A reverbatory furnace is a metallurgical or process furnace which characteristically isolates the material being processed from contact with the fuel, but not from contact with the combustion gases. The term reverberation is used here in a generic sense of rebounding or reflecting without the more common (acoustic) implication of specifically sound reflection. Image File history File links Reverberatory_furnace_diagram. ... Metallurgy is a domain of materials science and of materials engineering that studies the physical and chemical behavior of metallic elements and their mixtures, which are called alloys. ... A furnace is a device for heating air or any other fluid. ... For the workstation, see SGI Fuel. ... Combustion or burning is a chemical process, an exothermic reaction between a substance (the fuel) and a gas (the oxidizer), usually O2, to release heat. ... -1... The term reflection (also spelt reflexion) can refer to several different concepts: In mathematics, reflection is the transformation of a space. ... Acoustics is a branch of physics and is the study of sound, mechanical waves in gases, liquids, and solids. ...

Process chemistry determines the optimum relationship between the fuel and the material, among other variables. The reverberatory furnace can be contrasted on the one hand with the blast furnace, in which fuel and material are mixed in a single chamber, and, on the other hand, with crucible, muffling, or retort furnaces, in which the subject material is isolated not only from the fuel, but from all of the products of combustion including gases and flying ash. It has been stated in some contexts that the reverberatory furnace also typically separates the material from the hot gases, but this does not seem to be the case in general. Indeed, some applications require contact between the material and the hot gas. There are, however, a great many furnace designs, and the terminology of metallurgy has not been very consistently defined, so it is difficult to categorically contradict the other view. Chemistry (derived from the Arabic word kimia, alchemy, where al is Arabic for the) is the science of matter that deals with the composition, structure, and properties of substances and with the transformations that they undergo. ... Blast furnace diagram A blast furnace is a type of furnace for smelting whereby the combustion material and ore are supplied with air from the bottom of the chamber such that the chemical reaction does not take place only at the surface. ...

The applications of these devices fall into two general categories, metallurgical melting furnaces, and lower temperature processing furnaces typically used for metallic ores and other minerals.

A reverberatory furnace is at a disadvantage from the standpoint of efficiency compared to a blast furnace due to the spatial separation of the burning fuel and the subject material, and it is necessary to effectively utilize both reflected radiant heat and direct contact with the exhaust gases (convection) to maximize heat transfer. Historically these furnaces have utilized solid fuel, and bituminous coal has proven to be the best choice. The brightly visible flames (due to the substantial volatile component) give more radiant heat transfer than anthracite coal or charcoal. Efficiency is the capability of acting or producing effectively with a minimum amount or quantity of waste, expense, or unnecessary effort. ... This article is in the process of being merged into Heat, and may be outdated. ... Convection is the transfer of heat by currents within a fluid. ... This article is in the process of being merged into Heat, and may be outdated. ... Bituminous coal Bituminous coal is a soft coal containing a tar-like substance called bitumen. ... Anthracite coal Anthracite (Greek Ανθρακίτης, literally a form of coal, from Anthrax [Άνθραξ], coal) is a hard, compact variety of mineral coal that has a high luster. ... Charcoal is the blackish residue consisting of impure carbon obtained by removing water and other volatile constituents of animal and vegetable substances. ...

Contact with the products of combustion, which may add undesirable elements to the subject material, is used to advantage in some processes. Control of the fuel/air balance can alter the exhaust gas chemistry toward either an oxidizing or a reducing mixture, and thus alter the chemistry of the material being processed. For example cast iron can be puddled in an oxidizing atmosphere to convert it to the lower-carbon alloy steel. Redox reactions include all chemical processes in which atoms have their oxidation number (oxidation state) changed. ... Cast iron usually refers to grey cast iron, but can mean any of a group of iron-based alloys containing more than 2% carbon (alloys with less carbon are carbon steel by definition). ... Schematic drawing of a puddling furnace The puddling furnace is a metalmaking technology to create wrought iron from the pig iron produced in a blast furnace. ... An alloy is a combination, either in solution or compound, of two or more elements, which has a combination of at least one metal, and where the resultant material has metallic properties. ... The old steel cable of a colliery winding tower Steel is a metal alloy whose major component is iron, with carbon being the primary alloying material. ...

References

• Encyclopedia Britannica, 14th ed.