Arrangement for preparing hot compressed air of reduced moisture content suitable for use in operation of blast furnace

An arrangement for preparing hot compressed air of a reduced moisture content suitable for use in operation of a blast furnace, comprising a conventional blower designed for use in the operation of a blast furnace and one or more conventional hot air furnaces, said blower and said hot air furnaces being so arranged that a passage of air to be supplied to said blast furnace is adapted to be formed from said blower via said hot air furnaces to said blast furnace, characterized in that into the air passage located between said blower and said hot air furnaces there are incorporated:

• a dehydrater assembly comprising a gas permeable rotor containing a regenerative hygroscopic substance impregnated therein and at least one cooler for condensing the moisture in the air, said assembly further comprising, said assembly further comprising a generally cylindrical casing, spaced parallel partition plates for dividing the inside space of said casing into regenerating and dehydrating zones, said rotor being rotatably mounted so as to radially extend across approximately the full cross-sections of both regenerating and dehydrating zones;
• a heat exchanger arranged so that all of hot compressed air coming from said blower may transfer its sensible heat to dehydrated air coming from said dehydrater assembly;
• means for passing the air leaving said heat exchanger to said regenerating zone so as to pass it through the rotor in said regenerating zone;
• said cooler being arranged so that it may cool air which has passed through said rotor in said regenerating zone;
• means for passing a stream of the air, which has passed through said cooler and said rotor in said dehydrating zone, to said heat exchanger;
• and
• whereby all the air to be introduced into said hot air furnaces is caused to pass through said dehydrater assembly and heat exchanger, and be dehydrated.

An arrangement for preparing hot compressed air of a reduced moisture content suitable for use in operation of a blast furnace, comprising a conventional blower designed for use in the operation of a blast furnace and one or more conventional hot air furnaces, said blower and said hot air furnaces being so arranged that a passage of air to be supplied to said blast furnace is adapted to be formed from said blower via said hot air furnaces to said blast furnace, characterized in that into the air passage located between said blower and said hot air furnaces there are incorporated:

• a dehydrater assembly comprising a gas permeable rotor containing a regenerative hygroscopic substance impregnated therein and at least two coolers for condensing the moisture in the air, said assembly further comprising a generally cylindrical casing, spaced parallel partition plates for dividing the inside space of said casing into regenerating and dehydrating zones, said rotor being rotatably mounted so as to radially extend across approximately the full cross-sections of both regenerating and dehydrating zones;
• a heat exchanger arranged so that a part of hot compressed air coming from said blower may transfer its sensible heat to the dehydrated air coming from said dehydrater assembly;
• means for passing the remainder of the hot compressed air coming from said blower to said regenerating zone so as to pass it through the rotor in said regenerating zone;
• means for passing said part of the hot compressed air leaving said heat exchanger, after having transferred its sensible heat to the dehydrated air, to said dehydrating zone so as to pass it through the rotor in said dehydrating zone;
• one of said coolers being arranged so that it may cool air which has passed through the rotor in said regenerating zone;
• the other of said coolers being arranged so that it may cool air which is to pass through the rotor in said dehydrating zone;
• and
• means for combining a stream of the dehydrated air which has passed through the rotor in said dehydrating zone with a stream of the dehydrated air which has passed through said first-mentioned cooler and for passing the combined stream of dehydrated air to said heat exchanger, whereby all the air to be introduced into said hot air furnaces is caused to pass through said dehydrater assembly and heat exchanger, and be dehydrated.