Bell-type annealing furnace and method of sealing same

Claim 1

A BELL TYPE FURNACE, COMPRISING IN COMBINATION, A FURNACE BASE PROVIDED WITH AN OPEN-TOPPED ANNULAR TROUGH EXTENDING COMPLETELY PERIPHERALLY THEREABOUT, SAID TROUGH HAVING AN INNER WALL SECURED TO SAID BASE AND AN OUTER WALL POSITIONED RADIALLY OUTWARD THEREFROM, MEANS FOR EXTABLISHING A CONTINUOUS FLOW OF WATER THROUGH SAID TROUGH AT A PREDETERMINED DESIRED LEVEL, A FURNACE BELL INCLUDING A HOOD ADAPTED FOR SEATING DISPOSITION ON THE BASE AND HAVING FORMED AT THE LOWER END THEREOF A DEPENDING SKIRT EXTENDING COMPLETELY THEREABOUT, SAID SKIRT BEING DISPOSABLE WITHIN SAID TROUGH IN RADIALLY OUTWARDLY SPACED RELATION TO THE TROUGH INNER WALL AND WITH THE LOWER EDGE OF THE SKIRT EXTENDING DOWNWARD BELOW THE AFORESAID PREDETERMINED DESIRED TROUGH WATER LEVEL TO THEREBY SEAL THE HOOD INTERIOR FROM THE EXTERNAL ATMOSPHERE, AND MEANS ASSOCIATED WITH SAID BELL FOR INJECTING A SUFFICIENT QUANTITY OF A LOW VOLATILITY SUBSTANCE OF SPECIFIC GRAVITY LESS THAN UNITY INTO THE REGION BETWEEN SAID TROUGH INNER WALL AND SAID BELL SKIRT OT FORM AN UNBROKEN FILM OF SAID SUBSTANCE OVER THE COMPLETE SURFACE OF THE WATER IN SAID REGION, SAID MEANS FOR ESTABLISHING A CONTINUOUS FLOW OF WATER THROUGH SAID TROUGH AT A PRE-DETERMINED DESIRED LEVEL INCLUDING MEANS FOR CONTINUOUSLY INJECTING WATER INTO SAID TROUGH AND MEANS FOR CONTINUOUSLY WITHDRAWING WATER FROM THE TROUGH SURFACE BETWEEN THE DEPENDING BELL SKIRT AND THE TROUGH WALL MORE REMOTE FROM THE FURNACE BASE.

Claim 3

THE METHOD OF SEALING THE FURNACE CHAMBER OF A BELL TYPE FURNACE FROM THE EXTERNAL ATMOSPHERE, IN WHICH THE FURNACE IS OF THE TYPE INCLUDING A BASE HAVING AN OPEN-TOPPED WATER TROUGH DISPOSED PERIPHERALLY THEREABOUT AND SECURED THERETO, A BELL ADAPTED FOR SEATING DISPOSITION ON THE BASE AND HAVING FORMED AT THE LOWER END THEREOF A DEPENDING SKIRT EXTENDING COMPLETELY THERE-ABOUT WITH THE LOWER EDGE OF THE SKIRT BEING DISPOSABLE WITHIN THE WATER TROUGH BELOW THE TOP OF AND IN RADIALLY OUTWARDLY SPACED RELATION TO THE TROUGH WALL CLOSEST TO THE FURNACE BASE, COMPRISING THE STEPS OF, FILLING THE TROUGH WITH WATER TO A PREDETERMINED DESIRED LEVEL ABOVE THE LOWER EDGE OF THE BELL SKIRT TO EFFECT A WATER SEAL FOR THE FURNACE CHAMBER, INJECTING A LOW VOLATILITY LIQUID OF SPECIFIC GRAVITY AND THE TROUGH WALL CLOSEST TO THE FURNACE THE BELL SKIRT AND THE TROUGH WALL CLOSEST TO THE FURNACE BASE FROM A POINT ABOVE THE WATER LEVEL IN SUFFICIENT QUANTITY TO PERMIT THE FORMATION OF AN UNBROKEN FILM OF SAID LIQUID OVER THE COMPLETE SURFACE OF THE WATER BE-TWEEN SAID BELL SKIRT AND TROUGH WALL CLOSEST TO THE FURNACE BASE AND SIMULTANEOUSLY ADDING COOL WATER TO AND WITHDRAWING RELATIVELY WARMER WATER FROM SAID TROUGH IN EQUAL AMOUNTS TO THEREBY MAINTAIN THE PREDETERMINED DESIRED WATER LEVEL AND HOLD THE TEMPERATURE OF THE LOW VOLATILITY LIQUID BELOW THE VAPORIZATION POINT, THE ADDED COOL WATER BEING INJECTED INTO THE TROUGH IN SUCH MANNER AS TO AVOID DISRUPTION OF THE UNBROKEN FILM OF LOW VOLATILITY LIQUID AND THE WITHDRAWN WARMER WATER BEING TAKEN FROM THE WATER SURFACE BETWEEN THE DEPENDING BELL SKIRT AND THE TROUGH WALL MORE FROM THE FURNACE BASE.

Claim 4

THE METHOD OF SEALING THE FURNACE CHAMBER OF A BELL TYPE FURNACE FROM THE EXTERNAL ATMOSPHERE, IN WHICH THE FURNACE IS OF THE TYPE INCLUDING A BASE HAVING AN OPEN-TOPPED WATER TROUGH DISPOSED PERIPHERALLY THEREABOUT AND SECURED THERETO, A BELL ADAPTED FOR SEATING DISPOSITION ON THE BASE AND HAVING FORMED AT THE LOWER END THEREOF A DEPENDING SKIRT EXTENDING COMPLETELY THERE-ABOUT WITH THE LOWER EDGE OF THE SKIRT BEING DISPOSABLE WITHIN THE WATER TROUGH BELOW THE TOP OF AND IN RADIALLY OUTWARDLY SPACED RELATION TO THE TROUGH WALL CLOSEST TO THE FURNACE BASE, COMPRISING THE STEPS OF, FILLING THE TROUGH WITH WATER TO A PREDETERMINED DESIRED LEVEL ABOVE THE LOWER EDGE OF THE BELL SKIRT TO EFFECT A WATER SEAL FOR THE FURNACE CHAMBER, INJECTING A LOW VOLATILITY LIQUID OF SPECIFIC GRAVITY AND THE TROUGH WALL CLOSEST TO THE FURNACE THE BELL SKIRT AND THE TROUGH WALL CLOSEST TO THE FURNACE BASE FROM A POINT ABOVE THE WATER LEVEL IN SUFFICIENT QUANTITY TO PERMIT THE FORMATION OF AN UNBROKEN FILM OF SAID LIQUID OVER THE COMPLETE SURFACE OF THE WATER BE-TWEEN SAID BELL SKIRT AND TROUGH WALL CLOSEST TO THE FURNACE BASE AND SIMULTANEOUSLY ADDING COOL WATER TO AND WITHDRAWING RELATIVELY WARMER WATER FROM SAID TROUGH IN EQUAL AMOUNTS TO THEREBY MAINTAIN THE PREDETERMINED DESIRED WATER LEVEL AND HOLD THE TEMPERATURE OF THE LOW VOLATILITY LIQUID BELOW THE VAPORIZATION POINT, THE ADDED COOL WATER BEING INJECTED INTO THE TROUGH IN SUCH MANNER AS TO AVOID DISRUPTION OF THE UNBROKEN FILM OF LOW VOLATILITY LIQUID AND THE WITHDRAWN WARMER WATER BEING TAKEN FROM THE WATER SURFACE BETWEEN THE DEPENDING BELL SKIRT AND THE TROUGH WALL MORE FROM THE FURNACE BASE.