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US 5,350,158 AGranted
Metallurgical lance and method of cooling the lance
AssigneeMincorp Limited
InventorJohn G. Whellock
Life of this patent
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AssigneeMincorp Limited
InventorJohn G. Whellock
Estimating the term…
A metallurgical lance incorporates an indirect cooling system, separate from and independent of the reactants which are fed through a center passageway (12) to a melt, bath or the like. An outer passageway (10) extends around the center passageway (12) and its outer wall (14) is exposed to heat flux. A coolant flows through the outer passageway (10). Auxiliary means (22) are positioned within the outer passageway (10) to enhance the take-up of heat from the outer wall (14). The coolant is a two-phase mixture, preferably gas and water. The auxiliary means may be a helical fin (22) or a wire packing within the coolant flow path. Enhanced cooling is achieved by (a) the extended metal surface area provided by the auxiliary means, and/or (b) surface evaporation of a film of liquid deposited on the auxiliary means and/or on the inside of the outer wall (14).
A metallurgical lance comprising an inner passageway through which reactants can be fed, an independent outer passageway which extends around the inner passageway and which has wall surfaces arranged to be exposed to heat flux, the outer passageway defining an end portion which is subjected to the highest heat flux during use and being arranged to have a coolant flow therethrough, and auxiliary means located only within said end portion of the outer passageway to modify the coolant flow in said end portion to enhance the take-up of heat uniformly around the wall surfaces of said end portion to cool the same.
A method of cooling a metallurgical lance which comprises feeding reactants through an inner passageway thereof, passing a coolant through an independently operated outer passageway which extends around the inner passageway and which has wall surfaces exposed to heat flux, and circulating coolant through auxiliary means positioned only within the portion of the lance subjected to the highest heat flux during use to modify the coolant flow in that portion of the lance and thereby to enhance the take-up of heat from said wall surfaces to cool the same.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.