Abstract: A method for producing hydrogen and/or other gases from steel plant wastes and waste heat is disclosed. The method comprises the steps of providing molten waste from steel plant like molten slag in a reactor. The molten slag is contacted with water and/or steam in the presence of a reducing agent to form a stream of hydrogen and/or other gases. The hydrogen and/or other gases can then be extracted from the stream of gases from the reactor.

Abstract: A process for producing direct reduced iron (DRI) from iron ores, utilizing a gas produced from fossil fuels, particularly coal, containing sulfur compounds and BTX, wherein said gas is heated in a gas heater, preferably of the regenerative type, wherein heat is transferred from a previously-heated solid material to the gas produced from coal. The hot gas is caused to flow through a bed of DRI particles, iron oxides or other equivalent material, outside of the reduction reactor, where said material adsorbs sulfur compounds and the BTX are destroyed. The gas resulting from this treatment, free from sulfur compounds and BTX, is combined with a reducing gas stream withdrawn from the reduction reactor after H2O and CO2 have at least partially have been removed for regenerating its reducing potential, with or without undergoing a previous cleaning treatment, is used for producing DRI.

Abstract: Integrated process, in which pure carbonyl iron powder (CIP) is prepared by decomposition of pure iron pentacarbonyl (IPC) in a plant A, carbon monoxide (CO) liberated in the decomposition of the IPC is used in plant A for the preparation of further CIP from iron or is fed to an associated plant B for the preparation of synthesis gas or is fed to an associated plant C for the preparation of hydrocarbons from synthesis gas, and the CIP prepared in plant A is used as catalyst or catalyst component in an associated plant C for the preparation of hydrocarbons from synthesis gas from plant B.

Abstract: A process for producing hot metal includes partially reducing granular raw materials containing iron oxide with a carbonaceous reducing agent in a fluidized bed reactor at a temperature of at least 850° C. so as to obtain a reduced mixture. The reduced mixture is cooled to between 600° C. and 800° C. in a heat exchanger apparatus using a preheated process gas as a cooling medium that is preheated to between 300° C. and 500° C. before being introduced into the heat exchanger apparatus. The reduced mixture is then supplied to a smelting reduction unit via a discharge system.

Abstract: An indurating furnace has a heating station and an air passage leading to the heating station. A draft of preheated recirculation air is driven through the passage toward the heating station, and is mixed with fuel gas to form a combustible mixture of preheated recirculation air and fuel gas that ignites in the passage. This is accomplished by injecting the fuel gas into the passage in a stream that does not form a combustible mixture with the preheated recirculation air before entering the passage.

Abstract: A hearth furnace for producing metallic iron material has a furnace housing having a drying/preheat zone, a conversion zone, a fusion zone, and optionally a cooling zone, the conversion zone is between the drying/preheat zone and the fusion zone. A moving hearth is positioned within the furnace housing. A hood or separation barrier within at least a portion of the conversion zone, fusion zone or both separates the fusion zone into an upper region and a lower region with the lower region adjacent the hearth and the upper region adjacent the lower region and spaced from the hearth. An injector introduces a gaseous reductant into the lower region adjacent the hearth. A combustion region may be formed above the hood or separation barrier.

Abstract: An indurating furnace has a heating station and an air passage leading to the heating station. A draft of preheated recirculation air is driven through the passage toward the heating station, and is mixed with fuel gas to form a combustible mixture of preheated recirculation air and fuel gas that ignites in the passage. This is accomplished by injecting the fuel gas into the passage in a stream that does not form a combustible mixture with the preheated recirculation air before entering the passage.

Abstract: The invention relates to an installation for soldering or for heat-treating workpieces (1) under a protective gas atmosphere, comprising a workpiece transportation apparatus (2), comprising an entrance (3) into the installation and an exit (4) out of the installation, comprising a combustion-gas or heating-gas stream (B) which is conducted separately from the protective-gas stream (S) and brings the protective-gas stream (S) to operating temperature, and comprising an insulating means (5) which surrounds the installation. A considerable amount of energy is saved in that, according to the invention, the combustion-gas or heating-gas stream (B) and the protective-gas stream (S) have approximately corresponding heat capacities and can be conducted through the installation in counterflow. The invention also proposes a process which is favourable in terms of energy.

Abstract: The invention pertains to the heating of a metal strip, and relates to equipment for heating a metal strip that comprises a pre-heating housing provided with a device for projecting hot gases towards the strip, a heating housing with regenerative burners, a duct for discharging the gases from the heating housing, a three-way adjustable valve and an adjustment device including a sensor for detecting the setpoint temperature of the metal strip and a member for adjusting the three-way valve so that it can adjust the amount of hot gases fed to the projection device. The invention can be used in equipment for heating narrow strips before annealing the same.

Abstract: A center backfire inner heat regenerative energy saving high efficiency furnace and tank integration reduction furnace system comprises a furnace section and a heating section. The furnace section includes a reduction tank, a material inlet door, a magnesium crystal collecting machine, and a residue exhaust pipe. The reduction tank includes a tank body, a centre combustion room, and plural fume exhaust pipes. The material inlet door is connected to a material charging room between the center combustion room and the tank body, and the magnesium crystal collecting machine is provided with a crystal cover communicating with the material charging room, and a water recycling condensation equipment outside the crystal cover. The residue exhaust pipe is connected to the material charging room and provided with a residue exhaust door and a water dispersing heat separating cover. The heating section includes a burner connected to the center combustion room.

Abstract: Systems and methods for use in processing raw material (e.g., iron bearing material) include a linear furnace apparatus extending along a longitudinal axis between a charging end and a discharging end (e.g., the linear furnace apparatus includes at least a furnace zone positioned along the longitudinal axis). Raw material is provided into one or more separate or separable containers (e.g., trays) at the charging end of the linear furnace apparatus. The separate or separable containers are moved through at least the furnace zone and to the discharging end where the processed material is discharged resulting in one or more empty containers. One or more of the empty containers are returned to the charging end of the linear furnace apparatus to receive further raw material.

Abstract: An apparatus for manufacturing fine particles includes a reactor; a first inlet part including at least one port introducing a reactive gas flow containing a fine particle source material; a second inlet part including at least one port introducing a diluting gas flow; a heater exciting the fine particle source material in the reactive gas flow; a first plate including through-holes which substantially equalize a flow rate of the reactive gas flow with respect to a cross section of a flow channel; a second plate including through-holes which substantially equalize a flow rate of the diluting gas flow with respect to a cross section of a flow channel; a gas exhaust port provided in a merging region where the reactive gas flow passed through the first plate and the diluting gas flow passed through the second plate are merged; and a collector which collects fine particles.

Abstract: The invention concerns a method for iron reduction to make sponge iron which consists in: depositing a feed of iron ore on a grate and moving the grate so as to cause the feed to pass in at least three different zones; inputting gases, called input gases into one or several zones, including a hot gaseous carbonaceous reducing agent, and forcing said input gases through the ore located on the grate; and capturing the gases resulting from said forced passage, called output gases. The passage of the input gases brings the ore to a temperature ranging between 850° C. and 1300° C.; maintaining said feed at said temperature until an iron ore metallizing rate ranging between 60% and 100% is obtained. The feed deposited on the grate consists of either iron ore calibrated between 5 mm and 40 mm, or iron ore pellets having a diameter ranging between 5 mm and 20 mm, or iron ore granules of size between 2 mm and 10 mm, and the thickness of the deposited layer ranges between 150 mm and 600 mm.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a high energy-saving process for preheating and carburation of directly reduced iron (DRI) to be conveyed to a melting process, by using melting furnace off-gas, which is characterized by a high temperature and a high CO-content.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a high energy-saving process for preheating and final reduction of directly reduced iron (DRI) to be conveyed to a melting process, by using melting furnace off-gas, which is characterized by a high temperature and a high CO-content.

Abstract: An endogenerator is provided in which CO and H.sub.2 are generated as primary products of hydrocarbon oxidation. The reactor is a compact reactor and operates autothermally without auxiliary heating means.

Abstract: A twin-cell furnace for process stream preheat and utility steam superheat. The furnace uses a pair of vertical radiant cells with top supported, bottom guided, single row, multiple pass vertical coils fired on opposite sides by floor-mounted burners. An overhead convection section is centered between the radiant cells. Induced and forced draft fans are placed over the convection section to draw combustion gas into the stack and supply air through an air preheater, between the convection section and the stack, and to the floor burners and supplemental convection section burners. Additional convection coils are positioned in the hip section between the radiant cells and the convection section. The furnace design has reduced plot space requirements, increased flexibility in heating multiple services, and allows more even heating of the radiant tubes, and easier radiant tube replacement.

Abstract: An apparatus for magnetic annealing of amorphous metal alloy cores. The apparatus includes a fluidized bed for heating the core, a conveyor for transporting the core and immersing the core in the fluidized bed and at least one winding for applying a magnetic field to the core. The apparatus can include a chill bath and/or a second fluidized bed for cooling the core. A chamber can be provided between the two fluidized beds for slow cooling the core by convection and radiation prior to cooling the core at a faster rate in the second fluidized bed.

Abstract: A method of heat treating an amorphous metal alloy by immersing the alloy in a fluidized bed to heat the alloy to a temperature below its recrystallization temperature. The alloy is maintained in the fluidized bed for a time sufficient to reduce internal stresses While minimizing crystal growth and nucleation of crystallites in the alloy. Then, the alloy is removed from the fluidized bed and cooled. A magnetic field can be applied to the alloy before, during or after heating the alloy in the fluidized bed. The magnetic field is applied for a time sufficient to achieve substantial magnetic domain alignment while minimizing crystal growth and nucleation of crystallites in the alloy. The cooling step is effective to maintain the magnetic domain alignment in the alloy. The cooling step can be performed with a chill bath or a fluidized bed which is cooled by a circulating gas such as nitrogen or air. The alloy can be slowly cooled by convection and radiation after it is removed from the first fluidized bed.

Abstract: A hot-blast main for a hot-blast stove system of a blast furnace has a refractory structure comprising a plurality of courses of refractory bricks. At least a first one of the courses has at least one part thereof comprised of a plurality of expansion-joint forming bricks whose dimensions and arrangement are such that, in the cold condition of the hot blast main, there are provided radial expansion joints between the expansion-joint forming bricks and at least one adjacent part of the hot-blast main. At least some of the expansion-joint forming bricks of the first course are placed radially staggered relative to at least one adjacent such brick in each case, so that the expansion joints are provided at both the radially inner side and the radially outer side of said first course. This construction accommodates differential thermal expansions and provides good stability of the structure.

Abstract: Process and apparatus for the rapid efficient melting of solid ferrous metal scrap without direct exposure to water vapor, carbon dioxide, oxygen or oxygen-containing gases, using natural gas and/or other caloric gaseous fuels. The apparatus includes a furnace having a refractory base, means for introducing ferrous metal such as solid steel scrap to the wall area, means for providing a slag layer over the solid steel scrap, and gas burner means for emitting one or more forced gas flames for superheating the slag layer to a liquid which covers the scrap and for agitating and circulating the molten slag to form a highly-efficient heat-transfer medium for melting and refining the steel scrap while it is insulated against contact with gases, particularly water vapor, carbon dioxide, oxygen or oxygen-containing gases. The process may operate continuously and can recover heat for scrap preheating, turbine power and other efficient uses.

Abstract: The installation comprises mainly a reactor (1) for the gasification of powdered coal on a bath (2) of liquid iron, a cooling flue (9) constituting a boiler connecting the outlet of the reactor (1) to a vapor superheater (11) fed with vapor (26) issuing from the boiler, a dust-removing cyclone (13) connected to the outlet of the superheater (11), a thermal exchanger (14) connected to the outlet of the cyclone (13) in which a drying fluid (31, 32)is heated by thermal exchange with the combustible gas, a conditioning tower (16) connected to the outlet of the thermal exchanger, the conditioning tower being connected to a dry electrofilter (17) which feeds a storage gasometer (20) through a three-way valve (21). The heated drying fluid (32) and the vapor (28,30) issuing from the superheater (11) are employed in the installation for preparing and conveying the fuel and the comburent fed to the reactor.

Abstract: A method of heating gases for combustion, operating turbines, and heating of a material and the like comprises the steps of providing a melt deposited in a vessel including two vessel elements and selected from the group consisting of a metal, a slag which is a mixture of metal oxides and nonmetal oxides, and a metal and a slag, supplying coal, air, fluxes and hot flue gases into the melt, passing the flue gases leaving the melt through a gas heater, passing a gas to be heated through one of the vessel elements, circulating the melt between the vessel elements, and supplying the gas which has been heated during passing through the one vessel element, to a gas consumer.

Abstract: A method of and an apparatus for heating, melting and production of gaseous fuel include supplying air, coal, steam into a melt. The melt contains elements readily oxidized by air. These elements produce oxides readily reduced by carbon. The overall results of the reactions of elements oxidation and reduction consist in the production of CO containing gas and evolving heat. The heat evolved is extracted from the melt by submergence of solid to be heated into the melt, by injection of heated gases into molten slag, by heat exchange between the wall confining the melt and gas, liquid or solid to be heated, or by conversion of steam into H.sub.2 and CO.

Abstract: A tuyere for injecting hot reducing gases into a furnace is provided with an inlet pipe and a plasma oven whose gas outlet axis is inclined to the longitudinal axis of the tuyere. The angles which the outlet axis of the plasma oven and the inlet pipe form with the said longitudinal axis are such that the longitudinal axis is parallel to the vector sum of the amount of movement of the gases from the plasma oven and the inlet pipe respectively .

Abstract: A cupola for the melting of metal is provided with an auxiliary gas generator which supplies through the forehearth hot carbon monoxide rich gas to the bottom of the cupola as a source of heat. The heat of the gases maintains the cupola hearth and forehearth hot. Ordinary coal, or coke breeze or any other carbonaceous fuel may be burned in the generator. Additionally, the cupola may be allowed to go to zero output without cooling off.

Abstract: A crucible furnace for high-temperature melting of metals or other materials which includes a capped vessel for serving as a crucible to hold a charge of material to be melted, a solid baffle surrounding and closely spaced from the vessel to form a restricted passageway and a refractory wall surrounding and widely spaced from the baffle to form a combustion chamber. Fuel is supplied at the base of the combustion chamber and mixed with air preheated by a compact internal recuperator operative from exhaust gases exiting the restricted passageway. The fuel is burned in the combustion chamber, heating the baffle which in turn radiates heat to the vessel containing the charge. Several of the elements forming the combustion and heat transfer system also serve as structural elements providing rigid support to internal components when the furnace is upright and when it is tilted to pour off melt.

Abstract: A fuel-fired furnace for melting metal in a more efficient manner, the furnace having a burner with its combustion air being preheated by passage through an air chamber between spaced inner and outer walls of the furnace jacket and by passage through a heat exchanger through which waste combustion products pass. The jacket is double insulated and the burner is cooled by a special arrangement.

Abstract: Use of a shaft kiln in continuous smelting and refining of cement copper is made possible with a mix preheater, a refined gas preheater, an air preheater, an air mix feeder and forehearths for cement oxidation and reduction, and wherein oxidation is achieved by injecting oxidant gases and reduction by injecting preheated petroleum gas, subsequent to having placed a layer of charcoal on the smelt.

Abstract: A cover for the ignition frame of a sintering apparatus is disclosed wherein the cover includes an enclosed space through which combustion air for the substantially horizontally disposed burners of the sintering apparatus is conducted. Combustion air delivered from a blower flows via a pipe to a central portion of the cover and into the enclosed space where it is preheated and cools the cover and thence flows to insulated pipes connected with the burners. In an alternate embodiment, two enclosed spaces are formed in the cover arranged in the direction of travel of a conveyor belt carrying the product to be sintered. The space arranged in the downstream direction of travel of the belt is provided with burners and the upstream space is provided with combustion air pipes.

Abstract: Use of a shaft kiln in continuous smelting and refining of cement copper is made possible with a mix preheater, a refined gas preheater, an air preheater, an air mix feeder and forehearths for cement oxidation and reduction, and wherein oxidation is achieved by injecting oxidant gases and reduction by injecting preheated petroleum gas, subsequent to having placed a layer of charcoal on the smelt.

Abstract: A reverberatory furnace which has an external passage for recycling hot exhaust gases from the furnace chamber back to the main burner port, means for introducing additional air or oxygen into the recycling passage, and a main burner which supplies fuel plus up to 50 percent of the air or oxygen required for total combustion into the furnace chamber so that the air or oxygen added to the recycling passage is thereby preheated by the exhaust gases and mixes with the fuel-rich mixture from the burner to provide complete combustion of the exhaust gases while simultaneously reducing the cost of the fuel requirement because of the preheating effect of the exhaust gases on the additional supply of air or oxygen.

Abstract: A method of increasing the blast temperature in a shaft furnace, characterized in that the blast gas entirely or partially is passed through a plasma.