Compact continuous charging apparatus

Abstract

An improved method and apparatus for charging, preheating and refining steel. The charging apparatus has a skirted charging section for introducing charge materials, a dynamic gas seal adjacent the charging section and a preheater, the preheater for preheating the charged materials, a connector adjacent the preheater and removably insertable into an electric arc furnace for feeding charged materials into a furnace bath for melting and refining metallic charge therein, and a vibrating conveyor which extends throughout the charging apparatus. The charging apparatus is positioned on rails to be movable by a hydraulic cylinder between a charging position wherein the connector is fully inserted into the furnace, a retracted position where the connector is partially inserted into the furnace and a disconnected position where the connector is fully removed from the furnace.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.