Definition

Noun: A type of furnace where the material being processed is heated indirectly. The flames or hot gases are directed at the roof and walls of the furnace chamber. These surfaces then radiate heat (reverberate it) down onto the material below, rather than the flames making direct contact with the charge.

Usage

This term is a technical noun used specifically in metallurgy and industrial processes. It describes a particular furnace design. * The copper ore was smelted in a reverberatory furnace. * A key feature of the reverberatory furnace is the separation of the fuel and the material being heated.

Advanced Usage

• Historical Context: Reverberatory furnaces were historically crucial for processes like puddling in iron production and for smelting non-ferrous metals like copper and tin, before being largely replaced by more efficient methods.
• Process Description: The design allows for a large, shallow hearth and is often used for processes requiring a controlled, oxidizing, or reducing atmosphere without direct flame impingement.

Variants and Related Words

• Reverberatory (Adjective): Describing the heating principle or a furnace using this method.
  • The reverberatory heating process provides a more uniform temperature.
• Reverberate (Verb): To be reflected repeatedly, as sound or heat. This is the root concept from which the furnace gets its name.

Synonyms

• Reverb furnace (Informal/Technical Abbreviation)
• Air furnace (An older, sometimes synonymous term, particularly for iron puddling)

Related Technical Terms

• Hearth: The floor of the furnace where the material is placed.
• Flue bridge / Fire bridge: A wall separating the firebox from the main chamber, directing flames and gases.
• Reverberation: In this context, the reflection of heat waves from the furnace lining.

Noun

1. a furnace in which the material that is being treated is heated indirectly by flames that are directed at the roof and walls of the furnace