Patent ID: 7955450

Claim:
A method for heat-treating workpieces in a heat treatment furnace such that the treatment atmosphere reaches and maintains a temperature above 600° C., the method comprises injecting a propellant under pressure directly into the heat treatment furnace by means of at least one propellant nozzle and circulating the heat treatment atmosphere in the heat treatment furnace such that the treatment atmosphere is circulated by means of the injected propellant and inhomogeneities in the treatment atmosphere are reduced and that devices for guiding the treatment atmosphere to the propellant nozzle are not provided in the heat treatment furnace, wherein a hydrocarbon carrier is sucked into the heat treatment furnace by the propellant circulating the treatment atmosphere, the hydrocarbon carrier being supplied to the heat treatment furnace at a pressure lower than the pressure of the injected propellant for distribution in the heat treatment furnace by means of the propellant.