Pit type sealed retort furnaces are of a cylindrical design vertically erected with a positive sealing mechanism on top in order to contain and preserve heat and atmosphere during a process cycle.The job or charge is loaded into a retort which functions as the chamber of the furnace and the retort is heated externally electrically.Pit furnaces like these are used in general engineering and metallurgical applications for carburizing, nitriding, carbonitriding, nitrocarburizing, hardening, tempering, annealing and also in process industries like coal tar processing, separation of titanium and magnesium from ore etcIn process industries these furnaces can also be used in high pressure applications with temperatures from 800C to 1200C and pressure ranging from 400mm water column to 9 bar.Temperature control, fluid dissociation, gas penetration and dosing can all be taken up for automated operation.