Moving-hearth heating furnace and method for making reduced metal agglomerates
US6790255B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Jul 12, 2002 |
| Grant date | Sep 14, 2004 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Dec 19, 2022 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC F)Mechanical Engineering; Lighting; Heating
- CPC primaryF27M2003/165
- WIPO fieldThermal processes and apparatus
- WIPO sectorMechanical engineering
Abstract
An annular rail 6 is fixed on the lower surface of a moving hearth 2, and the rail 6 is supported from below by support rollers 7 provided with elevating devices 8. The moving hearth 2 is continuously or intermittently moved downward by the elevating devices 8 depending on the thickness of a metal oxide layer formed by the deposition of powder of metal oxide agglomerates mixed into the furnace together with the metal oxide agglomerates so that a gap is provided between the surface of the metal oxide layer and the edge of the blade of a discharge screw 4 during operation. A means for preventing the formation of a metal plate and a method for operating the same are provided instead of a means and method including the vertical movement of a discharger for reduced metal, so that the maintenance work can be significantly reduced in a moving-hearth heating furnace, in which metal oxide agglomerates containing a carbonaceous material is placed on a moving hearth, the metal oxide agglomerates are heated and reduced to form reduced metal agglomerates, and the reduced metal agglomerates are discharged from the furnace by a discharger to produce reduced metal.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.