A rotary tube kiln, with a rotatably mounted rotary tube, which has a motorized drive, a mounting, a material inlet and a material outlet, wherein the interior space of the rotary tube has a process space, the inside atmosphere of which is separate from the outside atmosphere. The process space is sealed off from a pressure space by means of a first seal and the pressure space is sealed off from the outside atmosphere by means of a second seal and, by means of a pressing device, a first pressing force can be applied to the first seal and a second pressing force can be applied to the second seal, the first pressing force can be set independently of the second pressing force and, during operation, the internal pressure of the pressure space is higher than the internal pressure of the process space.

A system for adding molten lithium and inert gas in a molten aluminium or aluminium alloy melt including, a crucible defining a chamber for melting and storing molten metal, in particular molten lithium; the crucible having a sealed lid; an inert gas delivery system for maintaining chamber overpressure using inert gas; a conduit for withdrawing a portion of the molten metal from the crucible. The conduit arranged with respect to the crucible or the sealed lid so the conduit inlet can be moved below and above the molten metal surface level and arranged for feeding molten metal from the crucible to a separate holding furnace with the help of overpressure when the conduit inlet is below the molten metal surface level and arranged for feeding inert gas from the crucible to the separate holding furnace when the conduit inlet is above the molten metal surface level.

A pressing arrangement for treatment of articles by hot pressing includes a pressure vessel including a furnace chamber and a furnace to hold the articles. A fan circulates a pressure medium within the furnace chamber, and enhances an inner convection loop at a load compartment. The inner convection loop pressure medium has an upward flow through the load compartment, and a downward flow along a peripheral portion of the furnace chamber. A flow generator generates a flow of pressure medium into the load compartment downstream the fan to enhance the inner convection loop. The flow is generated by transporting the pressure medium upwards from a space below a bottom insulating portion and above a bottom end portion, and by injecting the pressure medium into the load compartment downstream the fan to enhance the inner convection loop.

A base component may be uses in a thermoprocessing system that includes the base component and at least one recipient enclosure for sealing a process chamber of the thermoprocessing system from an exterior thereof. The base component includes a main hub, and the main hub includes: an energy penetration for providing a heating or cooling energy from an exterior of the process chamber to the process chamber; a media inlet penetration for transporting a media from an exterior of the process chamber to the process chamber; and a media outlet penetration for transporting a media from the process chamber to an exterior of the process chamber.

A method of manufacture for a carbon/carbon part including a method to remove contamination from an intermediate product of the carbon/carbon part and furnace utilizing a gaseous reducing agent hydrogen gas to reduce the contaminates, thereby causing the contaminates to transition to a gaseous state at relatively lower temperatures. A method to remove contamination from an intermediate product of the carbon/carbon part and furnace utilizing hydrogen gas to reduce the contaminates, thereby causing the contaminates to transition to a gaseous state at relatively lower temperatures.

In an aspect, a method of manufacturing a high purity copper-based alloy comprises providing in a melting furnace a feedstock and melting the feedstock. The method additionally includes bubbling an inert gas into the molten copper-based alloy to form the high purity copper-based alloy. Aspects are also directed to an apparatus and a method of fabricating an apparatus for manufacturing the high purity copper-based alloy.

The present disclosure is related to a method of producing a fired ceramic article. The method may include: heating a ceramic green body in a kiln, and controlling oxygen concentration in the kiln such that the oxygen concentration swings during the heating of the ceramic green body.

An installation for treating material having a treatment chamber equipped with an envelope which separates a controlled atmosphere which is present in its interior from an atmosphere which is present outside the envelope and a housing which delimits the treatment chamber. At least one supporting roller for conveying the material is arranged at least partly inside the treatment chamber. One or more mounting apparatuses for mounting at least one supporting roller are arranged outside the housing. A flexible compensating element is provided between at least one mounting apparatus and a wall, which is associated with the latter, of the housing, there being provided a sealing arrangement which is connected to said compensating element and which separates the at least one mounting apparatus from the atmosphere which is present inside the envelope.

A machined ceramic article having an initial surface defect density and an initial surface roughness is provided. The machined ceramic article is heated to a temperature range between about 1000 C. and about 1800 C. at a ramping rate of about 0.1 C. per minute to about 20 C. per minute. The machined ceramic article is heat-treated in air atmosphere. The machined ceramic article is heat treated at one or more temperatures within the temperature range for a duration of up to about 24 hours. The machined ceramic article is then cooled at the ramping rate, wherein after the heat treatment the machined ceramic article has a reduced surface defect density and a reduced surface roughness.

A method for reducing metal oxide containing charge materials (1): reducing the metal oxide containing charge materials (1) in at least two fluidized bed units (RA,RE) by means of a reduction gas (2), wherein at least some of the resulting off-gas (3) is recycled and wherein the metal oxide containing charge materials (1) are conveyed into the fluidized bed unit RE by a propellant gas. Also, apparatus for carrying out the method according to the invention is disclosed.