Slag notch

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2018112917-A1
Application number	US-201615566251-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Apr 14, 2016
Priority date	Apr 14, 2015
Publication date	Apr 26, 2018
Grant date	—

Abstract

A slag notch for a metallurgical vessel includes a steel member defines a passageway for molten slag and a system for cooling the steel member.

First claim

1 . A slag notch for periodically discharging molten slag from a metallurgical vessel containing a bath of molten metal and molten slag, the slag notch including a steel member that defines a passageway for molten slag, the passageway having an inlet for molten slag at one end of the passageway and an outlet for discharging molten slag from the passageway at the other end of the passageway, and a system for cooling the steel member.

2 . The slag notch defined in claim 1 wherein the diameter of the passageway is different in different parts of the length of the passageway from the inlet end to the outlet end of the passageway.

3 . The slag notch defined in claim 1 wherein the passageway includes a first section that has a constant diameter for a part of the length of the passageway from the inlet end of the passageway and a second section that has a larger diameter than the first section for the remainder of the length of the passageway to the outlet end of the passageway.

4 . (canceled)

5 . (canceled)

6 . (canceled)

7 . (canceled)

8 . The slag notch defined in claim 3 wherein the passageway includes a transition between the first and the second sections of the passageway.

9 . The slag notch defined in claim 1 wherein the steel member includes a forward end, a rear end, and an inner wall which defines the passageway and an outer wall extending between the rear end and the forward end.

10 . The slag notch defined in claim 9 wherein the outer wall of the steel member is frusto-conical, increasing in diameter from the forward end to the rearward end.

11 . (canceled)

12 . The slag notch defined in claim 1 wherein the system for cooling the steel member is adapted to cool the steel member internally via coolant flow, within the steel member.

13 . The slag notch defined in claim 12 wherein the steel member is a water-cooled steel member.

14 . The slag notch defined in claim 13 wherein the water-cooled steel member is a water-cooled steel jacket.

15 . The slag notch defined in claim 14 wherein the water-cooled steel jacket includes a forward end, a rear end, an inner wall which defines the passageway and an outer wall extending between the rear end and the forward end, a bullnose at the forward end adjacent the inlet end of the passageway, and water flow passages within the jacket.

16 . The slag notch defined in claim 13 wherein the water-cooled steel member is a water-cooled steel sleeve.

17 . The slag notch defined in claim 16 wherein the steel sleeve includes a forward end, a rear end, an inner wall (which defines the passageway) and an outer wall extending between the rear end and the forward end, and water flow passages within the sleeve.

18 . The slag notch defined in claim 1 wherein the system for cooling the steel member is adapted to cool the steel member indirectly via heat exchange between the steel member and a heat extraction element positioned in relation to the steel member.

19 . The slag notch defined in claim 18 wherein the heat extraction element is positioned around and in heat transfer relationship with the steel member at least substantially along the length of the steel member between the inlet end and the outlet end of the passageway.

20 . (canceled)

21 . The slag notch defined in claim 19 wherein the heat extraction element and the steel member are separate units.

22 . The slag notch defined in claim 19 wherein the heat extraction element is water-cooled.

23 . The slag notch defined in claim 19 wherein the heat extraction element includes a jacket having a forward end, a rear end, an inner wall and an outer wall extending between the rear end and the forward end, a bullnose at the forward end adjacent the inlet end of the passageway, and water flow passages within the jacket.

24 . The slag notch defined in claim 23 includes a retaining element such as a plate for coupling the steel member and the jacket to the vessel, such as a side wall of the vessel, and for retaining the steel member in an internal space defined by the jacket so that the inner wall of the jacket and an outer wall of the steel member are in close contact across the whole of the surface areas of these walls at least substantially along the length of the steel member between the inlet end and the outlet end of the passageway to maximise heat transfer from the steel member to the jacket.

25 . (canceled)

26 . (canceled)

27 . (canceled)

28 . A metallurgical vessel that includes the slag notch defined in claim 1 in a side wall of the vessel.

29 . A molten bath-based metallurgical process for direct smelting a metalliferous material in a metallurgical vessel that includes the slag notch defined in claim 1 in the vessel, the process including periodically tapping molten slag from the slag notch, and cooling the slag notch to maintain the steel member of the slag notch in a safe operating temperature range for slag tapping.

Assignees

• Tech Resources Pty Ltd

Inventors

• Pilote Jacques
• Hayton Mark

Classifications

• C21B3/04

  Recovery of by-products, e.g. slag · CPC title

• F27D2009/0067

  Cooling element inlet and outlet tubes · CPC title

• F27D3/1545

  Equipment for removing or retaining slag · CPC title

• F27D1/12

  incorporating cooling arrangements · CPC title

• F27D3/1554 Primary

  for removing the slag from the surface of the melt · CPC title