Furnace stave

A furnace stave comprising:

• a main stave body comprising a front face having stave channels, wherein the stave channels have stave channel walls, the stave channels being configured to receive a plurality of refractory bricks that extend away from the stave channel walls;
• a plurality of internal channels or conduits for circulating cooling fluid through the stave;
• an inlet and an outlet channel associated with each internal channel or conduit;
• wherein one of the internal channels or conduits is disposed in a protrusion from the stave;
• wherein the protrusion is located at a top of the stave and further comprises an outermost surface that is coplanar with the stave channel walls and opposite from at least one of the inlet channel or the outlet channel;
• wherein the cooling fluid circulating through the internal channel or conduit disposed in the protrusion is configured to cool such protrusion to an extent necessary to form a gummy slag accretion on a surface of the protrusion and not to over cool the same such that the accretion is brittle and susceptible to breaking off of the protrusion;
• and
• wherein when the stave channels receive the refractory bricks, the protrusion;
• extends away from the stave channel walls at least as far as the refractory bricks.