Tube furnace for carrying out gas reactions in ceramic tubes

Claim 1

A TUBE FURNACE FOR CARRYING OUT HIGH TEMPERATURE GAS REACTIONS, COMPRISING A HEATING CHAMBER, MEANS FOR HEATING THE HEATING CHAMBER, A PLURALITY OF CERAMIC REACTOR TUBES HUNG GAS TIGHT FROM THEIR UPPER ENDS IN THE HEATING CHAMBER BY A COMMON HEAD, SEPARATE CHANNEL MEANS WITHIN SAID HEAD CONNECTING EACH OF THE UPPER ENDS OF THE SEPARATE REACTOR TUBES WITH OPENINGS TO A COMMON GAS CHAMBER IN SAID HEAD, MEANS FOR INDIVIDUALLY CONNECTING THE LOWER ENDS OF EACH OF SAID REACTOR TUBES TO ANOTHER COMMON CHAMBER, GAS SUPPLY MEANS CONNECTED TO ONE OF SAID COMMON CHAMBERS, GAS WITHDRAWAL MEANS CONNECTED TO THE OTHER OF SAID COMMON CHAMBERS, VALVE MEANS OPERABLE FROM THE OUTSIDE OF SAID HEAD FOR INDIVIDUALLY DISCONNECTING EACH INDIVIDUAL TUBE FROM SAID COMMON GAS CHAMBER IN SAID HEAD DURING THE OPERATION OF THE FURNACE, VALVE MEANS FOR INDIVIDUALLY DISCONNECTING EACH INDIVIDUAL TUBE FROM SAID OTHER COMMON GAS CHAMBER DURING THE OPERATION OF THE FURNACE AND MEANS PERMITTING REMOVAL OF INDIVIDUAL TUBES DURING OPERATION OF THE FURNACE, EACH OF SAID VALVE MEANS FOR INDIVIDUALLY DISCONNECTING EACH INDIVIDUAL TUBE FROM SAID COMMON GAS CHAMBER IN SAID HEAD COMPRISING A TUBE ADAPTED TO BE RAISED AND LOWERED EXTENDING FROM OUTSIDE OF THE HEAD INTO THE GAS CHAMBER ALIGNED WITH ONE OF THE OPENINGS IN SAID GAS CHAMBER, SAID TUBE CARRYING AN ANNULAR FLANGE AT ITS LOWER END OF A GREATER DIAMETER THAN THE OPENING WITH WHICH THE TUBE IS ALIGNED, SEATING MEANS TO RECEIVE SAID ANNULAR FLANGE SURROUNDING THE OPENING TO RECEIVE SAID FLANGE AND CLOSE THE OPENING INTO THE GAS CHAMBER WHEN THE TUBE IS LOWERED AND MEANS FOR CLOSING THE END OF THE TUBE EXTENDING FROM THE HEAD.