US 4,301,997 A · Continuous copper melting furnace

Abstract

An improved vertical furnace for melting metal pieces, such as pieces of copper cathode. The furnace has a generally round interior wall of refractory brick material which encloses a vertical melting chamber having a plurality of burner openings through the refractory wall. Heat, being injected through these openings by means of a novel burner design, melts the metal pieces under metallurgically controlled conditions. The burners are arranged near the bottom floor of the melting chamber which is sloped toward a single outlet thus allowing the molten metal to continuously drain from the melting chamber. The burners are fed a mixture of fuel and air from a plurality of remote mixing stations so as to reduce turbulence at the burners thereby significantly reducing the operating noise level and refractory wear compared to prior art furnaces. A combustion chamber between the burner and the melting chamber is provided so as to prevent entry of uncombusted fuel and/or air, thereby maintaining the closely controlled atmosphere in the melting chamber.

Claims18

Dependent claims

In a vertical shaft furnace for continuously melting pieces of copper metal, said furnace being of the type having a refractory lined wall enclosing a melting chamber, a plurality of burners affixed to said wall for injecting heat into said metal pieces, and an outlet in the bottom of said chamber for continuously discharging molten copper, the improvement comprising:

(a) a plurality of mixing means for variably combining fuel and air remotely from the burners;
(b) a plurality of manifold means for delivery of said fuel and air mixture to
(c) means for burning a premixed combustible gaseous mixture of fuel and air comprising a plurality of refractory tunnel burners of the flame retention type wherein said burners include a refractory tile combustion chamber of generally cylindrical cross-section;
and
(d) wherein each manifold means supplies relatively few burners, said arrangement comprising anti-backfire means;
and
(e) wherein the proportion of the mixing means to the aforesaid manifold means is one mixer means per manifold means.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Continuous copper melting furnace

Life of this patent

Continuous copper melting furnace

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims18