Furnace emission remediation system

This invention relates to remediation of undesirable emissions from certain common sources. The invention is described in connection with treatment of emissions from heat-treating furnaces used for production of various parts using so-called "powder metallurgy" techniques, but can be used in remediation of emissions from other sources, such as heat treatment of carbon and graphite parts, heat treatment of fabrics, and battery manufacture, among others. A furnace exhaust remediation unit comprises an auxiliary combustion chamber with a gas burner assembly optimized for efficient and substantially complete combustion of pollutants, for example, waxy hydrocarbons emitted as binder/lubricant substances are driven off in sintering of green powdered-metal parts.The rate of flow of air and exhaust through the combustion chamber are controlled, permitting control of the average residence time of the emissions, ensuring substantially complete combustion. The burner is arranged such that it provides a high-energy exhaust stream directed tangentially into the combustion chamber, so that a spiral motion is provided to the combustible pollutants, improving mixing and heat transfer and thus ensuring efficient combustion of the vaporized hydrocarbon emissions.