Cooling system and method for molten material handling vessels
AssigneeUnion Carbide Corporation
InventorWilliam H. Burwell
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A vessel for handling a heated substance such as molten materials, and a method for cooling such a vessel, the vessel having fluid cooled containment means comprising inner and outer walls defining a space therebetween; an inlet into the space for a pressurized fluid coolant; means for spraying the coolant against the inner wall to maintain a desired temperature at the inner wall; an outlet for removing the spent coolant; and means for establishing and maintaining a pressure differential between the space and the coolant outlet to force the spent coolant out of the space through the outlet. The preferred embodiment of the invention is utilized as a roof or side wall for a metallurgical vessel, for example, an electric arc furnace.
Claims25
A vessel for handling a heated substance, said vessel having fluid cooled containment means comprising:
- inner and outer walls defining a space therebetween;
- inlet means for bringing coolant to spray means within said space for spraying the coolant against the inner wall to maintain a desired temperature at said inner wall;
- an outlet for removing the spent coolant;
- and
- pressure differential means comprising means for injecting a gas into said space for maintaining a pressure differential between said space and said coolant outlet to force the spent coolant out of said space through said outlet.
A liquid-cooled cover for a vessel for molten materials, said cover comprising substantially gas tight inner and outer walls defining an interior space therebetween;
- an inlet into said interior space for a pressurized liquid coolant;
- inlet means for bringing coolant to spray means within said interior space for spraying said coolant against said inner wall to cool said wall;
- an outlet for removing the spent coolant;
- and pressure differential means for maintaining said interior space at a pressure above one atmosphere and between that of said pressurized coolant and said outlet to force the spent coolant out of said interior space through said outlet.
A roof for a metallurgical melt furnace comprising upper and lower walls defining an interior space therebetween, means in said roof interior for spraying a pressurized coolant against said lower wall to provide cooling and maintain said lower wall at a desired temperature;
- a pair of coolant outlets to permit draining of spent coolant from said lower wall;
- means for maintaining a pressure differential between said roof interior and said coolant outlets to force the spent coolant out of said roof interior through said coolant outlets;
- and means for selectively closing one of said coolant outlets responsive to tilting of said roof and elevation of said one of said coolant outlets above the other of said coolant outlets.
A method of cooling a vessel for handling a heated substance, said vessel including fluid cooled containment means comprising inner and outer walls defining a space therebetween and an inlet and outlet in said space for the fluid coolant, said method comprising the steps of:
- (a) injecting a pressurized fluid coolant through said inlet into spray means for spraying said coolant against said inner wall to maintain a desired temperature at said inner wall;
- and
- (b) injecting a gas into said space for maintaining a pressure differential between said space and said coolant outlet to force spent coolant out of said space through said outlet.
The method of cooling a vessel for handling a heated substance, said vessel including liquid cooled containment means comprising inner and outer walls defining a space therebetween and an inlet and a plurality of coolant outlets in said space for the liquid coolant, said method comprising the steps of:
- (a) injecting a pressurized liquid coolant through said inlet into spray means for spraying said coolant against said inner wall to cool said inner wall;
- (b) injecting a gas selected from the group consisting of air and nitrogen into said space at a pressure between that of said pressurized coolant and said coolant outlet to create a pressure differential and force spent coolant out of said space through said coolant outlets;
- (c) sensing the tilting of said containment means and the elevation of one of said coolant outlets relative to another of said coolant outlets;
- and
- (d) thereafter closing the elevated coolant outlet.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.