A detachable multi-station parallel synchronous and asynchronous control system for a gas oven includes a controller, a plurality of temperature sensors, a solenoid valve, a stepper motor, and a remote control terminal. The plurality of temperature sensors are installed on a plurality of stations, respectively. The controller generates a control signal, and sends the control signal to a driver through a communication network, so that the driver generates a driving signal according to the control signal, and sends the driving signal to a multi-station coordinated control system. The multi-station coordinated control system controls the stepper motor and the solenoid valve of each station according to the drive signal. A sensor is configured to collect position information and speed information of a plurality of target motors and generate a detection signal. A method for using the detachable multi-station parallel synchronous and asynchronous control system is further provided.

A method for ventilating an oven configured to cure a binder bonding mineral fibers placed on a conveyor, the oven including, in series on the path of the conveyor, an inlet, a plurality of heating chambers and an outlet, the method including a procedure in which a predictive model for estimating an amount of pollutants is used.

An improved lime mud recycling system including a camera proximate the kiln outlet imaging the granular lime and providing outlet images of the granular lime exiting the kiln, a processor analyzing the outlet images of the granular lime and providing pebble size distributions for the granular lime exiting the kiln, as well as a controller communicating with the processor comparing the pebble size distribution of the granular lime exiting the kiln with predetermined prescribed operating parameters for pebble size distributions for the granular lime exiting the kiln and issuing (I) a notification and/or (II) a control signal prompting remedial action when the pebble size distributions for the granular lime exiting the kiln are outside of the predetermined prescribed operating parameters.

A converter blowing control method includes: calculating, by heat balance calculation and material balance calculation, an amount of oxygen to be supplied and an amount of a cooling material or a rising heat material to be charged for controlling a temperature and a component concentration of molten steel at end of blowing in a converter to target values; and controlling the blowing in the converter based on the calculated amount of oxygen to be supplied and the calculated amount of a cooling material or a rising heat material to be charged. A temperature of molten iron is used as a raw material for blowing, which is a target of the heat balance calculation, is used as a charged molten iron temperature used in the heat balance calculation, the temperature of molten iron being measured during a period when the molten iron is charged into the converter.

A control scheme for a furnace can use real-time and historical data to model performance and determine relationships between different data and performance parameters for use in correcting suboptimal performance of the furnace in real-time. Operational parameters can be logged throughout the cycle for all cycles for a period of time in order to establish a baseline. This data can then be used to calculate the performance of the process. A regression analysis can be carried out in order to determine which parameters affect different aspects of performance. These relationships can then be used to predict performance during a single cycle in real-time and provide closed or open loop feedback to control furnace operation to result in enhanced performance.

An inline thermal treatment system for thermally treating a continuous conductive product includes a first electrode configured to contact a continuous conductive product and a second electrode configured to contact the continuous conductive product such that a portion of the continuous conductive product is disposed between the first and second electrodes. The inline thermal treatment system includes a power source coupled to the first electrode and to the second electrode, wherein the power source is configured to apply an electrical bias between the first electrode and the second electrode to resistively heat the portion of the continuous conductive product disposed between the first and second electrodes.

A method for operating an annealing furnace to anneal a metal strip provides that, initially, at least one target material property (MP.sub.Target) is specified for a point or a section of the metal strip after passing through the annealing furnace. In addition, information (E) on the metal strip is provided before or in the annealing furnace. A calculation of a target temperature distribution (T.sub.Target) and/or a target speed (V.sub.Target) of the metal strip in the annealing furnace is then carried out with the assistance of a computer-aided model as a function of the target material properties and the specified information. The target temperature distribution and/or target speed calculated in this manner is/are subsequently set in the annealing furnace in order to transfer the material property of the metal strip behind the annealing furnace to the desired target material property MP.sub.Target.

A process chamber includes one or more vertical walls at least partially defining a chamber portion of the process chamber, and multiple zones located about a periphery of the one or more vertical walls, wherein one or more of the multiple zones extends from a top to a bottom of the one or more vertical walls. The process chamber further includes a plurality of temperature control devices, each thermally coupled to the one or more vertical walls in one of the multiple zones, and a controller coupled to the plurality of temperature control devices and configured to set temperatures of one or more of the plurality of temperature control devices to obtain temperature uniformity within 2% across a substrate located in the chamber portion.

A method of making a hot surface igniter is described. A silicon carbide composition that includes both fines fraction and a coarse fraction is sintered in a nitrogen and argon reducing atmosphere in a manner that controls the incorporation of nitrogen with in the lattice of recrystallized silicon carbide. The controlled incorporation of nitrogen in the lattice provides enhanced control over heating and electrical properties, while simultaneously achieving a lower surface area fully recrystallized structure for oxidation resistance and long service life.

A method for heating ware in a kiln. The ware space of the kiln includes a plurality of temperature control zones oriented in a first direction, and a plurality of temperature control zones oriented in a second direction. The method includes heating the ware space in a first heating stage, a second heating stage, and a third heating stage. At least one of the following conditions is satisfied: (i) in one of the heating stages, a temperature control zone oriented in the first direction has a setpoint temperature that is different from a setpoint temperature of one other temperature control zone oriented in the first direction; and (ii) in one of the heating stages, one temperature control zone oriented in the second direction has a setpoint temperature that is different from a set point temperature of one other temperature control zone oriented in the second direction, wherein the first direction is a vertical direction and the second direction is a horizontal direction.