OXYNON FURNACE is KYK's new industrial furnace prepared to
provide the answer to this question. The most common technology
to lower the oxygen partial pressure is a vacuum technology,
in which the inner air is mechanically removed to lower the
oxygen partial pressure in the air-tight chamber. The resulting
low-pressure & high- temperature atmosphere acts on the
surface of the heated metal /metal oxide and effectively contribute
to heat treatment processes. In a high temperature chamber of
low oxygen partial pressure, metal oxides will be reduced to
form metal. While a metal and its oxide coexist at a constant
temperature, the oxygen partial pressure will be constant as
shown in the chart of "Free energy of metal oxide formation".
oxygen partial pressure can be also achieved by a non-vacuum technology
which does not use mechanical vacuum technology. By supplying
inert atmosphere of extremely low oxygen partial pressure into
the chamber, metal oxides can also be reduced to form metal. However,
conventional refractory bricks made of metal oxide will also be
reduced and brake. A furnace designated to operate at high temperatures
and low oxygen partial pressure cannot be built of oxide-based
The walls of the OXYNON FURNACE are made of carbon material,
not conventional refractory bricks. Therefore, the inner atmosphere
will not be contaminated by oxygen.
The slight oxygen or oxide remaining in the supplied inert atmosphere
will react with the carbon wall of the furnace interior to form
carbon monoxide. The effect of this slight carbon monoxide on
the metal /metal oxide is demonstrated in the chart of "Free
energy of metal oxide formation"
As carbon monoxide is formed, the carbon walls will gradually
break down, however, a properly properly-designed furnace which
constantly discharges residual oxygen will have a longer safer
Although both vacuum furnace and atmosphere furnace can obtain
a low oxygen partial pressure, these furnaces have different effect
on metal evaporation. As for a vacuum furnace, metals such as
zinc and chromium, which easily evaporate at higher temperature,
will leave the alloy. This phenomenon can be used for surface
treatment such as deposition.
With an atmospheric pressure of inert gas with low oxygen partial
pressure, evaporation of chromium will not take place in the OXYNON
OXYNON FURNACE is of a continuous tunnel design which
operates with its interior filled with an inert gas. Furnaces used
for continuous firing of inorganic fibers are only equipped with
a long heating chamber, while a continuous furnace with belt-conveyance
design can be utilized for high temperature processing of metal
& ceramic with a high efficiency and low cost.B
of the most unique features of the OXYNON FURNACE is a continuous
belt made of carbon fiber reinforced carbon that can be used to
convey parts in temperatures up to 2600. This unique, high-temperature
belt conveyance has never been seen before in the high temperature
Heat resistant metal belt can also be used if the
processing temperature is 1120 or lower. The atmosphere gas filled
in the furnace prevents outer air from entering into the tunnel-shaped
chamber through entrance openings, and also helps to exhaust the
contaminated gas discharged from the processed parts. In most cases,
a high purity nitrogen is used as the atmosphere gas, while argon
will be used when the parts should not be exposed to nitrogen.
stainless steels in which chromium is functioning in the form of
solid solution, heating in nitrogen will cause chromium to be nitride,
giving negative effects on their corrosion resistance and magnetic
property. In such case, argon must be used instead.
If iron is put directly on the carbon belt, it will
react with the carbon and melt at 1152.
In order to avoid this, an insulating material, such as non-reacting
ceramic, is needed to separate the iron and carbon. Attention should
be paid to the characteristics and operating temperature of this
ceramic material because it is also exposed to the risk of heat-dissociation.
evaporated from the parts while heating could damage the safety
and function of the furnace. As these materials can be mostly removed
at 800 or below, a preliminary heating process prior to the OXYNON
FURNACE is necessary in such cases.