A method for the recrystallisation annealing of a non-grain-oriented electric strip (2) in a continuous annealing and coating line (1) is presented. Therein, the electric strip (2) is heated in an induction furnace (5) to a temperature of at least 680° C. at a heating rate of at least 80 K/s and then, in an optional second continuous furnace (8), to a temperature of at least 820° C. at a heating rate of at most 20 K/s. The electric strip (2) is initially heated before the induction furnace (5) via a first continuous furnace (3) to a temperature of at least 300° C. at a heating rate of at most 60 K/s.

Heat shrink wrap product packaging oven or tunnel apparatus and processing methods are provided which incorporate or utilize airfoils in conjunction with hot air-providing side walls to desirably control impact of hot air onto a product wrapped with a tube of heat shrink wrap film and being conveyed on a conveyor thereby. In such heat shrink wrap product packaging apparatus and methods, such airfoils can be movable, e.g., rotatably moveable, relative to the side walls to vertically alter an air impact point onto the product.

A method and apparatus for controlling the atmosphere of a multizone calcination (firing) furnace for production of high-quality nickel-rich cathode material for lithium-ion and solid-state batteries. A high-quality oxygen-rich atmosphere is maintained to ensure the quality of the cathode material. An atmosphere control system continuously measures and analyzes the composition of the calcination furnace atmosphere in different zones and adjusts the flowrate of oxygen-rich atmosphere into the furnace to optimize the calcination process.

A furnace system including an outer shell which comprises a top flange, an elongated body portion, and a bottom flange, wherein the outer shell is a pressure vessel, with no penetrations in the elongated body portion; a heater assembly which comprises (i) a single-piece annular shaped insulation layer, and (ii) a plurality of heaters embedded in the insulation layer, wherein the heater assembly is disposed within the elongated body portion of the outer shell; and an innermost layer disposed within the annular-shaped insulation layer, wherein the innermost layer is a baffle tube configured to force a natural convective flow, wherein each of the plurality of heaters is individually controllable and the plurality of heaters are configured to heat different zones within the furnace to different temperatures and/or at different rates. The system may be used to heat treat magnet materials, such as those formed of Bi-2212, therein.

A method and system for operating a seal gas compressor utilized in a direct reduction process including: monitoring a pH level of a water stream used in the seal gas compressor, wherein the pH level of the water stream is affected by a reformer flue gas stream that comes into contact with the water stream, wherein the monitoring step is carried out one or more of upstream of the seal gas compressor and downstream of the compressor; and adjusting the pH level of the water stream to maintain the pH level of the water stream within a predetermined range based on feedback from the monitoring step. The method includes maintaining the pH level of the water stream upstream of the seal gas compressor in a range between 7.5 and 10 and maintaining the pH level of the water stream downstream of the seal gas compressor in a range between 7.8 and 9.5.

Provided is a high pressure heat treatment apparatus including: an internal chamber accommodating an object to be heat-treated; an external chamber including a high-temperature zone accommodating the internal chamber and a low-temperature zone having a lower temperature than the high-temperature zone; a gas supply module including a process gas line for supplying a process gas for the heat treatment to the internal chamber at a first pressure higher than that of the atmosphere and a protective gas line for supplying a protective gas to the external chamber at a second pressure set in relation to the first pressure; a switch module configured to switch the high-temperature zone and the low-temperature zone into a communication state; and a purge module configured to purge the protective gas in the high-temperature zone to the low-temperature zone in the communication state.

Provided is a high pressure heat treatment apparatus including: an internal chamber accommodating an object to be heat-treated; an external chamber including a housing and a partition plate partitioning the housing into a high-temperature zone accommodating the internal chamber and a low-temperature zone having a lower temperature than the high-temperature zone, the partition plate including a discharge hole for allowing the high-temperature zone and the low-temperature zone to communicate with each other; a gas supply module configured to supply a process gas for the heat treatment to the internal chamber at a first pressure higher than that of the atmosphere, and supply a protective gas to the high-temperature zone and the low-temperature zone at a second pressure set in relation to the first pressure; and a discharge module configured to open the discharge hole to discharge the protective gas in the high-temperature zone to the low-temperature zone.

Provided is a gas management assembly for a high pressure heat-treatment apparatus, the assembly including: a housing having an inner space; a gas supply module disposed in the inner space and configured to supply a gas to internal and external chambers of the high pressure heat-treatment apparatus; a gas exhaust module disposed in the inner space and configured to exhaust the gas caused by heat treatment of an object from the internal chamber; a detection module connected to the gas exhaust module in the inner space and configured to detect the residual gas remaining in the internal chamber; and a control module configured to control at least one of the gas supply module and the gas exhaust module based on a detection result of the residual gas by the detection module.

Provided are a method and apparatus for refining titanium scraps and sponge titanium, which can remove oxygen from a melt by supplying a deoxidizing gas to the surface of the melt in order to refine titanium scraps and sponge titanium. The method for refining titanium scraps and sponge titanium comprises supplying hydrogen ions and electrons in plasma to a titanium melt to remove oxygen from the titanium melt surface having an oxide layer formed thereon. In addition, the apparatus comprises: a vacuum chamber; a crucible located in the vacuum chamber and configured to perform melting by the magnetic field of an induction coil in a state in which a melt and the inner wall of the crucible; a calcium gas supply means configured to supply calcium gas from the bottom of the crucible to the space between the inner wall of the crucible and the melt.

A method and system for operating a seal gas compressor utilized in a direct reduction process including: monitoring a pH level of a water stream used in the seal gas compressor, wherein the pH level of the water stream is affected by a reformer flue gas stream that comes into contact with the water stream, wherein the monitoring step is carried out one or more of upstream of the seal gas compressor and downstream of the compressor; and adjusting the pH level of the water stream to maintain the pH level of the water stream within a predetermined range based on feedback from the monitoring step. The method includes maintaining the pH level of the water stream upstream of the seal gas compressor in a range between 7.5 and 10 and maintaining the pH level of the water stream downstream of the seal gas compressor in a range between 7.8 and 9.5.