Electrode arrangement in heat run vessels

An electrode assembly for a melting furnace having a refractory lining defining an inner surface comprising:

• an electrode having a head and a rear end including a casing and a replacement body disposed inside the casing, said body and said casing defining an annular slit between annular facing sides and defining a chamber at the head between the casing and the body, said chamber being in fluid communication with said annular slit;
• said body having a central bore which is in fluid communication with a cooling medium inlet at the rear end and the chamber, said central bore extending from the rear end to the chamber;
• an outlet disposed in the rear end and in fluid communication with the slit;
• a terminal means formed on the rear end for connecting the electrode to an electrical circuit;
• and
• a conical refractory component sheathing the exterior of the casing and being embedded in the refractory lining of the furnace, said conical refractory component being frusto-conical in shape with its broad end being disposed at the exterior of the furnace and its narrow end being adjacent the head, said head and said narrow end defining a base of a cavity formed in the refractory lining in which electrically conductive wear-resistant material of solidified melt collects to form a protective cap over the head of the electrode.