Why Bother Recuperating?

[Ben David]

The Abernathy kiln - gas/oil fired, no chimney.

http://www.ibremsen-potter.com/abernathy.html

quote:
The Abernathy Kiln could be called a push draft/radiation system. It has no chimney. It relies on pressure from the burner system to push heated gasses into the kiln as well as radiation from the walls next to the burners to distribute the heat towards the center of the kiln. The only exit for the heated gasses is a small view port in the bottom of the door (for a 44 cu. ft. kiln this opening might be 2.5" by 4.5"). The kiln is lightly pressurized at all times while the main burners are on.

The beauty of this design is that it opens up two opportunities. First the elimination of the chimney, and Second, rapid firing for larger kilns. Olson and Rhodes both estimate that somewhere between 30% and 40% of the heat energy put into a conventional kiln goes right up the chimney. Without a chimney more of the energy put into a kiln goes towards heating the ware.

How does this work?
Is it applicable to glass? If so, it would greatly simplify waste oil firing.

[Steve Stadelman]

It might not have a conventional chimney or flue but you had better bet that recuperating exhaust gas is a good thing. I will gaurantee that whatever exhaust comes out of the "port" on that thing is at least as hot as the process temperature.

[Allan Gott]

It doesn't need a chimney because the appliance envelope probably leaks like a sieve.................ceramics kilns do not good glass melters make.........period........

[Pete VanderLaan]

At this point ,concentrating on making good glass is a worthwhile goal in itself.

[Ben David]

I kinda had the same question when I read in Glass Notes about the forced-air convection system inside an annealer. Of course it's much less air, but where does it go - and how much heat does it take with it?

[Steve Stadelman]

Yuo completely misunderstood the annealer chapter. The air does not "go" anywhere, it is just circulated within the annealer to even out temperature stratification.