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[June 2004]
Low Oxygen Partial Pressure Furnace
A high temperature, continuous furnace system developed by Kanto Yakin Kogyo Co Ltd is said to provide extremely low oxygen partial pressures without the need for vacuum pumps or hydrogen atmospheres. Designated the Oxynon(r) Furnace, it is claimed to be ideal for high temperature processing of metals and ceramics requiring a neutral/reducing atmosphere at temperatures up to 2600°C.
The Oxynon requires no oxide insulation or firebrick and the resulting furnace atmosphere has a very low oxygen partial pressure. The small amount of oxygen in the inert atmosphere, if any, reacts readily with the provided getter. The equilibrium partial pressure curve shows how a slight amount of resulting carbon monoxide will work on metal oxides. Careful furnace design and exclusion of free oxygen from the purging atmosphere ensure long furnace and belt life.
The basic design of the Oxynon furnace is a long tunnel charged with inert gas. When equipped with a conveyor belt, the furnace becomes a very economical and efficient system for high temperature processing of metals and ceramics. The manufacturer says that traditional continuous furnaces using metal mesh belts are limited to operating temperatures of less than 1120°C and that although some recently marketed furnaces use refractory ceramic or metal belts to temperatures as high as 1600°C, they are expensive and fragile.
www.oxynon.com
ENDS