US 4,637,034 A · Cooling panel for electric arc furnace

Abstract

A water cooling panel forms a part of or substitute for the wall of a metallurgical furnace, such as an electric arc furnace. The panel can be formed alternately as a tube type cooler formed of parallel pipes connected at its ends in headers, with the latter having internal baffles to define a serpentine path, or as a box type cooler formed of steel plates or sheet and having internal baffle plates defining a serpentine path for the cooling fluid. In either case, fluid orificies are provided to permit a minor amount of flow through the baffles or baffle plates where there is a direction change in the serpentine flow path. This serves to prevent stagnation, and prevent the problems of hot spots and steam bubbles where there is a change of direction in the cooling flow. Projections welded along the furnace-facing side of the panel permit the panel to be covered with a layer of refractory material or solidified slag.

Claims24

Dependent claims

Cooling panel for a furnace used in a metallurgical process, the panel comprising inlet means for supplying a cooling liquid;

outlet means for withdrawing said cooling liquid;
and enclosure means for coupling said inlet means to said outlet means for defining a tortuous liquid flow path which causes said cooling liquid to flow past essentially all portions of the interior face of said panel by passing seriatim through an array of side-by-side passages underlying said interior face, said tortuous flow path having a number of abrupt changes in direction and a shape resulting in potential dead zones at said abrupt changes in direction relative to the main flow through said path, and means for permitting a minor amount of said cooling liquid to flow along alternative liquid paths each into a respective dead zone from an adjacent passage such that at least in the central portion of said panel each successive occurrence of said dead zones are sufficiently reduced to prevent hot spots capable of causing burn out.

Cooling panel for a metallurgical furnace comprising a panel element having a front side facing the interior of said furnace and a rear side facing away from said furnace, the sides defining therebetween an enclosed space having first and second opposite edges;

inlet means for supplying a cooling liquid into said enclosed space;
outlet means for withdrawing said cooling liquid from said enclosed space;
and a plurality of liquid guide baffle means each extending between said front side and back side from one said edge towards the opposite edge of the enclosed space and leaving a principal opening at said opposite edge to permit a major amount of said cooling liquid to flow therethrough, with alternate ones of said liquid guide baffle means having their respective principal openings at said first edge and the interleaved remaining ones of said liquid guide baffle means having their respective principal openings at said second edge such that said baffle means define a tortuous liquid pathway in said enclosed space and said cooling liquid flows in a back-and-forth raster-like progressive flow pattern from said inlet means to said outlet means;
said alternate and remaining liquid guide baffle means each further include a passage therethrough approximately at said second and first edges, respectively, to permit a minor amount of said cooling liquid to flow through said baffle means such that the dead zones occurring in the vicinity of said respective first and second edges are substantially reduced.

1 more element

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Cooling panel for electric arc furnace

Life of this patent

Cooling panel for electric arc furnace

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims24