Smelting plant with two melting furnaces arranged in juxtaposed relationship

A method of preheating and smelting metallic charge material by means of a heating apparatus in a smelting plant which comprises:

• a) charging a charging material into a first vessel and a first shaft associated with said vessel, until said first shaft is at least partially filled,
• b) heating the charging material in the first vessel by the heating apparatus and carrying furnace gases out of the first shaft into a waste gas chimney;
• c) repeating step a) in a second melting furnace;
• d) diverting the furnace gases from the first vessel, which are removed from the first shaft, into a second vessel and through a second shaft to a waste gas chimney;
• e) smelting of the charging material and metallurgical treating of the molten material in the first vessel, and subsequently heating the charging material in the second vessel by the heating apparatus and tapping and performing maintenance of the first vessel;
• and
• f) repeating steps a) to e).