Patents by Inventor Hitoshi FUNAGANE

Hitoshi FUNAGANE 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: 11833582
    Abstract: A method for producing a metal ingot by using an electron-beam melting furnace including an electron gun and a hearth that accumulates a molten metal of a metal raw material, in which, in a downstream region between an upstream region in which the metal raw material is supplied onto the surface of the molten metal and a first side wall, an irradiation line is disposed so as to block a lip portion and so that two end portions are positioned in the vicinity of the side wall of the hearth. A first electron beam is radiated onto the surface of the molten metal along the irradiation line, such that the surface temperature (T2) of the molten metal along the irradiation line is made higher than the average surface temperature (T0) of the entire surface of the molten metal in the hearth.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 13, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 5, 2023
    Assignee: NIPPON STEEL CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hitoshi Funagane, Kenji Hamaogi
  • Publication number: 20230167517
    Abstract: A method for producing reduced iron that produces reduced iron by reducing iron oxide charged in a shaft furnace, in which a heated gas mixture which contains a reducing gas and a nitrogen gas, the reducing gas containing 90 volume % or more of a hydrogen gas, is blown into the shaft furnace from a tuyere equipped at a lower portion of a reduction zone of the shaft furnace, at least part of the reducing gas is blown into a cooling zone of the reduced iron provided at a lower portion of the shaft furnace at normal temperature, and the reducing gas that has flowed up in the cooling zone is used for reduction of the iron oxide.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 14, 2021
    Publication date: June 1, 2023
    Applicant: NIPPON STEEL CORPORATION
    Inventors: Takanobu INADA, Moritoshi MIZUTANI, Yutaka UJISAWA, Naoto YASUDA, Hitoshi FUNAGANE
  • Patent number: 11498118
    Abstract: A method for producing a metal ingot by using an electron-beam melting furnace having an electron gun and a hearth that accumulates a molten metal of a metal raw material, wherein the metal raw material is supplied to the position on a supply line disposed along a second side wall of the hearth that accumulates the molten metal of the metal raw material. A first electron beam is radiated along a first irradiation line that is disposed along the supply line and is closer to a central part of the hearth relative to the supply line on the surface of the molten metal, wherein a surface temperature (T2) of the molten metal at the first irradiation line is made higher than an average surface temperature (T0) of the entire surface of the molten metal in the hearth.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 13, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 15, 2022
    Assignee: NIPPON STEEL CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hitoshi Funagane, Kenji Hamaogi
  • Patent number: 10974316
    Abstract: A secondary cooling method and a secondary cooling device for a casting product casted in a continuous casting machine, the continuous casting machine including, in a secondary cooling zone below a mold, a plurality of pairs of support rolls that support the casting product from both sides of the casting product in a thickness direction, a cooling device being disposed between support rolls adjacent to each other along a casting direction of the continuous casting machine, the cooling device including a coolant pipe that supplies a coolant, and a coolant guide plate with a flat plate shape for spreading the coolant on the casting product, the coolant guide plate being disposed parallel to and spaced in a perpendicular direction from a surface of the casting product.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 27, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 13, 2021
    Assignee: NIPPON STEEL CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yuki Kuwauchi, Hitoshi Funagane, Satoru Hayashi
  • Publication number: 20200164432
    Abstract: A method for producing a metal ingot by using an electron-beam melting furnace including an electron gun capable of controlling a radiation position of an electron beam, and a hearth that accumulates a molten metal of a metal raw material, in which, in a downstream region between an upstream region in which the metal raw material is supplied onto the surface of the molten metal and a first side wall, an irradiation line is disposed so as to block a lip portion and so that two end portions are positioned in the vicinity of the side wall of the hearth. A first electron beam is radiated onto the surface of the molten metal along the irradiation line, and the first electron beam is radiated along the irradiation line.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 13, 2018
    Publication date: May 28, 2020
    Applicant: NIPPON STEEL CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hitoshi FUNAGANE, Kenji HAMAOGI
  • Publication number: 20200122226
    Abstract: [Problem] To provide a method for producing a metal ingot, which makes it possible to inhibit impurities contained in molten metal in a hearth from being mixed into the ingot. [Solution] A method for producing a metal ingot by using an electron-beam melting furnace having an electron gun and a hearth that accumulates a molten metal of a metal raw material, wherein the metal raw material is supplied to the position on a supply line disposed along a second side wall of the hearth that accumulates the molten metal of the metal raw material. A first electron beam is radiated along a first irradiation line that is disposed along the supply line and is closer to a central part of the hearth relative to the supply line on the surface of the molten metal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 13, 2018
    Publication date: April 23, 2020
    Applicant: NIPPON STEEL CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hitoshi FUNAGANE, Kenji HAMAOGI
  • Publication number: 20180354024
    Abstract: The present invention is a secondary cooling method and a secondary cooling device for a casting product casted in a continuous casting machine, the continuous casting machine including, in a secondary cooling zone below a mold, a plurality of pairs of support rolls that support the casting product from both sides of the casting product in a thickness direction, a cooling device being disposed between support rolls adjacent to each other along a casting direction of the continuous casting machine, the cooling device including a coolant pipe that supplies a coolant, and a coolant guide plate with a flat plate shape for spreading the coolant on the casting product, the coolant guide plate being disposed parallel to and spaced in a perpendicular direction from a surface of the casting product.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 27, 2017
    Publication date: December 13, 2018
    Applicant: NIPPON STEEL & SUMITOMO METAL CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yuki KUWAUCHI, Hitoshi FUNAGANE, Satoru HAYASHI