Catalytic radiant heat treating apparatus

Claim 1

A CATALYTIC RADIANT HEAT TREATING APPARATUS COMPRISING AN ELONGATED HORIZONTAL CHAMBER, MEANS IN SAID CHAMBER FOR SUPPORTING ARTICLES TO BE HEAT TREATED, A SUBSTANTIALLY HORIZONTAL FLAMELESS AND CATALYTIC RADIANT HEATING UNIT SPACED ABOVE AND DISPOSED IN HEAT RADIATING RELATION, TO SAID SUPPORTING MEANS, SAID UNIT INCLUDING A LOWER WALL FORMED BY AN AIR PERVIOUS, CATALYTIC ELEMENT PROVIDING A SOURCE OF RADIANT HEAT AND A LAYER OF AIR DIFFUSING MATERIAL COVERING THE UPPER SURFACE OF SAID CATALYTIC ELEMENT, A CLOSED COMPARTMENT ABOVE SAID UNIT AND COMMUNICATING WITH SAID CATALYTIC ELEMENT THROUGH SAID LAYER, A CONDUIT COMMUNICATING WITH SAID COMPARTMENT, MEANS FOR SUPPLYING AIR UNDER PRESSURE TO SAID CONDUIT, MEANS FOR PREHEATING THE CATALYTIC ELEMENT TO IGNITION TEMPERATURE, AND A FUEL SUPPLY CONNECTED TO SAID CONDUIT, WHEREBY ARTICLES ON SAID SUPPORTING MEANS WILL BE HEAT TREATED BY RADIANT HEAT EMANATING FROM SAID FLAMELSS CATALYTIC ELEMENT.