Patent ID: 7429174

Claim:
A system for heat treating a coated turbine engine component comprising: a furnace having a chamber; said coated turbine engine component being positioned within said chamber at a desired location, a gas source external to said chamber; means for injecting a gas into an interior of said furnace chamber to said center of said coated turbine engine component location, said gas injecting means comprising a manifold connected to said gas source; said manifold being positioned at said center of said coated turbine engine component location; and at least one vacuum pump external to said furnace chamber for creating at least one low pressure area in the furnace chamber and an exit area remote from said manifold and said gas being introduced into said chamber at a flow rate sufficient to carry contaminants away from the center of the coated turbine engine component location and less than the flow rate which would cause a door of the furnace chamber to open.