Device for injecting preheated air into a shaft furnace and process of manufacturing ball-and-socket joints
AssigneePaul Wurth S.A.
InventorsJean Benck, Pierre Mailliet
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A device is presented for injecting preheated air into a shaft furnace and comprises of a plurality of tubular elements provided with a refractory lining, which are connected to each other by a ball-and-socket articulation and an expansion joint. The ball-and-socket articulations comprise a convex ball portion formed in the refractory material of the adjacent segment. They comprise a protective shell made of refractory steel which extends around the convex part up to the base of the ball portion. The radius of curvature of each ball-and-socket articulation is in the range of magnitude of half the diameter of the tubular elements.
Claims12
A device for injecting preheated air into a shaft furnace, comprising:
- tubular conduit means for directing the preheated air from an outlet end of an air feeding bustle pipe to the furnace, said conduit means comprising;
- at least one central tubular conduit member of a first diameter for directing the preheated air, said central tubular conduit means extending from an inlet end to an outlet end and including a steel outer sheath and a refractory inner lining;
- an upstream tubular conduit member of the first diameter, extending from the outlet end of the bustle pipe to an upstream outlet end, said upstream outlet end having a profile complementary to that of the inlet end of the tubular conduit member and including a steel outer sheath and a refractory inner housing,
- first connector means, comprising a first ball-and-socket joint and a first expansion joint, for connecting the inlet end of the central tubular member to the upstream outlet end;
- a downstream tubular conduit member of the first diameter extending from a downstream inlet end, said downstream inlet end having a profile complementary to that of the outlet end of the central tubular member, to the shaft furnace and including a steel outer sheath and a refractory inner lining;
- second connector means, comprising a second ball-and-socket joint and a second expansion joint for connecting the outlet end of the central tubular member to the downstream inlet end;
- said first and second ball-and-socket joints each including;
- a tubular convex ball portion, formed on one of said respective ends to be connected,
- a tubular concave socket portion, formed on the other of said respective ends to be connected, for pivotably contacting convex ball portion;
- and
- a soft refractory annular insert interposed between the ball portion and the socket portion,
- wherein each of the ball portions and socket portions exhibit a radius of curvature equal to about half the diameter of the respective tubular conduit members connected by the respective ball-and-socket joints;
- and
- wherein each of the convex ball portions include a steel outer sheath and an inner refractory lining.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.