Brick treatment

Claim 1

THE PROCESS OF IMPREGNATING POROUS, CERAMICALLY BONDED REFRACTORY SHAPES WHICH COMPRISES (1) SUBJECTING THE SHAPES TO A PREHEATING STEP, WHICH INCLUDES APPLYING SEALING MEANS TO AN EXPOSED SURFACE OF THE SHAPES, SAID SEALING MEANS ARRANGES TO PREVENT INGRESS TO A LIMITED SURFACE AREA OF HEATED COKABLE, NONAQUEOUS, CARBONACEOUS MATERIAL IN WHICH THE SHAPE IS SUBSEQUENTLY IMMERSED, (2) PLACING THE PREHEATED SHAPES, WHILE STILL HOT, IN A VESSEL, (3) PROVIDING A REDUCED ATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE IN SAID VESSEL FOR A TIME SUFFICIENT TO EVACUATE ENTRAPPED AIR AND MOISTURE FROM THE INTERSTICES OF THE CERAMICALLY BONDED GRAIN STRUCTURE WHICH CONSTITUTES THE SHAPES, (4) SUBMERGING THE AIR AND MOISTURE-FREE SHAPES, WHILE STILL HOT, IN A POOL OF HEATED, COKABLE, NONAQUEOUS CARBONACEOUS MATERIAL, INERT TO THE MATERIAL OF WHICH THE SHAPES ARE FABRICATED, THE TEMPERATURE OF THE POOL BEING BETWEEN THAT WHICH IS AS LEAST SUFFICIENT TO PRODUCE A RELATIVELY EASILY PUMPED AND FLOWABLE CONSISTENCY THEREIN SO IT WILL EASILY PENETRATE THE INTERNAL INTERSTICES OF THE SHAPE SUBMERGED THEREIN, AND BELOW THAT WHICH WILL CAUSE SUCH EVOLUTION OF VOLATILE CONSTITUENTS THEREOF AS WILL RESULT IN EXTREME COAGULATION AND THICKENING THEREOF, (5) SUBJECTING THE POOL TO INCREASED PRESSURE FOR A TIME PERIOD SUFFICIENT TO SATURATE THE EVACUATED INTERSTICES OF THE SHAPE, TO PRODUCE SUBSTANTIALLY UNIFORM CROSS SECTIONAL IMPREGNATION THEREOF, (6) RELEASING THE PRESSURE, AND (7) REMOVING AND COOLING THE IMPREGNATED SHAPES.