Systems and methods for firing an insulator is described. A kiln includes at least three zones on a wall of the kiln, a processing unit, and at least three PID controllers. The at least three zones have at least three burners arranged vertically. The processing unit determines firing ratio information for the at least three zones. Each of the PID controllers corresponds to a zone of the at least three zones. The at least three PID controllers control supply of gas and air to the at least three burners of the at least three zones based on the firing ratio information.

System and method for using fast response heaters to pre-heat metal before entering a metal treatment furnace, which may improve control over metal processing, especially in response to changes in material, mass flow rate, line speed, and/or desired treatment process. Fast response heaters may be used with control systems to adjust the output of the fast response heater based on operator inputs, direct or indirect sensing of process parameters, and/or the use of thermal models to quickly adjust fast response heater output while a metal treatment furnace remains at a constant temperature or slowly transitions into a new operating state. The resulting gains in process control result in higher quality products, reduced scrap, and increases in line speed and output.

A device for measuring the temperature in a rotary kiln through which solid material passes being heated to elevated temperatures. The device features a drive as well as an elongated hollow body with means to fix a thermocouple, whereby the drive and the elongated hollow body are mounted such that they rotate jointly with the rotary kiln. The drive can move the elongated hollow body together with thermocouple through an opening in and out of the rotary kiln interior for measuring the temperature inside the rotary kiln during operation.

System and method for using fast response heaters to pre-heat metal before entering a metal treatment furnace, which may improve control over metal processing, especially in response to changes in material, mass flow rate, line speed, and/or desired treatment process. Fast response heaters may be used with control systems to adjust the output of the fast response heater based on operator inputs, direct or indirect sensing of process parameters, and/or the use of thermal models to quickly adjust fast response heater output while a metal treatment furnace remains at a constant temperature or slowly transitions into a new operating state. The resulting gains in process control result in higher quality products, reduced scrap, and increases in line speed and output.

The invention relates to a method for operating a furnace (10), in particular an anode furnace, the furnace being formed by a plurality of heating channels (12) and furnace chambers, the furnace chambers serving to receive carbonaceous bodies, in particular anodes, and the heating channels serving to control the temperature of the furnace chambers, the furnace comprising at least one furnace unit (11), the furnace unit comprising a heating zone (18), a fire zone (19) and a cooling zone (20), which for their part are formed by at least one section (37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42) comprising furnace chambers, a suction ramp (15) of the furnace unit being disposed in a section of the heating zone, and a burner ramp (16) of the furnace unit being disposed in a section of the fire zone, process air in the heating channels of the fire zone being heated by means of the burner ramp, and exhaust gas being suctioned from the heating channels of the heating zone by means of the suction ramp, an operation of the ramps being controlled by means of a control device of the furnace unit, a temperature in the heating channel being measured in the fire zone, an output of the burner ramp being regulated according to the temperature measured in the heating channel by means of a regulator of the control device, wherein, by means of the control device, at least two characteristic numbers are determined and the characteristic numbers are compared, a status of the heating channel relative to an amount of fuel in the heating channel being determined on the basis of the comparison by means of the control device, a characteristic number including the temperature in the heating channel and/or a characteristic number including the output of the burner ramp and/or a characteristic number including a controlled variable of the regulator being determined as characteristic numbers. Furthermore, the invention relates to a control device for operating a furnace and to a furnace.

Apparatus and methods for debinding articles. The apparatus and methods may transform binder from furnace exhaust before the exhaust is discharged to the atmosphere. The apparatus may include a furnace retort and a reactor. The furnace retort may be configured to: exclude ambient air; and receive a carrier gas. The reactor may be configured to: receive from the retort (a) the carrier gas and (b) material removed in the retort from the article; and combust, at a temperature no greater than 750? C., the material. The material may be decomposed binder. The material may be hydrocarbon from binder that is pyrolyzed in the retort. The carrier gas may include gas that is nonflammable gas.

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.

Automatically generating a compensation factor for adjusting an operating parameter such that a measured carbon potential, dew point, or other controlled parameter matches the controller's set point value by inputting the measured parameter directly to the controller.

The invention relates to an induction furnace for carrying out a heat treatment of a dental replacement part, comprising an induction coil, a radiant heater, an insulation layer and a furnace chamber. The induction furnace has a cooling system with a liquid cooling system in order to control an internal temperature of the furnace chamber.

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.