Kiln furnace

Claim 1

IN A KILN SYSTEM, THE COMBINATION COMPRISING (A) A KILN FOR DRYING AND CONDITIONING MATERIAL, (B) A KILN FURNACE HAVING A FIRST CHAMBER CONTAINING A BURNER FOR COMBUSTING HOT GASES AND A SECOND CHAMBER CONNECTED TO SAID FIRST CHAMBER FOR RECEIVING SAID COMBUSTED HOT GASES, SAID SECOND CHAMBER CONTAINING MEANS FOR SPRAYING WATER IN A SOLID STATE INTO SAID COMBUSTED HOT GASES PRIOR TO THEIR CIRCULATING THROUGH SAID KILN, (C) A FIRST SENSOR LOCATED IN SAID KILN FOR MEASURING THE DRY BULB TEMPERATURE OF SAID CIRCULATING KILN GASES, (D) A SECOND SENSOR LOCATED IN SAID KILN FOR MEASURING THE WET BULB TEMPERATURE OF SAID CIRCULATING KILN GASES, AND (E) A CONTROL APPARATUS CONNECTED TO RECEIVE SIGNALS FROM SAID FIRST AND SECOND SENSORS AND COMPRISING, A REGULAR MEANS FOR COMPARING THE RESPECTIVE DRY AND WET BULB SIGNALS WITH PREDETERMINED TEMPERATURE AND HUMIDITY LEVELS FOR SAID CIRCULATING KILN GASES AND GENERATING OUTPUT SIGNALS REPRESENTATIVE OF INSTANTANEOUS TEMPERATURE AND HUMIDITY REQUIREMENTS IN SAID KILN, AND A CONTROLLER MEANS, CONNECTED TO RECEIVE SAID REGULATOR OUTPUT SIGNALS, FOR ACTUATING SAID SPRAY MEANS WHEN INCREASED HUMIDITY IS NEEDED AND FOR REGULATING THE COMBUSTION RATE OF SAID BURNER IN A MANNER WHEREBY HOT GASES IN SAID SECOND CHAMBER ARE CONTINUOUSLY MAINTAINED THROUGHOUT THE PERIOD OF SAID SPRAYING AT A SUFFICIENTLY HIGH TEMPERATURE TO EFFECT A RAPID AND SUBSTANTIALLY COMPLETE EVAPORATION OF SAID WATER SPRAY IN SAID GASES.