Plant for the production of molten metals

In a melting vessel comprising an upstanding shaft furnace including a wall defining said furnace disposed about a longitudinal axis of this shaft furnace,

• said shaft furnace characterized by a lower portion and a co-axially extending upper portion,
• said lower portion accommodating burners disposed peripherally about the wall of said shaft furnace and optionally including ducts for feeding oxygen-gas to the interior of said furnace,
• said upper furnace portion including a charging opening through which material to be melted is fed by charging means disposed in the upper portion of said furnace,
• a gas evacuation duct being provided in said upper portion of said furnace for receiving offgases formed during operation of said melting vessel, the improvement:
• wherein both said gas evacuating duct and said charging means in said upper portion of said shaft furnace are disposed laterally and approximately diametrically opposite to each other such as to define a chamber therebetween,
• said duct characterized by a mouth entering said chamber,
• said charging means extending into said charging opening,
• said charging opening having means for providing a gas curtain substantially across said opening,
• wherein an inclined intake chute is disposed adjacent to and below said charging opening for feeding material to be melted into said shaft furnace,
• said inclined chute extending downwardly towards the axis of said shaft furnace and terminating against a wall section of said furnace to provide a protruding nose-like projection projecting inwardly toward said axis from said furnace wall,
• said wall section extending below said nose-like projection and being inclined relative to said lower furnace portion and merging with said furnace wall.