least one face to be treated on a continuous conveyor belt and transporting said product through said firing zone said product face to be treated oriented facing up for exposure to said high intensity IR radiation;
c. providing a high reflectance alumina ceramic element adjacent said lamps in said firing zone and disposed so that said lamps are between said high reflectance element and said conveyor belt-carried product in said firing zone to efficiently direct said high intensity IR radiation from said lamps onto said product face in said process zone;
d. said high reflectance element being configured with a surface facing said lamps to be selected from flat, rippled or channelled, said element comprising a high temperature alumina ceramic of white color having an IR reflectance at least above 95%
e. controlling gas flow into said process firing zone without disturbing product on said conveyor belt, said gas flowing into said process firing zone becoming heated during processing of said product;
and
f. exhausting said now-heated gas from said firing zone and recycling it to a second zone of said furnace.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 12/892,856Filed 28 Sep 2010 · continuation in part
Priority: 26 Jun 2006
Published: US 2011/0013892 A120 Jan 2011
Granted: 29 Oct 2013
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification2 codes

H05B 3/0076
For domestic applications: for cooking, e.g. in ovens
H05B
Electric heating

Family

Application60/805,856Us provisional application · filed 26 Jun 2006
Application11/768,067Parent of this continuation-in-part · filed 25 Jun 2007
US 2011/0013892 A1Pre-grant publication · published 20 Jan 2011
US 7,805,064 B2Parent of this continuation-in-part
US 2008/0012499 A1Published application
US 8,571,396 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.