Patents by Inventor Charles STEICHEN

Charles STEICHEN has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 11542565
    Abstract: A charging system for a shaft smelt reduction furnace includes a frame structure for mounting on a top charge opening of a shaft smelt reduction vessel; a center shaft arrangement supported by the frame structure and for removing off-gas gases from the furnace and to introduce granular charge materials to form a stack of materials in the furnace. The center shaft arrangement includes a center hood for off-gas extraction; a pair of first and second feed channels for first and second materials. The center hood includes a pair of facing off-gas panels defining an off-gas channel. The partition walls include lower portions that extend towards each other below the center hood to define a center feed passage, whereby material descending through the first feed channels may accumulate on lower portions according to the angle of repose of the material, permitting self-adjustment of the first material stock-line in the shaft arrangement.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 6, 2018
    Date of Patent: January 3, 2023
    Assignee: PAUL WURTH S.A.
    Inventors: Patrick Hutmacher, Stefan Schons, Charles Steichen, Michel Houbart
  • Publication number: 20220325367
    Abstract: A skip hoist of a blast furnace includes a winch system. In order to provide an improved drive system for a skip hoist of a blast furnace, the winch system includes a winch drum, rotatably mounted about a drum axis; at least three drive motors; and a transmission for transferring a drive force from each of the drive motors to the winch drum. The skip hoist further relates to a blast furnace.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 7, 2020
    Publication date: October 13, 2022
    Inventors: Patrick HUTMACHER, Charles STEICHEN, Joe MUNHOVEN
  • Publication number: 20220290922
    Abstract: A valve for a PCI system of a blast furnace including a valve housing with an inlet opening, an outlet opening and a maintenance opening, a maintenance door that is adapted to close the maintenance opening in an operating position during operation of the valve and that is removable from the maintenance opening into a maintenance position, a valve member movably mounted to the maintenance door, wherein, when the maintenance door is in the operating position, the valve member is movable between a closed position for closing the valve and an open position, and, when the maintenance door is in the maintenance position, the valve member is accessible from outside the valve housing.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 23, 2020
    Publication date: September 15, 2022
    Inventors: Patrick HUTMACHER, Charles STEICHEN
  • Patent number: 11306827
    Abstract: The invention relates to a slide valve (20) having a slide valve plate (32) movable in a slide valve rail (29) between a locked position and an open position in a slide valve casing (26), said slide valve rail (29) being provided with a slide valve seal for attaining a gas-proof locked position, said slide valve rail (29) being connected to the slide valve casing (26) via a flange connection in such a manner that the slide valve rail (29) is removable from the slide valve casing (26) radially to a flow axis of the slide valve (20).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 9, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 19, 2022
    Assignee: TMT TAPPING-MEASURING-TECHNOLOGY SARL
    Inventors: Charles Steichen, Patrick Hutmacher
  • Patent number: 11199359
    Abstract: A sealing valve arrangement for a shaft furnace charging installation including a shutter that cooperates with a valve seat and a shutter-actuating device for moving the shutter between a closed position in sealing contact with the valve seat and an open position remote from the valve seat, where the shutter-actuating device includes a tilting shaft connected to the shutter, an electric motor with an output shaft connected to the tilting shaft, and a braking device associated with the electric motor, where the braking device is configured for, when engaged, preventing the output shaft of the electric motor from rotating, the shutter-actuating device further including a transmission means arranged between the output shaft of the electric motor and the tilting shaft, wherein the transmission means is configured for transmitting rotational movement of the output shaft of the electric motor to the tilting shaft, where the transmission means includes a backlash configured for having a predetermined amount of allow
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 8, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 14, 2021
    Assignee: PAUL WURTH S.A.
    Inventors: Charles Steichen, Patrick Hutmacher, Paul Tockert
  • Publication number: 20200318207
    Abstract: A charging system for a shaft smelt reduction furnace includes a frame structure for mounting on a top charge opening of a shaft smelt reduction vessel; a center shaft arrangement supported by the frame structure and for removing off-gas gases from the furnace and to introduce granular charge materials to form a stack of materials in the furnace. The center shaft arrangement includes a center hood for off-gas extraction; a pair of first and second feed channels for first and second materials. The center hood includes a pair of facing off-gas panels defining an off-gas channel. The partition walls include lower portions that extend towards each other below the center hood to define a center feed passage, whereby material descending through the first feed channels may accumulate on lower portions according to the angle of repose of the material, permitting self-adjustment of the first material stock-line in the shaft arrangement.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 6, 2018
    Publication date: October 8, 2020
    Inventors: Patrick HUTMACHER, Stefan SCHONS, Charles STEICHEN, Michel HOUBART
  • Publication number: 20200263794
    Abstract: The invention relates to a slide valve (20) having a slide valve plate (32) movable in a slide valve rail (29) between a locked position and an open position in a slide valve casing (26), said slide valve rail (29) being provided with a slide valve seal for attaining a gas-proof locked position, said slide valve rail (29) being connected to the slide valve casing (26) via a flange connection in such a manner that the slide valve rail (29) is removable from the slide valve casing (26) radially to a flow axis of the slide valve (20).
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 9, 2017
    Publication date: August 20, 2020
    Inventors: Charles Steichen, Patrick Hutmacher
  • Patent number: 10502491
    Abstract: A sealing valve arrangement for a shaft furnace charging installation, said arrangement comprising: a shutter arranged for cooperating with a valve seat; an integrated dual-motion shutter-actuating device for moving said shutter between a sealed closed position in sealing contact with the valve seat and an open position remote from the valve seat, said integrated dual-motion shutter-actuating device comprising: a primary motion assembly for moving said shutter from said sealed closed position to an undamped position wherein the shutter is released from the valve seat; a secondary motion assembly for tilting said shutter from said undamped position to said open position remote from the valve seat, said secondary motion assembly comprising a tilting arm carrying said shutter and connected to a tilting shaft that defines an axis of rotation and a tilting shaft actuator configured to impart an angular rotation about said axis to said tilting arm; wherein said integrated dual-motion shutter-actuating device furthe
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 6, 2016
    Date of Patent: December 10, 2019
    Assignee: PAUL WURTH S.A.
    Inventors: Patrick Hutmacher, Yves Heinen, Charles Steichen, Harald Lang, Paul Tockert
  • Publication number: 20190277567
    Abstract: A sealing valve arrangement for a shaft furnace charging installation including a shutter that cooperates with a valve seat and a shutter-actuating device for moving the shutter between a closed position in sealing contact with the valve seat and an open position remote from the valve seat, where the shutter-actuating device includes a tilting shaft connected to the shutter, an electric motor with an output shaft connected to the tilting shaft, and a braking device associated with the electric motor, where the braking device is configured for, when engaged, preventing the output shaft of the electric motor from rotating, the shutter-actuating device further including a transmission means arranged between the output shaft of the electric motor and the tilting shaft, wherein the transmission means is configured for transmitting rotational movement of the output shaft of the electric motor to the tilting shaft, where the transmission means includes a backlash configured for having a predetermined amount of allow
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 8, 2017
    Publication date: September 12, 2019
    Inventors: Charles STEICHEN, Patrick HUTMACHER, Paul TOCKERT
  • Publication number: 20180266768
    Abstract: A sealing valve arrangement for a shaft furnace charging installation, said arrangement comprising: a shutter arranged for cooperating with a valve seat; an integrated dual-motion shutter-actuating device for moving said shutter between a sealed closed position in sealing contact with the valve seat and an open position remote from the valve seat, said integrated dual-motion shutter-actuating device comprising: a primary motion assembly for moving said shutter from said sealed closed position to an undamped position wherein the shutter is released from the valve seat; a secondary motion assembly for tilting said shutter from said undamped position to said open position remote from the valve seat, said secondary motion assembly comprising a tilting arm carrying said shutter and connected to a tilting shaft that defines an axis of rotation and a tilting shaft actuator configured to impart an angular rotation about said axis to said tilting arm; wherein said integrated dual-motion shutter-actuating device furthe
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 6, 2016
    Publication date: September 20, 2018
    Inventors: Patrick HUTMACHER, Yves HEINEN, Charles STEICHEN, Harald LANG, Paul TOCKERT