The present disclosure provides a support mechanism for supporting a cover that performs sealing of a furnace opening of a heat treatment furnace or release the sealing by being moved up or down by an elevating unit. The support mechanism includes a first elastic body having a first elastic modulus; and a second elastic body having a second elastic modulus larger than the first elastic modulus. A reaction force in relation to the first elastic body is applied to the cover when the cover abuts on the furnace opening by being moved up by the elevating unit, and a reaction force in relation to the first elastic body and the second elastic body is applied to the cover after the cover abuts on the furnace opening by being moved up by the elevating unit.

An abnormality detection method of detecting abnormality of a blast furnace from tuyere images shot by cameras installed in vicinities of a plurality of tuyeres of the blast furnace includes: collecting, in a time-series manner, representative brightness vectors defined by representative brightnesses determined based on brightness values of respective pixels for each of the tuyeres image previously shot by the cameras at a same time; extracting a principal component vector by performing principal component analysis on the representative brightness vectors collected in the time-series manner; calculating, as an evaluation value, a length of a normal line drawn in a direction of the principal component vector from the representative brightness vector collected from the tuyere images shot by the cameras at the same time during an operation; and detecting the abnormality of the blast furnace by comparing the evaluation value with a predetermined threshold.

An abnormality detection method of detecting abnormality of a blast furnace from tuyere images shot by cameras installed in vicinities of a plurality of tuyeres of the blast furnace includes: collecting, in a time-series manner, representative brightness vectors defined by representative brightnesses determined based on brightness values of respective pixels for each of the tuyeres image previously shot by the cameras at a same time; extracting a principal component vector by performing principal component analysis on the representative brightness vectors collected in the time-series manner; calculating, as an evaluation value, a length of a normal line drawn in a direction of the principal component vector from the representative brightness vector collected from the tuyere images shot by the cameras at the same time during an operation; and detecting the abnormality of the blast furnace by comparing the evaluation value with a predetermined threshold.

A metal furnace header gate system haying a recirculation port in the furnace, a hot gas generator, a gas blower, and a furnace door. The door has an embedded gas manifold and outlet ports that each connect the manifold to a directional nozzle. The blower draws exhaust from the recirculation port into the hot gas generator, which generates additional exhaust and mixes the exhaust gases together. The blower forces this exhaust mixture into the manifold, through the nozzles, and into the furnace. A computer controls the blower and the hot gas generator to regulate the system.

A sintering apparatus is provided. The sintering apparatus includes a case having an internal space formed therein and including a door provided in a front portion thereof to open and close the internal space, a magnetron coupled to the case and oscillating microwaves toward the internal space, a heat insulating unit disposed in the internal space to form a chamber space and blocking transmission of heat of the chamber space to the internal space, a susceptor unit disposed in the chamber space and having a sintering space in which a to-be-sintered material is accommodated, and a cooling unit cooling at least one of the case or the chamber space.

A melting and holding furnace includes a main body and a material input mechanism supplying a molten metal to the body which includes a melting chamber; a molten metal receiving chamber; a pumping-out chamber; and a molten metal heating mechanism. The input mechanism includes a molten-metal surface level sensor to detect that the surface height position of the metal in the pumping-out chamber has reached a lower limit that is set to be above the lower surface height position of a lid of the melting chamber, and is set to supply the receiving chamber with the metal and/or the metal block when the sensor detects that the surface height position of the metal in the pumping-out chamber has reached the lower limit so that the surface height position of the metal in the pumping-out chamber is always kept above the lower surface height position of the lid.

A melting and holding furnace includes a main body and a material input mechanism supplying a molten metal to the body which includes a melting chamber; a molten metal receiving chamber; a pumping-out chamber; and a molten metal heating mechanism. The input mechanism includes a molten-metal surface level sensor to detect that the surface height position of the metal in the pumping-out chamber has reached a lower limit that is set to be above the lower surface height position of a lid of the melting chamber, and is set to supply the receiving chamber with the metal and/or the metal block when the sensor detects that the surface height position of the metal in the pumping-out chamber has reached the lower limit so that the surface height position of the metal in the pumping-out chamber is always kept above the lower surface height position of the lid.

A process chamber system adapted for both vacuum process steps and steps at pressures higher than atmospheric pressure. The chamber door may utilize a double door seal which allows for high vacuum in the gap between the seals such that the sealing force provided by the high vacuum in the seal gap is higher than the opposing forces due to the pressure inside the chamber and the weight of the components.

A device for thermal or thermo-chemical treatment, in particular calcination, of material, in particular battery cathode material, having a housing and a process chamber in the housing, in which there is a process chamber atmosphere during the treatment and which defines a conveying level. The material, or carrying structures loaded with the material, at the conveying level can be conveyed in a conveying direction into and/or through the process chamber by a conveying system. An entry airlock gate defines an inlet level and includes an airlock gate chamber, an airlock gate inlet and an airlock gate outlet, as well as an inlet conveyor which is designed so that the material or carrying structures loaded with the material at the inlet level can be conveyed through the airlock gate inlet and into the airlock gate chamber. The conveying level and the inlet level are different from one another. A method for thermal or thermo-chemical treatment, in particular calcination, of material, in particular battery cathode material, in which the material or carrying structures loaded with the material at the conveying level and the inlet level are conveyed at different heights.

A concrete products curing kiln and kiln closure apparatus comprising a pressure door shaped to cover an opening of the kiln, and an expandable chamber. The expandable chamber is positioned such that inflation of the chamber causes the chamber to expand and press on, and at least partially seal, the pressure door against a kiln door frame defining the kiln opening.