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US 4,307,987 AGranted
Shaft furnace charging apparatus
AssigneePaul Wurth S.A.
InventorsEdouard Legille, Pierre Mailliet, Rene Mahr, Pierre Mailliet
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The profile of material deposited on the hearth of a pressurized furnace is controlled by means of a charging installation including a lower charging bell which has, suspended therefrom, a variable geometry distributor which may be controlled to select the point of deposition of material delivered to the furnace. The charging bell cooperates with an intermediate storage hopper, positioned within a hermetically sealable casing, whereby the hopper may be alternately filled with material and emptied by permitting the material to fall onto the distributor via an annular opening defined when the bell is lowered.
Claims28
Apparatus for delivering particulate matter to the interior of a furnace comprising:
- casing means, said casing means defining an enclosure, said casing means being hermetically coupled to the furnace, said casing means defining a valve seat at the lower end thereof;
- hopper means, said hopper means being encompassed within said casing means, said hopper means having an opening at its upper end, said hopper means receiving and storing materials to be delivered from the ambient environment to the interior of the furnace;
- means for delivering material to said hopper means from the ambient environment, said delivering means including first valve means for selectively hermetically isolating the interiors of said casing means and said hopper means from the ambient environment;
- hopper means base means, said base means at least in part supporting material delivered to said hopper means when the interior of said hopper means is isolated from the furnace interior;
- means for supporting said casing means and said hopper means on and generally above the furnace;
- second valve means, said second valve means being positioned within the furnace, said second valve means cooperating with said casing means defined valve seat to define an isolation valve whereby said hopper means and said casing means may be jointly selectively hermetically isolated from the interior of the furnace;
- means for imparting vertical motion to said second valve means to selectively isolate the interior of said casing means and said hopper means from the furnace interior and to open the interiors of said casing means and said hopper means to the furnace interior to thereby permit release of material delivered to said hopper means into the furnace via the isolation valve;
- distributor means suspended in the furnace from said second valve means, said distributor means having a variable geometry, said distributor means in part directing the flow of material released from said hopper means;
- and
- means for varing the geometry of said distributor means to thereby control the pattern of deposition of material on a surface in the furnace.
7 more elements
Apparatus for delivering particulate matter to the interior of a furnace comprising:
- means for receiving and storing materials to be delivered from the ambient environment to the interior of the furnace, said receiving and storing means being hermetically coupled to the furnace and including hopper means;
- means for supporting said receiving and storing means on and generally above the furnace;
- means for delivering material to said receiving and storing means hopper means, said delivering means including first valve means for selectively hermetically isolating the interior of said receiving and storing means from the ambient environment;
- second valve means positioned within the furnace, said second valve means cooperating with a portion of said receiving and storing means to define an isolation valve at the lower end of said receiving and storing means;
- means for imparting vertical motion to said second valve means to selectively isolate the interior of said receiving and storing means from the furnace interior and to open the interior of said receiving and storing means to the furnace interior to thereby permit release of material delivered to said hopper means into the furnace via the isolation valve;
- distributor means suspended in the furnace from said second valve means, said distributor means having a variable geometry, said distributor means in part directing the flow of material released from said hopper means, said distributor means comprising:
- a plurality of overlapping plate segments, said plate segments each including a web member which extends radially inwardly toward the furnace axis, said web members each being provided with an actuating slot;
- and
- means mounting said plate segments for pivotal motion about axes lying in a common plane, the pivotally mounted overlapping segments defining an annular surface of variable outer diameter;
- and
- actuator means, said actuator means varying the geometry of said distributor means to thereby control the pattern of deposition of material on a surface in the furnace, said actuator means being coupled to each of said plate segments for causing pivoting thereof said actuating means including:
- control rod means which extends to a location at the exterior of the furnace via said receiving and storing means;
- plate means, said plate means being mounted on said control rod means for vertical movement therewith, said plate means having a plurality of fingers which extend generally radially outwardly with respect to the furnace axis;
- and
- drive pin means extending from each of said plate means fingers, said pin means being accepted in actuating slots of respective of said plate segments.
12 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.