Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 16
Claim 1
Independent Claim
258 words
A heat treatment oven apparatus for treating a workpiece carrying a coating containing a vapourizable solvent, said solvent being oxidizable to provide at least part of the heat input requirement for said oven, said apparatus comprising; an oven having a plurality of oven zones, said workpiece being movable through said zones in sequence; zone gas recirculation means having inlet means and outlet means for circulating gases in said zones continuously around such a workpiece within said zones whereby to entrain vapourized solvent; gas exhaust means for said zones, for continuously removing a portion of the gaseous atmosphere containing untreated solvent vapours from such zones; a downstream gas transferring duct connected with said gas exhaust of one of said zones, for transferring untreated solvent-carrying gases from said one of said zones in a downstream direction; solvent incinerator means disposed essentially at a different one of said zones located downstream with reference to the direction of movement of said workpiece, said incinerator means being connected directly with said downstream gas transferring duct whereby to receive said solvent-carrying gases and incinerate them and oxidize solvent varpours contained in said gases prior to discharge of said gases into said downstream one of said zones, and, an incinerator outlet discharging said incinerated gases at said inlet means of said gas recirculation means of said downstream one of said zones at an elevated temperature with respect to gases circulating in said zone and with a reduced solvent vapour content, said discharged gases mixing with said lower temperature oven gases entering said gas recirculating means.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
258 words
A heat treatment oven apparatus for treating a workpiece carrying a coating containing a vapourizable solvent, said solvent being oxidizable to provide at least part of the heat input requirement for said oven, said apparatus comprising; an oven having a plurality of oven zones, said workpiece being movable through said zones in sequence; zone gas recirculation means having inlet means and outlet means for circulating gases in said zones continuously around such a workpiece within said zones whereby to entrain vapourized solvent; gas exhaust means for said zones, for continuously removing a portion of the gaseous atmosphere containing untreated solvent vapours from such zones; a downstream gas transferring duct connected with said gas exhaust of one of said zones, for transferring untreated solvent-carrying gases from said one of said zones in a downstream direction; solvent incinerator means disposed essentially at a different one of said zones located downstream with reference to the direction of movement of said workpiece, said incinerator means being connected directly with said downstream gas transferring duct whereby to receive said solvent-carrying gases and incinerate them and oxidize solvent varpours contained in said gases prior to discharge of said gases into said downstream one of said zones, and, an incinerator outlet discharging said incinerated gases at said inlet means of said gas recirculation means of said downstream one of said zones at an elevated temperature with respect to gases circulating in said zone and with a reduced solvent vapour content, said discharged gases mixing with said lower temperature oven gases entering said gas recirculating means.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
67 words
A heat treatment oven apparatus as claimed in claim 1 which additionally comprises a heat exchanger disposed within one of said oven zones and an incinerator for receiving and oxidizing gases containing solvent vapour from one of said zones and discharging such gases after oxidation thereof into said heat exchanger, said heat exchanger comprising surfaces disposed for radiating heat onto a workpiece passing through said oven apparatus.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
45 words
A heat treatment oven apparatus as claimed in claim 2 and in which said heat exchanger is disposed in a first upstream one of said zones, receives gases containing solvent vapour from that same zone after incineration and discharges such gases into that same zone.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
39 words
A heat treatment oven apparatus as claimed in claim 1 and which additionally comprises an upstream gas-transferring means connected between said gas exhaust of one of said zones and said gas input of an upstream one of said zones.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
46 words
A heat treatment oven apparatus as claimed in claim 1 which comprises at least three said oven zones and in which said downstream gas-transferring means is adapted to transfer gases exhausted from said one of said zones to a plurality of downstream ones of said zones.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
39 words
A heat treatment oven apparatus as claimed in claim 5 and in which a said incinerator is provided at each of said downstream ones of said zones for incinerating solvent vapour transferred to said zones by said gas-transferring means.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
41 words
A heat treatment oven apparatus as claimed in claim 6 and which additionally comprises an upstream gas-transferring means connected between said gas exhaust of at least one of said zones and said gas input of an upstream one of said zones.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
25 words
A heat treatment oven apparatus as claimed in claim 1 and which additionally comprises air intake means on a first upstream one of said zones.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
40 words
A heat treatment oven apparatus as claimed in claim 1 and in which said incinerator has associated therewith a damper for controlling the flow of gases thereto automatically in response to the temperature of an associated one of said zones.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
44 words
A heat treatment oven apparatus as claimed in claim 9 and in which said incinerator comprises a fuel supply controller automatically operable in response to the temperature of the exhaust from said incinerator and the gaseous atmosphere within a respective one of said zones.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
34 words
A heat treatment oven apparatus as claimed in claim 1 and which additionally comprises an auxiliary heater for each of said zones and operable to heat the gases in respective ones of said zones.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
40 words
A heat treatment oven apparatus as claimed in claim 1 and including air inlets for each of said zones and normally closed dampers controlling said air inlets and being operable to admit air to said zones for rapid ventilation thereof.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
32 words
A heat treatment oven apparatus as claimed in claim 1 and which additionally comprises a gas discharge system for removing, incinerating and discharging a portion of the gases from said oven apparatus.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
30 words
A heat treatment oven apparatus as claimed in claim 13 and in which said gas discharge system is adapted to receive gases from a first upstream one of said zones.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
43 words
A heat treatment oven apparatus as claimed in claim 1 and in which said incinerator disposed essentially at said different one or ones of said zones is disposed so as to discharge incinerated gases into a respective one of said gas circulation means.