A vertical batch furnace assembly, comprising a core tube, an outer casing, a cooling chamber bounded and enclosed by the outer casing and the core tube, and at least one cooling gas supply emanating in the cooling chamber. The core tube has an elongated circumferential wall extending in a longitudinal direction, and is configured to accommodate wafers for processing in the vertical batch furnace. The outer casing extends around the core tube and comprises a heating element for applying a thermal treatment to wafers accommodated in the core tube. The at least one cooling gas supply comprises at least one cooling gas supply opening which is arranged such that the cooling gas enters the cooling chamber with a flow direction which is substantially tangent to the circumferential wall.

Wafer boat handling device, configured to be positioned under a process chamber of a vertical batch furnace, and comprising a rotatable table comprising a first and a second wafer boat support surface. Each wafer boat support surface is configured for supporting a wafer boat. The rotatable table is rotatable by an actuator to rotate both the first and the second wafer support surfaces to a load/receive position in which the wafer boat handling device is configured to load a wafer boat vertically from the rotatable table into the process chamber and to receive the wafer boat from the process chamber onto the rotatable table, a cooldown position in which the wafer boat handling device is configured to cool down a wafer boat, and a transfer position for transferring wafers to and/or from the wafer boat.

A furnace has a melting chamber with a periphery defined by a surrounding wall structure. The furnace is provided with a purge system configured to direct inert gas to flow downward in the melting chamber in the configuration of a curtain that adjoins the wall structure and reaches only partially around the periphery of the melting chamber.

An apparatus for use in conjunction with a charge well of a furnace containing a molten metal pool into which metal chips are introduced for melting. The apparatus includes a sidewell having a pump well and a charge well. The pump well houses a molten metal pump. The charge well houses a scrap submergence device. The pump well and the charge well are in fluid communication via a passage in a bridge wall that divides the pump well from the charge well. The bridge wall defines a semi-circular end wall of the charge well. The scrap submergence device is capable of clockwise and counterclockwise rotation at variable speed.

A vertical batch furnace assembly for processing wafers comprising a cassette handling space, a wafer handling space, and an internal wall separating the cassette handling space and the wafer handling space. The cassette handling space is provided with a cassette storage configured to store a plurality of wafer cassettes provided with a plurality of wafers. The cassette handling space is also provided with a cassette handler configured to transfer wafer cassettes between the cassette storage and a wafer transfer position. The wafer handling space is provided with a wafer handler configured to transfer wafers between a wafer cassette in the wafer transfer position and a wafer boat in a wafer boat transfer position. The internal wall is provided with a wafer transfer opening adjacent the wafer transfer position for a wafer cassette from or to which wafers are to be transferred. The cassette storage comprises two cassette storage carousels.

A vertical batch furnace assembly for processing wafers comprising a cassette handling space, a wafer handling space, and a first wall separating the cassette handling space from the wafer handling space. The wall having a wafer transfer opening. The wafer transfer opening is associated with a cassette carrousel comprising a carrousel stage having a plurality of cassette support surfaces each configured for supporting a wafer cassette. The carrousel stage is rotatable by an actuator around a substantially vertical axis to transfer each cassette support surface to a wafer transfer position in front of the wafer transfer opening and to at least one cassette load/retrieve position, wherein the vertical batch furnace assembly is configured to load or retrieve a wafer cassette on or from a cassette support surface of the carrousel stage which is in the at least one load/retrieve position.

The invention relates to a material feeding system (1) for a melter comprising: (i) a substantially horizontal feeding barrel (5) designed to feed solid material through the melter wall (9) into the melt (11) contained in the said melter, and arranged below the level (13) of the melt (11) contained in the melter (30), (ii) said feeding barrel (5) comprising a material input opening (15) and material output opening (17), the material output opening (17) leading into the melt (11) contained in the melter (30), said feeding barrel (5) comprising an internal feeder (20) designed to push solid material (7) loaded through the material input opening (15), in the direction of the longitudinal barrel axis (6) toward the material output opening (17), the end of the internal feeder (20) on the material output side extending at a minimum at a distance from the internal melter surface (19) of two (2) to ten (10) times the diameter of the feeding barrel (5), preferably three (3) to eight (8) times the diameter of the feeding barrel, more preferably three (3) to six (6) times the diameter of the feeding barrel or three (3) to five (5) times the diameter of the feeding barrel (5). The invention further covers a submerged combustion melter equipped with above material feeding system and a process for feeding material into a melter.

A rotary kiln with a stirring function is provided, including a kiln head, a roller and a kiln tail. The roller is obliquely arranged on the kiln head and the kiln tail. The rotary kiln further includes a mounting shaft and stirring mechanisms. Linkage elements are arranged on an inner wall of the roller. The linkage elements are configured to drive the stirring mechanisms to perform a stirring operation. Each of the stirring mechanisms includes a rotating ring sleeve and two limiting slide bases. The rotating ring sleeve is provided with three telescopic frame bodies. A telescopic baffle is arranged in each of the three telescopic frame bodies. A secondary propulsion assembly is arranged in a mounting groove. A sealing cover is arranged at an inner end of the telescopic baffle. The telescopic frame body is communicated with the rotating ring sleeve.

A rotary kiln with a stirring function is provided, including a kiln head, a roller and a kiln tail. The roller is obliquely arranged on the kiln head and the kiln tail. The rotary kiln further includes a mounting shaft and stirring mechanisms. Linkage elements are arranged on an inner wall of the roller. The linkage elements are configured to drive the stirring mechanisms to perform a stirring operation. Each of the stirring mechanisms includes a rotating ring sleeve and two limiting slide bases. The rotating ring sleeve is provided with three telescopic frame bodies. A telescopic baffle is arranged in each of the three telescopic frame bodies. A secondary propulsion assembly is arranged in a mounting groove. A sealing cover is arranged at an inner end of the telescopic baffle. The telescopic frame body is communicated with the rotating ring sleeve.

The present invention describes an improved process for the commercial scale production of high-quality catalyst materials. These improved processes allow for production of catalysts that have very consistent batch to batch property and performance variations. In addition these improved processes allow for minimal production losses (by dramatically reducing the production of fines or small materials as part of the production process). The improved process involves multiple steps and uses calcining ovens that allow for precisely control temperature increases where the catalyst is homogenously heated. The calcining gas is released into a separate heating chamber, which contains the recirculation fan and the heat source. Catalysts that may be produced using this improved process include but are not limited to catlaysts that promote CO hydrogenation, reforming catalysts, Fischer Tropsch Catalysts, Greyrock GreyCat™ catalysts, catalysts that homologate methanol, catalysts that promote hydrogenation of carbon compounds, and other catalysts used in industry.