Preheating appartus for steel scrap and metallurgical melting vessel equipped therewith

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9945002-B2
Application number	US-201113825768-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 15, 2011
Priority date	Sep 22, 2010
Publication date	Apr 17, 2018
Grant date	Apr 17, 2018

Abstract

A metallurgical melting vessel has a vertical shaft, surrounded by a housing wall, which receives steel scrap. At least one closure element, having laterally spaced-apart fingers extending parallel to one another, is mounted such that it can move between a closed position and an open position. In the closed position, the fingers protrude at least partially into the shaft for the purpose of holding back steel scrap. In the open position, the fingers free the shaft at least to such an extent that the steel scrap can fall from the shaft into the melting vessel. The at least one closure element is mounted so as to be movable from the side of the shaft into the shaft and laterally thereoutof.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A preheating apparatus for steel scrap which is to be charged into a metallurgical melting vessel, comprising:
a vertical shaft, disposed above a metallurgical melting vessel and surrounded by a housing wall, receiving the steel scrap;
at least one closure element having fingers laterally spaced substantially equidistantly apart, each finger being curved along an arc of curvature and having a concave upper surface; and
a support structure including a base frame with an opening above the metallurgical melting vessel and a support frame, having lower ends attached to the base frame and upper ends attached to the at least one closure element and suspending the at least one closure element above the opening in the base frame, the at least one closure element being supported during movement from a closed position in which the at least one closure element holds back the steel scrap by protruding at least partly into the vertical shaft, to an open position in which the at least one closure element is opened at least wide enough so that the steel scrap falls from the vertical shaft through the opening in the base frame and into the metallurgical melting vessel, the movement of the at least one closure element being along the arc of curvature and having an axis of rotation located at a vertical distance above the fingers and running transverse to a vertical axis of the vertical shaft, the axis of rotation being located at a center of the arc of curvature of the fingers.

2. The preheating apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein when the at least one closure element is in the closed position, a free end of the fingers projecting into the shaft is not higher above the metallurgical melting vessel than when the at least one closure element is in the open position.

3. The preheating apparatus as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the at least one closure element performs a translational movement between the closed and the open position thereof.

4. The preheating apparatus as claimed in claim 3 , wherein the at least one closure element includes two diametrically-opposed closure elements, each obstructing one half of the vertical shaft in the closed position.

5. The preheating apparatus as claimed in claim 4 , wherein the two diametrically-opposed closure elements both pivot around the axis of rotation.

6. The preheating apparatus as claimed in claim 5 , wherein the concave upper surface of the fingers form a trough-shaped recess in the closed position, having lowest points along a line substantially intersecting the vertical axis of the vertical shaft.

7. The preheating apparatus as claimed in claim 6 , wherein the support structure includes at least one support bearing protruding, in the closed position of the at least one closure element, into the vertical shaft and supporting the at least one closure element on an underside thereof.

8. The preheating apparatus as claimed in claim 7 , wherein the support structure further includes at least one support bracket supporting the at least one support bearing during movement translationally into and out of the vertical shaft.

9. The preheating apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the at least one closure element includes two diametrically-opposed closure elements, each obstructing one half of the vertical shaft in the closed position.

10. A metallurgical melting apparatus, comprising:
a metallurgical melting vessel with a charging opening on an upper side for receiving steel scrap; and
a preheating apparatus disposed above the charging opening, including
a vertical shaft, disposed above the metallurgical melting vessel and surrounded by a housing wall, receiving the steel scrap;
at least one closure element having fingers laterally spaced substantially equidistantly apart, each finger being curved along an arc of curvature and having a concave upper surface; and
a support structure including a base frame with an opening above the metallurgical melting vessel and a support frame, having lower ends attached to the base frame and upper ends attached to the at least one closure element and suspending the at least one closure element above the opening in the base frame, the at least one closure element being supported during movement from a closed position in which the at least one closure element holds back the steel scrap by protruding at least partly into the vertical shaft, to an open position in which the at least one closure element is opened at least wide enough so that the steel scrap falls from the vertical shaft through the opening in the base frame and into the metallurgical melting vessel, the movement of the at least one closure element being along the arc of curvature and having an axis of rotation located at a vertical distance above the fingers and running transverse to a vertical axis of the vertical shaft, the axis of rotation being located at a center of the arc of curvature of the fingers.

11. The metallurgical melting apparatus as claimed in claim 10 , wherein when the at least one closure element is in the closed position, a free end of the fingers projecting into the shaft is not higher above the metallurgical melting vessel than when the at least one closure element is in the open position.

12. The metallurgical melting apparatus as claimed in claim 11 , wherein the at least one closure element performs a translational movement between the closed and the open position thereof.

13. The metallurgical melting apparatus as claimed in claim 12 , wherein the at least one closure element includes two diametrically-opposed closure elements, each obstructing one half of the vertical shaft in the closed position.

14. The metallurgical melting apparatus as claimed in claim 13 , wherein the two diametrically-opposed closure elements both pivot around the axis of rotation.

15. The metallurgical melting apparatus as claimed in claim 14 , wherein the concave upper surface of the fingers form a trough-shaped recess in the closed position, having lowest points along a line substantially intersecting the vertical axis of the vertical shaft.

16. The metallurgical melting apparatus as claimed in claim 15 , wherein the support structure includes at least one support bearing protruding, in the closed position of the at least one closure element, into the vertical shaft and supporting the at least one closure element on an underside thereof.

17. The metallurgical melting apparatus as claimed in claim 16 , wherein the support structure further includes at least one support bracket supporting the at least one support bearing during movement translationally into and out of the vertical shaft.

Assignees

• Beile Hannes
• Dorndorf Markus
• Huber Hansjoerg
• Kiessner Christiane
• Kreuder Petra
• Krieg Matthias
• Meller Alexander
• Schalast Robert
• Schmid Michael
• Primetals Technologies Austria GmbH

Inventors

• Beile Hannes
• Dorndorf Markus
• Huber Hansjörg
• Kiessner Christiane
• Kreuder Petra
• Krieg Matthias
• Mëller Alexander
• Schalast Robert
• Schmid Michael

Classifications

• C21C5/565 Primary

  Preheating of scrap · CPC title

• F27D13/002

  Preheating scrap · CPC title

• F27B3/186 Primary

  Charging in a vertical chamber adjacent to the melting chamber · CPC title

• F27D3/0033

  charging of particulate material · CPC title

• F27D3/0032

  using an air-lock · CPC title