High-temperature furnace having selectively permeable membranes for oxygen enrichment.

摘要

A high-temperature furnace comprising a gas burner (2) for burning a mixture of air and fuel in a combustion chamber (1), and an oxygen enricher (4). The enricher comprises a plurality of cells (13a), each comprising a pair of spaced apart oxygen permeable membranes (14), and a suction fan (12) for drawing air through the spaces between the cells (13a). The cells (13a) are coupled by a manifold (13b) to a vacuum pump (18), which causes the oxygen molecules of the air to pass through the membranes to increase the oxygen content of the air in the cells (13a), the oxygen-enriched air being drawn by the suction pump (18) to the burner (2). Preferably, a heat exchanger (31) is provided for transferring thermal energy of the emissions from the combustion chamber (1) to the air drawn by the suction fan (12) to maintain the oxygen concentration constant for a given operating condition of the combustion chamber.