The invention concerns a process for detecting water leaks in smelting furnaces (2; 4) or in metal or alloy treatment plants, comprising the following steps: (i) providing at least one smelting furnace (2; 4), or at least one metal or alloy treatment plant provided with a water cooling system (5) and being connected to a process fume exhaust system; (ii) mixing in the cooling water a tracer chemical which is volatile in the event of water leakage together with the exhaust gases and which is suitable to be detected by an analysis system of the exhaust gases; and (iii) detecting said tracer chemical contained in the exhaust gases by said analysis system comprised in said process fume exhaust plant, wherein said tracer chemical is deuterated water. The invention further refers to a Plant for the production of metals or alloys.

A microprocessor-based controller for pellet burners is disclosed that provides a level of safety and reliability to any pellet burner by implementing a feed forward control scheme using sensor detected information in a formula to determine proper processing results, utilizing feedback for proper combustion, such that temperature is effectively controlled, thereby greatly reducing the chance of a fire or an explosion.

A pressure relief valve system has a fluid outlet (1) from a pressure vessel; a flexible expansion piece (4) at an end of the fluid outlet remote from the pressure vessel; a primary pressure relief valve has a valve seat and a valve lid (7). The valve seat has a flange (5) mounted on the expansion piece and the valve lid forms a valve seal with the flange. A fluid off-take (13) is connected to the fluid outlet (1) and a secondary pressure relief valve (11) receives fluid from the fluid off-take. The secondary pressure relief valve has an outlet (12) coupled to a valve opening actuator (15), whereby passage of fluid through the secondary pressure relief valve (11) causes the opening actuator to operate to open the valve lid (7).

A safety auditor is designed to perform opening and closing of every safety switch that is used in an industrial bakery oven. Every pressure sensor can be tested for on and off states. The low gas pressure switch can be vented and the high gas pressure switch pressurized. All thermocouples associated with the high temperature circuits are tripped. Fans are started and stopped over a communications signal or via the hard-wired interface as required to generate the safety testing. Once the safety testing is complete, the results along with time, date, name of tester, pass or fail will be printed out via a small kiosk printer. This ticket can then be filed in an office. As the operation is easy to do and requires little effort, it is much more likely to be performed and therefore safer for the host bakery.

A method for detecting a leakage in the area of at least one cooling device of a furnace, wherein, in the event of a leakage, liquid coolant gets into a furnace chamber of the furnace from the at least one cooling device, and wherein a stream of exhaust gas is continuously removed from the furnace chamber over a period of time Z. The steps include dividing off a representative partial stream from the stream of exhaust gas during the period of time Z; condensing vaporous constituents contained in the partial stream; determining a stream of condensate obtained; comparing the stream of condensate obtained with a condensate-stream limit value; and indicating a leakage if the stream of condensate exceeds the condensate-stream limit value. Also a device for carrying out the method and a furnace with such a device are disclosed.

A safety auditor is designed to perform opening and closing of every safety switch that is used in an industrial bakery oven. Every pressure sensor can be tested for on and off states. The low gas pressure switch can be vented and the high gas pressure switch pressurized. All thermocouples associated with the high temperature circuits are tripped. Fans are started and stopped over a communications signal or via the hard-wired interface as required to generate the safety testing. Once the safety testing is complete, the results along with time, date, name of tester, pass or fail will be printed out via a small kiosk printer. This ticket can then be filed in an office. As the operation is easy to do and requires little effort, it is much more likely to be performed and therefore safer for the host bakery.

An emergency cooling-water vacuum system and associated method for a pressurized water cooled furnace having an emergency shut off preventing pressurized cooling fluid from moving to the cooling components in the furnace, said system including at least one vacuum inducing unit, a diversion inlet line of pressurized cooling fluid to the vacuum inducing unit configured to be open when the emergency shut off is activated to prevent pressurized cooling fluid from moving to the cooling components in the furnace; and a vacuum line extending from the cooling components in the furnace to the at least one vacuum inducing unit, wherein a vacuum is induced in the vacuum line when pressurized cooling fluid is directed through the at least one vacuum inducing unit.

The invention concerns a process for detecting water leaks in smelting furnaces (2; 4) or in metal or alloy treatment plants, comprising the following steps: (i) providing at least one smelting furnace (2; 4), or at least one metal or alloy treatment plant provided with a water cooling system (5) and being connected to a process fume exhaust system; (ii) mixing in the cooling water a tracer chemical which is volatile in the event of water leakage together with the exhaust gases and which is suitable to be detected by an analysis system of the exhaust gases; and (iii) detecting said tracer chemical contained in the exhaust gases by said analysis system comprised in said process fume exhaust plant, wherein said tracer chemical is deuterated water. The invention further refers to a Plant for the production of metals or alloys.

A vacuum oven comprising an inner cavity, a heating element, a first door, and a second door. The inner cavity configured for holding a hazardous material and is surrounded by a housing. The heating element is configured to heat the inner cavity and is joined to an outer surface of the housing. The first door covers a first side of the inner cavity. The second door covers a second side of the inner cavity opposite the first side.

A catchment pit for molten metal and cooling water. has a floor formed with a recess and upwardly open chambers in the pit for receiving the molten metal and supported on the floor. Portions of the side walls of the chambers adjacent respective floors of the chambers and these floors are made of refractory and water-permeable material. A drainage module extends in the pit down into the recess and has a refractory water-permeable side wall so that water in the chambers can pass down into the recess. Granular bulk material fills the pit around and under the chambers and drainage module. A drainage conduit extending down in the drainage module to an intake end in the recess below the chambers. A pump connected to the drainage conduit can thus evacuate water from the recess.