Abstract: Methods for pretreating and improving coking coal quality for producing blast-furnace coke by: (a) rapid-heating the coal charge in a fluidized-bed to a temperature range between not lower than 300° C. and not higher than the temperature at which the coal charge begins to soften, at a rate of 30 to 103 ° C./min., (b) classifying the rapid-heated coal charge to fine- and coarse-size coal, and then (c-1) briquetting the fine-size coal or (c-2) rapid-heating the fine- and coarse-size coal individually in a pneumatic preheater to a temperature range between not lower than 300° C. and not higher than the temperature at which the coal charge begins to soften, at a rate of 103 to 105 ° C./min., and (d) forming the fine-size coal.

Abstract: A coke oven and a method of operating the same, capable not only of achieving a uniform combustion temperature heightwise within a combustion chamber when a rich gas or a lean gas is burnt, but also of reducing NOx content in the waste gas, while eliminating localized high-temperature combustion. The combustion chamber of the coke oven comprises a rich-gas port 2 located near an oven wall 6 bordering a carbonization chamber in the bottom 5 of combustion chamber, and the midpoint P3, connecting the center P2 of a lean-gas port 7 and the center P of an air port 3, is on the side opposite to the rich-gas port 2 relative to the center line CL of the combustion chamber. (See FIG.

Abstract: A blast furnace coal is produced by rapidly heating a coal blend having 10 to 30% by weight of a non-slightly-caking coal having softening initiation temperature T with the balance including a caking coal having softening initiation temperature T.sub.0 (T.sub.0 .ltoreq.T +40.degree. C.) at a rate of 1.times.10.sup.3 to 1.times.10.sup.6 .degree. C./min to a temperature region from (T -60.degree. C.) to (T +10.degree. C.) wherein T represents the softening initiation temperature of the non-slightly-caking coal; or rapidly heating a non-slightly-caking coal having softening initiation temperature T and a caking coal having softening initiation temperature T.sub.1 separately at a rate of 1.times.10.sup.3 to 1.times.10.sup.6 .degree. C./min to a temperature region from (T -100.degree. C.) to (T +10.degree. C.), wherein T represents the softening initiation temperature of the non-slightly-caking coal, or a temperature region from (T.sub.1 -100.degree. C.) to (T.sub.1 +10.degree. C.), wherein T.sub.

Abstract: A speech recognition system automatically designates a scope of a partial reference pattern. Plural reference patterns, each of which ends in each of composing frames and starts from a preceding frame, are supposed and cumulative distances at every frame are calculated. A partial reference pattern that has a minimal distance value as compared with all other partial reference patterns is taken as a partial input speech recognizing result.

Abstract: A gas passage is formed on the inner surface of an oven door of a coke oven. Combustible gas which is generated during carbonization of coal in the coke oven is introduced into the passage, an oxygen-containing gas is introduced into the gas passage from a nozzle installed on the sole plate of the door region, ingress of charged coal into the gas passage is prevented, the combustible gas is combusted in the gas passage, a decrease in temperature in the door region common in the prior art is made up for, and the carbonization of coal is thereby promoted.

Abstract: In a sloped tower type airborne drying and heating apparatus, a bulge or a neck is provided at at least one location in the inner wall of a sloped pipe for the purpose of reducing in a range of 3 to 50% the cross-section of a flow path in the pipe. Coal charged into the pipe is smoothly conveyed through the sloped pipe without dwelling in the lower portion of the pipe cross-section and thus effectively dried and heated.

Abstract: Irradiation treatment of an effluent gas by means of electron beams can be carried out efficiently by controlling the velocity and the velocity distribution of the stream of gas when it passes through a zone to be irradiated. Such control can be effected conveniently according to the present invention by first introducing the stream of gas into a velocity reduction zone and then leading it to a velocity re-accelerating and velocity distribution adjusting zone immediately before the thus adjusted stream of gas reaches the zone to be irradiated.An apparatus suitable for practicing such process is also disclosed.

Abstract: There is disclosed an apparatus for treating waste gas containing nitrogen oxides and sulfur dioxide by irradiation with electron beams with the addition of ammonia, which apparatus comprises a reactor having an inlet and an outlet for the waste gas and a window through which electron beams pass to irradiate the waste gas inside the reactor, an electron beam accelerator as a source of said electron beams and a dust collector which receives the irradiated waste gas and removes solid particles therefrom, characterized in that said apparatus further comprises two independently operating automatic controlling systems and a judging system; the first controlling system operates under normal conditions; the second controlling system operates only in the case of emergency when the judging system has detected abnormal changes with respect to the concentrations of NO.sub.x, SO.sub.2 and NH.sub.3 of the waste gas.