A solidifying device is for solidifying a substrate which includes a middle and two side portions. The thermostability of the middle portion is greater than that of the side portions. The solidifying device includes a housing, a heating member, a temperature control air-floating member and a conveyor. The housing defines a working space. The heating member is in the working space. The substrate has a heat receiving surface facing the heating member. The temperature control air-floating member is in the working space and below the heating member. The conveyor is for transporting the substrate into the working space and between the temperature control air-floating member and the heating member. The heating member is for providing heat to the substrate. The temperature control air-floating member is for supplying air towards the substrate to allow the substrate to float in the working space and form a high-temperature and two low-temperature areas.

A solidifying device is for solidifying a substrate which includes a middle and two side portions. The thermostability of the middle portion is greater than that of the side portions. The solidifying device includes a housing, a heating member, a temperature control air-floating member and a conveyor. The housing defines a working space. The heating member is in the working space. The substrate has a heat receiving surface facing the heating member. The temperature control air-floating member is in the working space and below the heating member. The conveyor is for transporting the substrate into the working space and between the temperature control air-floating member and the heating member. The heating member is for providing heat to the substrate. The temperature control air-floating member is for supplying air towards the substrate to allow the substrate to float in the working space and form a high-temperature and two low-temperature areas.

A continuous annealing furnace for annealing steel strips has a reaction chamber wherein the steel strips are transported vertically, the reaction chamber having openings supplied with a reactant, also called reactant openings, located at the top or at the bottom of the reaction chamber, wherein the reaction chamber further has other openings supplied with an inert gas, also called inert gas openings, the inert gas openings being located on the lateral sides of the reaction chamber.

A carbon fiber manufacturing method with which high quality carbon fibers can be obtained. The carbon fiber manufacturing method includes introducing carbon fiber precursor fiber bundles that have been spread in sheet form into a flameproofing furnace, flameproofing the carbon fiber precursor fiber bundles introduced into the flameproofing furnace in a temperature range of 200 C. to 300 C., introducing the flameproofed fiber bundles obtained from the flameproofing treatment into a carbonization furnace, and carbonizing the flameproofed fiber bundles introduced into the carbonization furnace in a temperature range of 300 C. to 2500 C. The flameproofing furnace includes a heat-treatment chamber and a sealing chamber adjacent thereto and discharges air from the sealing chamber to outside of the flameproofing furnace. The space velocity (SV) (1/h) of hot air blown from the heat-treatment chamber into the sealing chamber satisfies relationship: 80SV400.

There is disclosed a vertical vibratory thermal treatment system, comprising a heating section for thermally treating material, a retort section that is located within or connected to the heating section and includes at least one elevator system for vertically moving the material to the heating section. The disclosed elevator system is isolated from other parts of the thermal treatment section by an enclosure thereby allowing for flexibility and simplicity in the design of the retort section. There is also disclosed a method of treating materials, including hazardous or radioactive materials, such as a powder, sand, granule, gravel, agglomerate or other form of particle or combinations thereof, using the system described herein.

A device for producing semi-solid slurry, including a height adjustment mechanism, a position adjustment mechanism, a melt protection mechanism, a support mechanism, a revolving pipe, guide mechanisms, thermally-adapted elastic supports, a driving mechanism of the revolving pipe, and a cooling module. The height adjustment mechanism is a box structure including an upper casing and a lower casing. The position adjustment mechanism includes a stationary rail and a moving rail support, and the stationary rail is fixed on the upper casing of the height adjustment mechanism. The melt protection mechanism includes a seal box including a base plate fixed on the moving rail support. The support mechanism includes a main support frame and an angle adjustment bracket, the main support frame is fixed on the base plate of the seal box, and the angle adjustment bracket is mounted on the main support frame.

A method of thermal processing a work piece using another work piece which includes providing a chamber having a plurality of temperature zones, disposing a first work piece within a first temperature zone of the chamber, allowing a temperature of the first work piece to thermally equilibrate with the first temperature zone, moving the first work piece to a second temperature zone and disposing a second work piece within the second temperature zone of the chamber, in fluid communication with the first work piece, wherein a thermal exchange occurs between the first and second work pieces.

A furnace for annealing a sheet includes: a first section; a second vertical section, the second vertical section including openings supplied with an oxidizing medium, an opening facing each side of the sheet, and means for separately controlling a flow of the oxidizing medium on each side of the sheet; and a third section. The second vertical section is located in a distinct casing and separated from the first and third sections with sealing devices. The second vertical section includes extraction openings for extracting the oxidizing medium not consumed by the sheet, an extraction opening facing each side of the sheet. The openings supplied with an oxidizing medium are located transversally at one end of the second vertical section. The extraction openings are located transversally at an other end of the second vertical section.

A furnace for annealing a sheet includes: a first section; a second vertical section, the second vertical section including openings supplied with an oxidizing medium, an opening facing each side of the sheet, and means for separately controlling a flow of the oxidizing medium on each side of the sheet; and a third section. The second vertical section is located in a distinct casing and separated from the first and third sections with sealing devices. The second vertical section includes extraction openings for extracting the oxidizing medium not consumed by the sheet, an extraction opening facing each side of the sheet. The openings supplied with an oxidizing medium are located transversally at one end of the second vertical section. The extraction openings are located transversally at an other end of the second vertical section.

A steel strip continuous annealing device has a vertical annealing furnace 10 in which a heating zone 14, a soaking zone 16, and a cooling zone 18 are arranged in this order, and anneals a steel strip P passing through the zones 14, 16, and 18 in the order while being conveyed in the vertical direction in the vertical annealing furnace 10. The heating zone 14, the soaking zone 16, and the cooling zone 18 communicate through an atmosphere separation portion 36. One of a gas delivery port 38 and a gas discharge port 40 is positioned in an upper part and the other one of the gas delivery port 38 and the gas discharge port 40 is positioned in a lower part in each of the heating zone 14, the soaking zone 16, and the cooling zone 18.