Importance

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Abstract

An apparatus for baking a dough-type product includes an oven having an enclosure, a product supporting conveyor in the enclosure, burners positioned to heat the product, and an integrally associated emissions control device for controlling emissions emanating from the product while baking. A recirculating system for controllably directing air from the oven to and from the emissions control device is integrated into or with the oven, and preferably positioned in the oven enclosure. A heat exchanger is operably connected to the emissions control device and the recirculation system so that a first portion of contaminated air collected by the recirculating system in the enclosure is communicated to the emissions control device for cleaning and then through the heat exchanger for cooling before being vented to atmosphere, while a second portion of the contaminated air collected by the recirculating system is communicated through the heat exchanger to gain added heat while also cooling the air to be vented to atmosphere, and it is then recirculated back to the oven enclosure. The recirculating system is controlled to handle surges in the alcohol level of contaminants emitted from the product and also surges in water vapor content in the contaminated air which comes both from the product and ambient air, the first portion of air after cleaning may be selectively fed back into the oven as desired for additional energy savings in the baking process, and the apparatus can be (but is not necessarily) constructed to use this as the source of all or most of the heat for the baking process in the oven.

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First Claim