System and method for crosslinking a continuous mat of mineral fibers and / or vegetable fibers

Abstract

System and method for crosslinking a continuous mat of mineral fibers and / or plant fibers. The present invention relates to a system (SYS_R) for crosslinking a continuous mat of mineral fibers and / or plant fibers, which has a crosslinking furnace (14) for the mat having at least one heating box, each heating box being connected to a combustion chamber. The crosslinking system further has an "injection" system (SYS_I) arranged outside the crosslinking furnace and configured to inject hot air into at least one combustion chamber of the heating box, and the hot air thus injected replaces a predetermined proportion of the hot air generated by at least one burner attached to the at least one combustion chamber.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention belongs to the general field of manufacturing heat and / or sound insulating articles. More particularly, it relates to a system for crosslinking continuous mats of glass or rock wool type mineral fibers and / or plant fibers, especially mineral wool. Such mats are cut to form, for example, heat and / or sound insulating panels or rolls. The present invention also relates to a crosslinking method implemented by such a crosslinking system.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, the manufacture of such insulating fiber mats mainly involves fiberizing and depositing fibers on a perforated moving conveyor or transporter. The newly formed fiber mass is pressed onto the conveyor using a suction box disposed under the transporter on which they are deposited. During fiberization, a binder is sprayed onto the drawn fibers in a state of being dissolved or suspended in a volatile liquid such as water. This binder has adhesive properties and usually contains a thermosetting material, such as a thermosetting resin.

[0003] Then, a primary layer of relatively loose fibers on the integrated conveyor is transferred to a heating device, which is generally called a crosslinking furnace in the above field. The continuous mat of fibers passes through the entire length of the furnace thanks to a conveyor that faces each other, sandwiches the mat therebetween, and the spacing between which is adjustable. Thus, such a mat has a relatively large or relatively small density depending on the degree of compression exerted by the two conveyors in the furnace.

[0004] When passing through the furnace, the mat is simultaneously dried and subjected to a specific heat treatment that causes the polymerization (or "curing") of the thermosetting resin of the binder present on the surface of the fibers.

[0005] The procedure used to cause the binder to cure consists of passing hot air through the entire thickness of the mat, thereby gradually raising the temperature of the binder present throughout the thickness of the mat to a temperature higher than its curing temperature.

[0006] For this purpose, the crosslinking furnace consists of a housing forming a sealed chamber in which a series of boxes are arranged. Each box is supplied with hot air by a combustion chamber to which at least one burner is attached and a fan that supplies air to the at least one burner and circulates the hot air generated by the burner.

[0007] In this way, each box defines an independent heating zone in which specific heating conditions are set. The boxes are separated by walls having openings for the mat and for the upper and lower conveyors. Using a plurality of boxes in this way advantageously makes it possible to raise the temperature of the mat stepwise and control it relatively well over the entire passage through the furnace, preventing the appearance of hot spots due to local overheating or alternatively the presence of zones in the mat where the binder is not fully polymerized.

[0008] In practice, the operation and use of the crosslinking furnace are subject to various constraints. Among these constraints, operational safety is important and constitutes a regulatory framework that binds all operators. In particular, it is necessary to control a number of hazards, including the risk of heat accumulation in the furnace and the risk of explosion associated with the generation of flammable substances (such as volatile organic compounds) during the crosslinking operation.

[0009] In addition to these conventional safety constraints, there are now other constraints. The cross-linking furnaces that have been used so far consume a large amount of energy. Almost all of the energy consumed comes from the gas required by the burner that supplies hot air to the heating chamber. Therefore, the production of the insulating fiber mat (insulating fiber mat) has a large amount of emissions, especially greenhouse gases, typically for example CO2, etc., which is a problem not only from the perspective of environmental protection but also from the perspective of production cost management (the price of gas can vary greatly).

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0010] The object of the present invention is to improve some or all of the drawbacks of the prior art, especially those described above, which is to propose a solution that enables the safe production of the insulating fiber mat while reducing the amount of gas consumed and maintaining energy efficiency compared to the solutions of the prior art. In particular, the present invention makes it possible to meet the current environmental protection requirements by providing the possibility of limiting the greenhouse gas emissions during the production of the insulating fiber mat.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0011] For this purpose, according to a first aspect, the present invention relates to a system for cross-linking a continuous mat of mineral fibers and / or plant fibers, which has a furnace for cross-linking the mat having at least one heating box, and each heating box is connected to a combustion chamber. Further, the cross-linking system has an "injection" system arranged outside the cross-linking furnace and configured to inject hot air into at least one combustion chamber of the heating box, and the hot air thus injected replaces a predetermined proportion of the hot air generated by at least one burner attached to the at least one combustion chamber.

[0012] The plant fibers are preferably selected from the group consisting of lignocellulosic fibers and cotton fibers. The lignocellulosic fibers are preferably selected from wood fibers, hemp fibers, flax fibers, sisal fibers, cotton fibers, jute fibers, coconut fibers, raffia fibers, abaca fibers, cereal straws, or rice straws.

[0013] Thus, the hot air injected into the combustion chamber by the injection system replaces part of the hot air that would (nominally) be generated by at least one burner without the input of external energy (i.e., hot air that circulates in the heating box and is solely generated from the gas used in at least one burner, or in other words, hot air generated by at least one burner before the operation of the injection system).

[0014] For the purposes of the present invention, the term "proportion" refers to a proportion that is strictly less than 100%. In other words, the present invention is implemented by ensuring that one or more burners in each heating box, which are designed to receive hot air from the injection system, continue to operate. Such an arrangement is advantageous because maintaining the flame of the burner avoids any risk of explosion associated with the accumulation of combustible gas.

[0015] The selection of the value of the above proportion may depend on how the cross-linking system is operated. As a non-limiting example, the value of the above proportion may be set such that the flow rate of the hot air injected through the injection system replaces (substitutes for) a part of the nominal flow rate of the hot air circulating in the at least one heating box. Of course, the control of the injection system, and thus the selection of the value of the above proportion even more so, may be carried out in accordance with other considerations, such as considerations regarding the energy or power supplied by at least one burner of the at least one heating box (i.e., the aim is to replace (substitute for) part of this energy or power with the hot air injected by the injection system).

[0016] Generally speaking, the operational safety of a crosslinking furnace is ensured by the supply of high-temperature air flowing through one or more heating chambers.

[0017] Furthermore, by supplying high-temperature air from outside the crosslinking furnace, the present invention provides an advantageous possibility of limiting the gas consumption and thus ultimately the greenhouse gas emissions (e.g., "green" electricity, i.e., electricity generated from energy with low CO2 emissions, such as renewable energy or nuclear power, etc., generating high-temperature air).

[0018] In particular, the inventors have estimated that the gas requirement of the crosslinking furnace can be reduced by 50% to 70% thanks to this invention, and as a result, a significant amount of greenhouse gas will not be released into the atmosphere.

[0019] Also, the inventors have found that replacing a part of the gas with high-temperature air generated by the injection system in this way has a very low impact on the energy efficiency generally obtained during mat production (typically a 3% to 4% decrease, which is essentially due to heat loss through the wall between the injection system and the crosslinking furnace).

[0020] A further advantage of the present invention is that the injection system can be easily installed in an existing housing. For example, the injection system may be arranged on the floor next to the housing of the crosslinking furnace, or at an elevated location, such as on a dedicated passageway.

[0021] Furthermore, the external location of the injection system protects it from any contamination (e.g., particle emissions) generated by the crosslinking furnace, because such contamination could cause clogging that would be fatal to its operation.

[0022] In certain embodiments, the crosslinking system may further include one or more of the following features, either alone or in any technically feasible combination.

[0023] In certain embodiments, the above ratio is from 2% to 40%, for example from 5% to 30%, more particularly from 5% to 20%, or even from 7% to 20%, or preferably from 5% to 15%, and more preferably from 10% to 15%.

[0024] In certain embodiments, the injection system has heating means, such as electric heating means, configured to heat ambient air to a predetermined temperature.

[0025] In certain embodiments, the above predetermined temperature is from 350°C to 1000°C, for example from 500°C to 1000°C, more particularly from 700°C to 800°C, and even more particularly is substantially equal to 750°C.

[0026] In certain embodiments, the heating means has at least one electric battery having a rated power of from 100 kW to 900 kW, more particularly from 500 kW to 700 kW, for example substantially equal to 600 kW.

[0027] In certain embodiments, preheated air is supplied to the injection system.

[0028] In certain embodiments, at least a part of the preheated air comes from a glass melting furnace and / or corresponds to high-temperature recovered air.

[0029] In certain embodiments, the injection system is connected to a high-temperature air emergency exhaust disposed between the injection system and the crosslinking furnace.

[0030] In certain embodiments, the injection system is configured to inject high-temperature air from outside the crosslinking furnace.

[0031] In certain embodiments, the injection system has a high-temperature air supply line between a high-temperature air source outside the crosslinking furnace and at least one combustion chamber.

[0032] According to a second aspect, the present invention relates to a line for manufacturing a continuous mineral fiber and / or plant fiber mat, which has a unit for fiberizing the continuous mineral fiber and / or plant fiber mat, a conveyor for transporting the mat, and a crosslinking system according to the present invention.

[0033] According to a third aspect, the present invention relates to a method for crosslinking a continuous mat of mineral fibers and / or plant fibers, the method being implemented by a crosslinking system according to the present invention.

[0034] According to a fourth aspect, the present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a continuous mat of mineral fibers and / or plant fibers, the method being implemented by a manufacturing line according to the present invention.

[0035] Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following non-limiting description with reference to the accompanying drawings showing exemplary embodiments thereof. In the figures:

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0036]

Figure 1

[0037]

Figure 2

Modes for Carrying Out the Invention

[0038] FIG. 1 schematically shows a particular embodiment of an L_FAB manufacturing line according to the present invention in its environment.

[0039] The L_FAB production line is configured for the production of continuous mineral fiber mats, more particularly those based on glass wool, and it is understood that the L_FAB line can be of any type suitable for the production of articles based on mineral fibers and optionally vegetable fibers. The first step in the production of the above mats will also be described with reference to Figure 1.

[0040] Conventionally, the L_FAB production line has a stretching unit 1 configured to carry out an internal centrifugal stretching process known per se. The fibrillation unit 1 has a hood (not shown in Figure 1) provided at the top with at least one centrifuge 2. Each centrifuge 2 has a basket (not shown in Figure 1) for collecting the threads of pre-melted fiber glass and a plate-like part 3 provided with a large number of orifices in the peripheral wall.

[0041] During operation, the molten glass is fed in thread form from a melting furnace (not shown), first collected in the basket of the centrifuge and exits through the orifices of the plate in the form of a large number of rotating filaments. The centrifuge 2 is also surrounded by an annular burner 5, which generates a gas flow at high speed and at a sufficiently high temperature around the periphery of the wall of the centrifuge 2 to stretch the glass filaments in the form of a torus 6 into fibers.

[0042] Heating means 7, such as one or more inductors, etc., are used to maintain the glass and the centrifuge 2 at an appropriate temperature. The torus 6 is closed by a gas flow of pressurized air indicated by arrow 8 in Figure 1. The torus 6 thus formed is surrounded by a sizing spray device containing an aqueous solution of a thermosetting binder, and only two elements 9 of this are shown in Figure 1.

[0043] This consists of a binder which may also be called a "green binder", particularly when it consists of a phenolic binder or an alternative binder with a low formaldehyde content, preferably an even formaldehyde-free binder, particularly derived from at least partially renewable raw material bases, particularly vegetable bases, and particularly of the type based on hydrogenated or non-hydrogenated sugars.

[0044] The bottom of the fiberization hood is formed by a fiber receiving device having a conveyor incorporating an endless belt 10 that is gas-permeable and water-permeable. Below it, a suction box 11 for gases such as air, fumes, and excess aqueous compositions from the fiberization process described above is arranged. In this way, a mat 12 of glass wool fibers that is intimately mixed with the sizing composition is formed on the conveyor belt 10. The mat 12 is conveyed by the conveyor belt 10 to the SYS_R crosslinking system according to the present invention.

[0045] Figure 2 schematically shows a specific embodiment of the SYS_R crosslinking system belonging to the L_FAB manufacturing line shown in Figure 1.

[0046] As shown in Figure 2, the SYS_R crosslinking system includes a crosslinking furnace 14 for crosslinking a thermosetting binder. The crosslinking furnace 14 has a series of heating boxes separated from each other by partition walls.

[0047] More specifically, in the embodiment described here, there are five heating boxes 21 - 25.

[0048] Using a plurality of boxes makes it possible to gradually heat the fiber mat 12 to a temperature higher than the curing temperature of the binder present on the fibers of the mat 12. The mechanical properties of the final article depend on precise temperature control in the various boxes, as described above, especially when a green binder is used.

[0049] However, the fact that five boxes are considered does not constitute a limitation of the invention. Generally speaking, there is no limitation in this regard.

[0050] Each of the boxes 21 - 25 has a central compartment 21_CC - 25_CC that forms the housing of the box and is surrounded by a shielding material.

[0051] Two conveyors 18A, 18B for transporting and adjusting the mat 12 pass through the casings of each of the boxes 21-25. These conveyors 18A, 18B are set to rotate, for example, by a motor (not shown) placed on the ground, are formed in a well-known manner by the continuous movement of pallets, and these consist of grids attached by hinges and are perforated to allow gas to pass through.

[0052] While ensuring the passage of high-temperature gas that promotes rapid solidification of the binder, the conveyors 18A, 18B typically compress the mat 12 to the desired thickness.

[0053] For example, in the case of a roll-shaped panel, this is typically 10-450 mm, and the density of the glass wool layer is, for example, 5-150 kg / m3. For example, a distinction is made between low-density articles with a density of 5-20 kg / m3 and high-density articles with a density of 20-150 kg / m3.

[0054] The mineral fiber mat 12 sprayed with the binder first enters an inlet airlock 17A equipped with a fume exhaust hood 19A, and this hood 19A is connected to a dedicated fume treatment path (not shown). In this first inlet airlock 17A, the high-temperature air introduced into the mat 12 first evaporates the moisture remaining in the fiber mat 12.

[0055] Additional fumes generated within the boxes 21-25 are generally discharged into the outlet airlock 17B via the hood 19B.

[0056] It should be noted that considering the hoods 19A and 19B arranged at the inlet and outlet of the SYS_R cross-linking system is only one variant embodiment of the present invention. Any other variant known to those skilled in the art, such as a variant where the hood is arranged substantially at the center of the cross-linking furnace 14, can be envisaged.

[0057] Conventionally, as shown in FIG. 2, each of the heating boxes 21 to 25 is connected to (i.e., in fluid communication with) combustion chambers 31 to 35. Each of the combustion chambers 31 to 35 supplies high-temperature air to the associated heating boxes 21 to 25, and this high-temperature air is generated by burners (not shown in FIG. 2) attached to the combustion chambers 31 to 35 (it is understood that the burner bodies are located outside the combustion chambers) and circulated by a fan (not shown in FIG. 2).

[0058] Here, it should be noted that it is assumed that each of the combustion chambers 31 to 35 is provided with a single burner. Of course, these provisions in no way limit the invention, because as is well known to those skilled in the art, each of the combustion chambers 31 to 35 may be provided with one or more burners.

[0059] Gas and combustion air are supplied to each burner from a gas line 26, thereby generating high-temperature air directed toward the heating boxes 21 to 25 connected to the combustion chambers 31 to 35 in which the burners cooperate. This gas supply is indicated by an arrow F1 in FIG. 2.

[0060] As a non-limiting example, the set temperatures of the combustion chambers 31 to 35 are 200°C to 250°C (or even up to 300°C), and are equal to, for example, 210°C, 215°C, 225°C, etc.

[0061] In the embodiment described with reference to FIG. 2, each of the heating boxes 21 to 25 has a high-temperature air recirculation path in fluid communication with the combustion chambers 31 to 35. This recirculation path is assumed to cooperate with, for example, at least one radial turbine suitable for inhaling high-temperature air and / or additional heating means disposed within the housings 31 to 35 of the heating boxes 21 to 25. Such an implementation is described in detail, for example, in International Publication No. WO 2016 / 203170. Note that only a part of the recirculation path is shown in FIG. 2 in the form of a recirculation duct 40.

[0062] Here, it is assumed that high-temperature air circulation is achieved by the recirculation path, but it should be noted that this is only one variant embodiment of the present invention. However, this does not rule out the possibility of other embodiments, for example, embodiments in which high-temperature air is introduced into the heating boxes 21 to 25 from below (or above) and discharged from above (or below), and the circulation of the high-temperature air in the heating boxes 21 to 25 is achieved by the inlet hood and outlet hood system. Such an implementation is also described in the aforementioned International Publication No. 2016 / 203170.

[0063] Conventionally, the crosslinking furnace 14 has an outer shielding jacket 50 (shown only for clarity of illustration in FIG. 1) surrounding all the boxes 21 to 25 made of a shielding material, such as mineral fiber. In many cases, this outer shielding wrap 50 itself surrounds a first metal housing (not shown) to ensure the overall installation is airtight, so that contaminated gas can only be discharged from the apparatus via the hoods 19B and 19A.

[0064] According to the present invention, the SYS_R crosslinking system has, in addition to the crosslinking furnace 14, a so-called "injection" system SYS_I disposed outside the furnace 14.

[0065] "Disposed outside the furnace 14" means that the injection system SYS_I is located outside the housing 50 of the furnace 14.

[0066] Basically, the position of the system SYS_I is not particularly limited as long as it is located outside the furnace 14. For example, the system SYS_I may be disposed on the floor next to the housing of the furnace 14, or at an elevated location, such as on a dedicated passageway.

[0067] The injection system SYS_I is configured to inject hot air into at least one of the combustion chambers 31-35 (and thus, even more so, into at least one of the heating boxes 21-25), and the hot air thus injected replaces a predetermined proportion of the hot air generated by the burner attached to (cooperating with) the at least one combustion chamber 31-35.

[0068] In other words, the hot air injected into the combustion chambers 31-35 by the system SYS_I replaces a part of the hot air nominally generated by the burner (i.e., "nominally" refers to the situation where the hot air circulating in the heating boxes 21-25 is generated exclusively from the gas used by the burner).

[0069] More specifically, in the embodiments described herein, the ratio value is set such that the hot air flow rate injected via the injection system SYS_I replaces (substitutes for) a predetermined portion of the nominal hot air circulation flow rate in the at least one heating box 31-35.

[0070] For the purposes of the present invention, the term "ratio" refers to a ratio strictly less than 100%. In other words, the present invention is implemented by ensuring that the burners of each heating box 21-25 designed to receive hot air from the SYS_I injection system continue to operate. Such an arrangement is advantageous because maintaining the burner flame avoids any risk of explosion associated with the accumulation of combustible gas.

[0071] The hot air of the SYS_I injection system can be injected such that, for example, the ratio is 2% - 40%, more specifically according to an example 5% - 30%, more particularly 5% - 20%, or even 7% - 20%, or preferably 5% - 15%, even more preferably 10% - 15%.

[0072] The injection system SYS_I is configured to inject hot air from outside the furnace 14.

[0073] In other words, the high-temperature air source is outside the furnace 14.

[0074] The high-temperature air to be injected is separate from the gas recirculated by the recirculation paths of the combustion chambers 31 to 35.

[0075] In the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, the injection system SYS_I is configured to inject high-temperature air into the recirculation paths of the respective combustion chambers 31 to 35, more particularly at the inlets of the combustion chambers 31 to 35. This injection of high-temperature air is indicated by arrow F2 in FIG. 2.

[0076] The fact that high-temperature air can be injected at the inlet for each of the combustion chambers 31 to 35 at the level of the recirculation paths does not mean that this is permanently the case. For example, as in the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, the injection system SYS_I may include a balance valve 60 arranged between the high-temperature air supply line 70 of the system SYS_I and the combustion chamber. Each balance valve 60 is controllable, thereby enabling high-temperature air to be supplied to a given combustion chamber 31 to 35, for example for a given period. One or more balance valves 60 may be automatically controlled (i.e., programmable).

[0077] The inlet of the high-temperature air supply pipe 70 is in fluid communication with the outside of the furnace 14.

[0078] The high-temperature air supply duct 70 is configured to supply high-temperature air from the outside of the furnace 14.

[0079] Of course, embodiments can also be envisaged in which one or more of the combustion chambers 31 to 35 are not connected to the duct 70, thereby preventing them from being supplied with high-temperature air from the system SYS_I.

[0080] In the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, in order to generate hot air intended to be injected to replace a predetermined proportion of the hot air generated by the burner, the injection system SYS_I has electric heating means 80 configured to heat ambient air to a predetermined temperature.

[0081] As an illustrative non-limiting example, the above-mentioned predetermined temperature is, for example, 350°C to 1000°C, for example, 500°C to 1000°C, more particularly 700°C to 800°C, and even more particularly substantially equal to 750°C.

[0082] It should be noted here that the assumed temperature is much higher than the set temperature of the combustion chamber cited as an example above. Therefore, considering the above-mentioned example of the injection ratio, the injection of hot air performed by the system SYS_I can be regarded as a small thermal "boost" supplied to the combustion chambers 31 to 35.

[0083] The electric heating means 80 may have at least one electric battery having a power rating of, for example, 100 kW to 900 kW, more particularly 500 kW to 700 kW, for example substantially equal to 600 kW, and the at least one battery enables the supply of electricity to, for example, one or more electric resistors (not shown) capable of heating ambient air to the desired temperature.

[0084] In a more specific example, the number of electric batteries is equal to the number of heating chambers in the furnace 14.

[0085] It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that such power values do not limit the invention. Similarly, the number of batteries used does not limit the present invention, and this number depends not only on the assumed temperature of the hot air to be injected, but also on the volume / proportion of the hot air to be considered, and this last aspect is related to the number of heating boxes intended to be connected to the SYS_I injection system via each combustion chamber.

[0086] Of course, the injection system SYS_I also includes air circulation means 90 so that the hot air generated by the electric heating means 80 is reliably sent to the combustion chambers 31 to 35.

[0087] For example, as shown in a non-limiting manner in FIG. 2, the air circulation means 90 has a fan 90 configured to circulate the air in the hot air supply duct 70.

[0088] It should be noted that considering the electric heating means 80 for generating hot air is only a variant of the implementation of the present invention. In this regard, other variants may also be envisaged to obtain hot air, optionally in combination with the use of the electric heating means 80.

[0089] For example, it can be considered that preheated air can be supplied to the SYS_I injection system. At least a part of the air preheated in this way comes from, for example, a melting furnace that generates molten glass for the fiberizing unit 1 (for example, hot air from fumes generated by an air gas furnace, an oxygen gas furnace, etc.), and / or corresponds to the recovered hot air (for example, air from one or more compressors and / or one or more heat exchangers arranged outside the furnace 14). Generally, any preheated air derived from waste energy can be considered.

[0090] In the embodiment described here, as shown in FIG. 2, the SYS_I injection system is also connected to an emergency hot air exhaust 100 (also known as an "emergency chimney") arranged between the system SYS_I and the crosslinking furnace 14. More specifically, as shown in FIG. 2, the connection between the system SYS_I and the emergency exhaust 100 is made by an exhaust pipe 110 provided with a balance valve 120. Such a configuration is optional and has advantages, particularly (but not limited to) the advantage that any heat accumulation harmful to the operation of the SYS_C crosslinking system can be avoided when the system SYS_I is supplied with preheated air.

[0091] Note that the present invention is not limited to only the SYS_C crosslinking system and the L_FAB manufacturing line. The present invention also targets a method for crosslinking the mat 12 using the SYS_C crosslinking system. The crosslinking method includes a step of heating the mat 12 in each of the heating boxes 21 to 25, and all or part of these heating steps are (depending on whether all or part of the heating boxes 21 to 25 are connected to the system SYS_I) understood to be executed by supplying high-temperature air from the system SYS_I.

[0092] Finally, the present invention also targets a method for manufacturing the mat 12 implemented by the L_FAB manufacturing line. This manufacturing method includes, in particular, the first manufacturing step already described above with reference to FIG. 1, and steps implemented as part of the above crosslinking method.

Claims

1. A cross-linking system (SYS_R) for a continuous mat of mineral fibers and / or vegetable fibers, having a cross-linking furnace (14) for said mat comprising at least one heating box, each heating box being connected to a combustion chamber, said cross-linking system having a so-called "injection" system (SYS_I) arranged outside the cross-linking furnace and configured to inject hot air into at least one combustion chamber of the heating box, and the hot air thus injected replacing a predetermined proportion of the hot air generated by at least one burner attached to said at least one combustion chamber, characterized cross-linking system (SYS_R).

2. The cross-linking system (SYS_R) according to claim 1, wherein said proportion is 2% to 40%, for example 5% to 30%, more particularly 5% to 20%, or even 7% to 20%, or preferably 5% to 15%, even more preferably 10% to 15%.

3. The cross-linking system (SYS_R) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein said injection system (SYS_I) has heating means, for example electric heating means (80), configured to heat ambient air to a predetermined temperature.

4. The cross-linking system (SYS_R) according to claim 3, wherein said predetermined temperature is 350°C to 1000°C, for example 500°C to 1000°C, more particularly 700°C to 800°C, even more particularly substantially equal to 750°C.

5. The cross-linking system (SYS_R) according to claim 3 or 4, wherein said heating means has at least one electric battery with an output of 100 kW to 900 kW, more particularly 500 kW to 700 kW, for example substantially equal to 600 kW.

6. The cross-linking system (SYS_R) according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein air preheated by said injection system is supplied.

7. The cross-linking system (SYS_R) according to claim 6, wherein at least a part of said preheated air comes from a glass melting furnace and / or corresponds to high-temperature recovered air.

8. The cross-linking system (SYS_R) according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein said injection system is connected to a high-temperature air emergency exhaust (100) arranged between said injection system (SYS_I) and said cross-linking furnace (14).

9. The crosslinking system (SYS_R) according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the injection system (SYS_I) is configured to inject hot air from outside the crosslinking furnace (14).

10. The crosslinking system (SYS_R) according to any one of claims 1 to 9, having a hot air supply line (70) disposed between a hot air source disposed outside the crosslinking furnace (14) and the at least one combustion chamber, wherein the injection system (SYS_I) is disposed therebetween.

11. A production line (L_FAB) for a continuous mat of mineral fibers and / or vegetable fibers, comprising a fiberizing unit (1) for the continuous mat of mineral fibers and / or vegetable fibers, a conveyor for transporting the mat, and a crosslinking system (SYS_R) according to any one of claims 1 to 10.

12. A method for crosslinking a continuous mat of mineral fibers and / or vegetable fibers, wherein the method is carried out by a crosslinking system (SYS_R) according to any one of claims 1 to 10.

13. A method for producing a continuous mat of mineral fibers and / or vegetable fibers, wherein the method is carried out by the production line (L_FAB) according to claim 11.

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