Patents by Inventor Ernst Fritz

Ernst Fritz 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: 6558614
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method for producing a metal melt in a metallurgical vessel, in particular an iron or steel melt, feed substances which contain metals and/or metal oxides, being charged in solid and, if appropriate, molten form into the metallurgical vessel, the main part of the energy necessary for the melting and, if appropriate, finish-reduction of the feed substances being applied electrically and/or by the combustion and/or gasification of carbon-containing materials. The invention relates, further, to multi-functional lances for use in a method according to the invention.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 1, 2001
    Date of Patent: May 6, 2003
    Assignee: Voest-Alpine Industrieanlagenbau GmbH
    Inventor: Ernst Fritz
  • Patent number: 6508853
    Abstract: To be able to produce metal melts using any metal carriers incurring in metallurgical practice as the charging materials, namely in the most diverse quantitative compositions, a plant for producing metal melts is provided with the following characteristic features: an electric arc furnace vessel (1) provided with one charging opening (11, 21) for a metal melt and/or scrap and/or direct reduced metal, in particular direct reduced iron, and/or ore and at least one electrode (16) and one slag tapping means (22), an oxygen-blowing converter vessel (3) provided with one melt tapping means (41), wherein the oxygen-blowing converter vessel (3) and the electric arc furnace vessel (1) form a unit which is connected via an overflow weir (34) and which is rigidly mounted on the foundation and, wherein the bath surface related specifically to the bath volume is smaller in the oxygen-blowing converter vessel (3) than in the electric arc furnace vessel (1) and the oxygen-blowing converter vessel (3) shares a common re
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 2001
    Date of Patent: January 21, 2003
    Assignee: Voest-Alpine Industrieanlagenbau GmbH
    Inventors: Stefan Dimitrov, Norbert Ramaseder, Wilfried Pirklbauer, Yoyou Zhai, Johannes Steins, Ernst Fritz, Johannes Müller
  • Publication number: 20020005083
    Abstract: To be able to produce metal melts using any metal carriers incurring in metallurgical practice as the charging materials, namely in the most diverse quantitative compositions, a plant for producing metal melts is provided with the following characteristic features:
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 29, 2001
    Publication date: January 17, 2002
    Applicant: Voest-Alpine Industrieanlagenbau GmbH
    Inventors: Stefan Dimitrov, Norbert Ramaseder, Wilfried Pirklbauer, Yoyou Zhai, Johannes Steins, Ernst Fritz, Johannes Muller
  • Patent number: 6264883
    Abstract: To be able to produce metal melts using any metal carriers incurring in metallurgical practice as the charging materials, namely in the most diverse quantitative compositions, a plant for producing metal melts is provided with the following characteristic features: an electric arc furnace vessel (1) provided with one charging opening (11, 21) for a metal melt and/or scrap and/or direct reduced metal, in particular direct reduced iron, and/or ore and at least one electrode (16) and one slag tapping means (22), an oxygen-blowing converter vessel (3) provided with one melt tapping means (41), wherein the oxygen-blowing converter vessel (3) and the electric arc furnace vessel (1) form a unit which is connected via an overflow weir (34) and which is rigidly mounted on the foundation and, wherein the bath surface related specifically to the bath volume is smaller in the oxygen-blowing converter vessel (3) than in the electric arc furnace vessel (1) and the oxygen-blowing converter vessel (3) shares a common re
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 1999
    Date of Patent: July 24, 2001
    Assignee: Voest-Alpine Industrieanlagenbau GmbH
    Inventors: Stefan Dimitrov, Norbert Ramaseder, Wilfried Pirklbauer, Yoyou Zhai, Johannes Steins, Ernst Fritz, Johannes Müller
  • Patent number: 6241798
    Abstract: In order to be able to process in an economical manner different iron carriers in varying quantitative compositions, a plant for the production of iron melts (4), in particular steel melts, such as crude steel melts, is equipped with an electric are furnace vessel (1), a refining vessel (3) following upon the furnace vessel (1) via a weir (34) and including a bottom departing from the weir (34) in an at least partially downwardly inclined manner and an oxygen supply means (35, 36) as well as an iron melt tap (41) provided in its end region farther remote from the furnace vessel (1), a decanting vessel (2) following upon the furnace vessel (1) and having a common bottom (18) with the furnace vessel (1), said decanting vessel being provided with a slag tap (43) in its end region farther remote from the furnace vessel (1), a supply means (21) supplying liquid pig iron (20) and opening into the furnace vessel (1), a preheating shaft (5) supplying solid iron carries (7), said preheating shaft being arranged a
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 12, 1998
    Date of Patent: June 5, 2001
    Assignee: Voest-Alpine Industrieanlagenbau GmbH
    Inventors: Stefan Dimitrov, Norbert Ramaseder, Wilfried Pirklbauer, Ernst Fritz, Heinz Müller
  • Patent number: 6172367
    Abstract: In a method for determining electromagnetic waves originating from the interior of a melt (3), in particular a metal melt, a gas-filled hollow space (26) is formed within the melt (3) by blowing in gas and electromagnetic waves emitting from the melt (3) are observed through the blown-in gas and evaluated by feeding the electromagnetic waves via an optical system (20) to a detector (22) for determining the temperature and/or chemical composition.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 19, 1998
    Date of Patent: January 9, 2001
    Assignee: Voest-Alpine Industrieanlagenbau GmbH.
    Inventors: Ernst Fritz, Norbert Ramaseder
  • Patent number: 6077324
    Abstract: In a method for producing alloyed steels, wherein in a first manufacturing step iron carriers are to a great extent decarburized and dephosphorized by means of oxygen and after removal of the slag resulting therefrom the melt is adjusted to the desired alloy and carbon content in a further manufacturing step after addition of alloy carriers by means of oxygen and inert gas.Especially in order to produce stainless steels in an economical manner while achieving a high level of productivity, in particular while charging major amounts of solids,the first manufacturing step is carried out under supply of electric energy in an electric furnace andthe further manufacturing step is also effected under supply of electric energy, in an electric furnace that is to a great extent free from phosphorus-containing slag.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 11, 1996
    Date of Patent: June 20, 2000
    Assignee: KCT Technologie GmbH
    Inventor: Ernst Fritz
  • Patent number: 5653936
    Abstract: In a method of cooling a hot surface, a liquid cooling medium is atomized by a plurality of nozzles in a hollow space surrounding the surface and open towards the atmosphere. In order to ensure uniform continuous, yet just sufficient, cooling of the hot surface, with the cooling effecting with a constant temperature as possible over an extended period of time while avoiding changing thermal expansions of the hot surface, the liquid cooling medium is continuously atomized by means of unary nozzles to a fine mist having a droplet size ranging between 4 and 60 .mu.m. The mist leaves the unary nozzles at a low speed and is moved along the hot surface within the hollow space surrounding the hot surface under utilization of the natural thermal current in the hollow space.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 25, 1995
    Date of Patent: August 5, 1997
    Assignee: Voest-Alpine Industrieanlagenbau GmbH
    Inventors: Bernhard Enkner, Ernst Fritz, Manfred Eysn, Rudolf Gruber, Peter Kickinger
  • Patent number: 5611838
    Abstract: There is disclosed a process for producing an iron melt in a reactor with current supply. In order to utilize fine-grained iron carriers in a particularly economic manner while minimizing the energy input when carrying out such process in an electric arc furnace, it is proceeded in the following manner:an iron melt is provided in the electric arc furnace,a foamed slag is provided and maintained on the iron melt,fine-grained iron carriers, such as metallurgical dusts, fine ores, iron carbide, dust from the production of directly reduced iron, scales, dried metallurgical slurries, etc., are introduced into the foamed slag continuously or discontinuously,fine-grained carbon-containing reducing agents, such as coal, coke, wood, graphite, synthetic materials, etc.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 7, 1994
    Date of Patent: March 18, 1997
    Assignee: Voest-Alpine Industrieanlagenbau GmbH
    Inventors: Ernst Fritz, Stefan Dimitrov
  • Patent number: 4827486
    Abstract: To save energy in the production of steel in an electric arc furnace while increasing the total input of energy, the employment of carbonaceous fuels and oxygen-containing gases is proposed. The oxygen or the oxygen-containing gases are led into the furnace in the upper part of the furnace through stationary top blow-in devices (4) into the space between the pitch circle of the electrodes (10) and the furnace wall (3). The resulting intense gas flow repeatedly sucks in the reaction gases arising from the scrap or the melt being formed and burns them. The heat thus set free is transferred to the scrap and/or the melt with a thermal efficiency of at least 70%. By nozzles (2) arranged below the surface of the bath, and preferably in the furnace floor, preferably oxidizing gases are led into the melt and solid materials, particularly carbonaceous fuels, are supplied to the melt through one or more hollow electrodes (6) with an abrasion-resistant cladding.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 25, 1987
    Date of Patent: May 2, 1989
    Assignee: Klockner Cra Technologie GmbH
    Inventors: Karl Brotzmann, Ernst Fritz
  • Patent number: 4702462
    Abstract: A water-cooled lance for blowing oxygen or oxygen containing gas onto a metal melt, for example an iron melt, for afterburning reaction gases from the melt and transfering the heat of afterburning back to the melt comprises a center tube forming a gas supply duct surrounded by further tubes for cooling water. The center tube leads to a head having a plurality of oxygen-blowing nozzles. Each of the nozzles has a plurality of oxygen outlet openings. The outlet openings have their centers lying on two concentric circles and are arranged so that each opening produces an individual gas stream. The axes of the outlet openings are inclined to the longitudinal axis of the lance at angles such that, in a plane perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the lance and at a distance Lh from the head, the gas streams extend over an annular area in the plane having an inside diameter Di and and outside diameter Da. Lh, Di and Da have the following relationships:Di:Lh is the range of from 0.15 to 0.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 3, 1986
    Date of Patent: October 27, 1987
    Assignee: Klockner CRA Technologie GmbH
    Inventor: Ernst Fritz
  • Patent number: 4249719
    Abstract: A tuyere for the injection of both a refining gas such as oxygen into a melting or refining vessel, and a fluid protective medium such as a hydrocarbon gas or a liquid surrounding the injected refining gas, in which there is a solid center in the pipe through which the refining gas is suplied so that the refining gas enters the refining vessel as an annulus around which the protective fluid is disposed.The tuyere is installd in the refractory lining of the refining vessel and the fluids passing into the vessel through the tuyere are proportioned so that burning back of the tuyere and erosion or wear of the lining take place at the same rate.The protective medium cools the tuyere and avoids reactions between the refining gas and the tuyere material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 7, 1975
    Date of Patent: February 10, 1981
    Assignee: Eisenwerk-Gesellschaft Maximilianshutte mbH
    Inventors: Helmut Knuppel, Karl Brotzmann, Hans-Georg Fassbinder, Ernst Fritz
  • Patent number: 4060798
    Abstract: The critical velocity at which magnetic bubbles can propagate within a matic material is increased by establishing an easy axis of magnetization within the material. This axis is either growth-induced or strain-induced. In one embodiment, the material has a curvature imparted to it which places it under a uniaxial strain and this induces the magnetic easy axis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 12, 1976
    Date of Patent: November 29, 1977
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Navy
    Inventors: Ernst Fritz Rudolf August Schloemann, Harry Jerrold Van Hook
  • Patent number: 4023781
    Abstract: This invention relates to a process for refining metals in a refining vessel, by means of a tuyere embedded in the bottom or sidewall of the vessel and through which a refining gas is blown into the vessel. The tuyere is composed of at least three concentric pipes, the refining gas being made to pass through the central pipe and a protective medium being made to pass into the vessel through the spaces between the pipes which surround the central pipe. All of the pipes except the outermost pipe which is fixedly embedded in the refractory lining of the vessel, are individually movable longitudinally into the vessel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 28, 1976
    Date of Patent: May 17, 1977
    Assignee: Eisenwerk-Gesellschaft Maximilianshutte mbH
    Inventors: Ernst Fritz, Hans Georg Fassbinder