Abstract: A pair of metallurgical vessels are each coupled by a gas collecting hood having a movable skirt to a gas cleaning system which includes an exhaust fan and a quencher and scrubber each having flow varying means. Each vessel is surrounded by an enclosure having an access door toward which the open upper end of the vessel may be tilted for receiving a metal charge. A secondary gas collecting hood is disposed in each enclosure above the access door for creating an indraft when the door is open. A valve system permits the selective connection of the secondary hood of one enclosure to the fan of the other to increase the indraft during furnace charging, sampling and pouring.

Abstract: An open-topped vessel for converting molten ferrous metal to steel is pivotal about a horizontal axis and has bottom tuyeres for blowing oxygen or other gases upwardly through molten metal. An enclosure at least partially surrounds the vessel and has a top opening to permit a primary smoke hood to prevent the escape of pollutants when the vessel is in its vertical position. An auxiliary hood is disposed above an access door and is provided in the enclosure laterally of the vessel tilt axis. An elevatable auxiliary smoke hood is disposed in surrounding relation to the smoke hood for sealing the top opening.

Abstract: An open-topped, refractory lined converter vessel has a plurality of tap openings and is supported on a trunnion ring by means of an adapter which is coupled to the vessel mounting brackets. A plurality of retention members are supported in the trunnion ring for vertical movement into and out of equispaced openings in the trunnion ring top flange and the adapter. A plurality of releasably engagable key members are adapted to engage the adapter and the pins for securing the adapter to the trunnion ring. A plurality of bottom brackets are slidably mounted on the trunnion ring for movement into and out of engagement with the vessel for additional support when the latter is tilted. A lift mechanism is provided for elevating the vessel and rotating the same to an alternate position whereupon after reconnection, a different one of the tap openings is positioned to have molten metal poured therefrom.

Abstract: An existing basic oxygen type top-blown steel converter vessel is transformed into a bottom-blown type where gases and finely divided materials may be blown into the vessel through tuyeres in its side wall and in its bottom. The existing trunnion shafts on which the existing vessel is supported for tilting are bored at the installation site to provide a plurality of passageways for conducting finely divided materials, gases and cooling water to the various tuyeres and to the trunnion ring which supports the vessel, respectively. Special multipurpose rotary joints are used to connect the tiltable vessel to sources of the gases and finely divided materials.

Abstract: The mouth of a metal refining vessel has a primary gas collection hood supported over it. A duct couples the hood to a gas cleaning quencher which is serially connected by a duct to a wet scrubber. A fan draws gases and suspended particulates through the system and discharges the effluent from the scrubber to a stack which burns the gas in the atmosphere. A secondary gas collection hood is supported over the first hood. The secondary hood has a duct which connects into the gas cleaning system intermediate the quencher and the scrubber. A bell damper connects the duct from the secondary hood into the intermediate duct. When the vessel is tilted away from the primary hood, the damper is opened so that gases escaping from the mouth of the vessel may be captured by the secondary hood and passed through the gas cleaning system. The secondary hood has a chain curtain which yields to allow a ladle or scrap charging box to swing over the vessel mouth when it is tilted.

Abstract: An open topped vessel for converting molten ferrous metal to steel is pivotal about a horizontal axis and has bottom tuyeres for blowing oxygen or other gases upwardly through molten metal contained therein. An enclosure at least partially surrounds the vessel and cooperates with a smoke hood to prevent the escape of pollutants when the vessel is in a generally vertical gas blowing position. The vessel is pivotable about a horizontal axis to position its open top adjacent an access door in the enclosure whereby the vessel may be charged with hot metal from a ladle or with scrap from a charging chute. A pair of bumpers are positioned adjacent the access door support beams to prevent damage thereto by the charging apparatus.

Abstract: A tuyere assembly for use in metallurgical vessels includes a tubular metallic tuyere housing which is cast in a block of refractory material. When the tuyere block is installed in a metallurgical vessel, a tuyere is inserted within the tubular tuyere housing and the space between the tuyere assembly and the housing sealed with a suitable refractory material. After a significant portion of the tuyere assembly has burned away during metallurgical operations, the tuyere may be withdrawn from the tuyere housing and a new tuyere substituted. Any refractory lining which has burned away in the vicinity of the new tuyere may be built up with a chemically bonded gunning mixture which sets to form a dense refractory material around the tuyere assembly.

Abstract: A lance port seal for BOF vessel gas collecting hoods includes a pair of seal portions each having registrable semi-circular openings for receiving an oxygen lance therethrough. A support assembly mounts the seal members above the lance port for limited two-dimensional movement in a plane generally normal to the axis of the lance. The seal portions are also pivotally mounted on the support assembly for movement toward and away from the other member for permitting insertion and removal of the lance and for re-establishing the seal after the lance is in position.

Abstract: An electric furnace supply transformer is inside of a room or vault where roof beams extend in cantilever fashion over a wall of the vault. Secondary buses from the transformer extend through clearance holes in the wall and engage with vertical posts that are supported on and electrically isolated from the cantilever beams. The posts have terminal members for connecting with the buses and with cables leading to the electric furnace electrodes.

Abstract: A gas collector hood is located close to the mouth of a converter vessel and has a diameter which is not much greater than the mouth of the vessel. A mixture of oxygen together with entrained powdered materials based on process requirements and a hydrocarbon fluid as cooling agent are blown through tuyeres in the bottom of the vessel and diffuse through the hot metal in the vessel. The inherently finer dust produced from the bottom-blown oxygen process requires that for proper air pollution control a non-combustion system be used to take advantage of the increased agglomerating properties of iron oxides when produced in reducing atmospheres. When blowing is initiated in this process carbon monoxide and hydrogen evolve immediately and in order to render the gases inert, air is aspirated into the gas collector hood so that an inert gas plug is formed which purges the exhaust system of combustion air.

Abstract: A concrete press has an upper movable platen and a lower fixed platen. Hydraulic cylinders are interposed between the upper platen and frames of the press which extend horizontally over this platen. A mold shaped as a concrete building panel is filled with high water-to-cement ratio concrete and is introduced between the platens for pressing. The mold has collapsible interleaving sides. Lateral hydrostatic pressure on the short ends of the molds is resisted with hydraulic rams. Hydrostatic pressure against the long sides of the molds is resisted by hydraulically positioned wedges which are interposed between the mold sides and the frames which contain the platens and cylinders. Means which are responsive to the cylinder positions are provided for maintaining all parts of the movable platen level during the compacting process. The mold sections are prevented from collapsing inadvertently with magnet means.

Abstract: A water cooled, off-gas collecting hood is adapted to be disposed above the open end of a metallurgical vessel into which oxygen and a hydrocarbon shielding fluid are blown through submerged tuyeres. The hood includes an elbow section at its upper end for being coupled to an obliquely downwardly extending conduit communicating with the inlet of a gas cleaning system. A water cooled flow divider is disposed across the elbow and between the upper end of the vessel and the top of the elbow for dividing into upper and lower flow paths the gases discharging from the vessel and which are redirected in the elbow laterally to the conduit.

Abstract: A coolant fluid chamber is affixed to the shell of an electric arc furnace to cool and decrease erosion of the refractory lining of the furnace caused by localized heating and arc flaring. The wall of the cooling chamber adjacent the furnace shell comprises a diaphragm or sheet of flexible material which is subject to deformation when the space between it and the furnace shell is evacuated and the sheet is pressed. The interface between the diaphragm and shell is coated with a flowable or deformable heat conductive material prior to attachment of the chamber to the furnace so that this material will flow into any void spaces in the interface to thereby enhance thermal conduction.

Abstract: A converter 10 having horizontally exiting trunnion pins which are subject to side loading. A pair of bearings support the trunnion pins for rotation and a thrust bearing assembly is connected to the terminal end of one of the trunnion pins and is mounted independently of the pair of bearings. The thrust bearing is mounted for movement in a circular path about the axis of the one trunnion pin to permit misalignment thereof.

Abstract: An electric arc furnace pivotable between a first position wherein a gas delivery tuyere system is above the level of a metal charge for preheating the same and a second position wherein the tuyere system is below the level of metal charge to permit the injection of gases, fluxes, ores, alloying additions and other materials for converting a metal charge. A first furnace hood is engageable with the furnace when in its first position for positioning electrodes in the furnace and a second hood is engageable with the furnace when in its second position for withdrawing gases evolved during the gas blowing period.

Abstract: The flue gases from a steel refining furnace or vessel are delivered to a gas cleaning system in which the dust is removed and collected in slurry form. The slurry is dried and reduced to dust again after which it is delivered to a storage vessel. The dust is transported pneumatically from the storage vessel to tuyeres in the steel refining vessel and thereby injected back into the molten metal within the vessel. The dust is rich in iron oxide and contributes to the steel yield from the refining vessel.

Abstract: A converter vessel bottom handling device having a frame adapted to be supported on a car and which in turn supports a bilaterally movable support table. Four double acting hydraulic lift cylinders are mounted on the support table for vertically moving a lift table upon which is mounted a tilt table adapted to engage and support a converter vessel bottom. A first and second plurality of hydraulic cylinders are coupled to the tilt table for tilting the same relative to the horizontal plane and for rotating said table about a central vertical axis. A set of lugs affixed to the tilt table are provided to be keyed to mating lugs on the vessel bottom for exerting a downward breakaway force on the vessel bottom through the use of the lift cylinders when removal of the bottom becomes necessary.In an alternate embodiment, a plurality of jacks are provided on the vessel bottom for exerting a breakaway force between the vessel and vessel bottom assembly.