Systems and Methods of Cooling Blast Furnaces

Abstract

Systems and methods provide a cooling device for a blast furnace that may prevent an excessive amount of coolant from entering the blat furnace and may be easily installed in a conventional blast furnace. Systems and methods may provide a cooling device for a blast furnace that may prevent an excessive amount of coolant from entering the blast furnace and may be simple and cost effective to manufacture. The end of a heat pipe ( 202 ) that is outside of the furnace may be configured to interact with a heat sink ( 210 ). The heat sink ( 210 ) may be for example, a separate amount of coolant that is circulated outside of the furnace, an evaporative cooling system, and/or any other system or method of cooling the heat pipe ( 202 ) that transfers heat from the heat pipe ( 202 ) to the heat sink ( 210 ). Because the coolant within the heat pipe ( 202 ) is sealed within the heat pipe ( 202 ), only the small, fixed amount of coolant that. is within the heat pipe ( 202 ) will enter the furnace should the cooling plate ( 200 ) rupture. Thus, substantial damage to the furnace, extensive repairs, and/or long periods of non-production may be avoided.

1 . A device for exchanging heat between an inside of a blast furnace and an outside of the blast furnace, comprising:
 a body configured to be at least partially inserted into an opening in the blast furnace; and   at least one cavity disposed within the body, each of the at least one cavities extending from substantially one end of the body to substantially an opposite end of the body, each of the at least one cavities capable of containing coolant;   wherein the body is configured to transfer heat between a coolant contained within each of the at least one cavities and a heat sink outside of the blast furnace, and when the body is inserted into the opening of the blast furnace and each of the at least one cavities contains the coolant:
 the one end of the body is exposed to heat generated by the blast furnace and the opposite end of the body is exposed to the outside of the blast furnace; 
 heat is absorbed by the coolant in a portion of the cavity in the vicinity of the one end of the body and is transferred to the coolant in a portion of the cavity in the vicinity of the opposite end of the body; 
 the heat in the portion of the cavity in the vicinity of the opposite end of the body is transferred from the coolant, through the body, to the heat sink; and 
 the body forms a barrier between the coolant and the heat sink such that substantially none of the coolant within each of the at least one cavities is in direct contact with the heat sink. 
   
   
   
       2 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein the body is configured to be at least partially inserted into an existing opening in the blast furnace without substantial modification to the existing opening. 
   
   
       3 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein the body is at least partially copper. 
   
   
       4 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein the body is in the form of a plate cooler. 
   
   
       5 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein the body is in the form of a cooling stave. 
   
   
       6 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein the body is in the form of a cigar cooler. 
   
   
       7 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein the body is configured to be inserted in an existing hole in a vicinity of an iron notches portion of the blast furnace. 
   
   
       8 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein the body is configured to be inserted in an existing hole in a vicinity of a bosh portion of the blast furnace. 
   
   
       9 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein the body is configured to be inserted in an existing hole in a vicinity of a stack portion of the blast furnace. 
   
   
       10 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein the body is configured to be inserted in an existing hole in a vicinity of a tuyere breast portion of a blast furnace. 
   
   
       11 . The device of  claim 10 , wherein the body is a substantially annular circular conical frustum. 
   
   
       12 . A method of replacing a cooling device within a blast furnace, comprising:
 removing the cooling device from the blast furnace; and   inserting the cooling device of  claim 1  into an opening in the blast furnace previously occupied by the removed cooling device.   
   
   
       13 . The method of  claim 12 , further comprising:
 avoiding substantial modification to a shell or a refractory lining of the blast furnace.   
   
   
       14 . A method of cooling a blast furnace, comprising:
 at least partially inserting a body into an opening in the blast furnace, at least one cavity disposed within the body, each of the at least one cavities extending from substantially one end of the body to substantially an opposite end of the body, each of the at least one cavities containing coolant, the body being configured to transfer heat between the coolant contained within each of the at least one cavities and a heat sink outside of the blast furnace;   exposing the one end of the body to heat generated by the blast furnace;   exposing the opposite end of the body to the outside of the blast furnace;   absorbing, with the coolant, heat in a portion of the cavity in the vicinity of the one end of the body;   transferring the absorbed heat to the coolant in a portion of the cavity in the vicinity of the opposite end of the body; and   transferring the heat in the portion of the cavity in the vicinity of the opposite end of the body from the coolant, through the body, to the heat sink;   wherein the body forms a barrier between the coolant and the heat sink such that substantially none of the coolant within each of the at least one cavities is in direct contact with the heat sink.   
   
   
       15 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein at least partially inserting the body into the opening in the blast furnace comprises, inserting the body into an existing opening in the blast furnace without substantial modification to the existing opening. 
   
   
       16 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein at least partially inserting the body into the opening in the blast furnace comprises inserting the body in an existing hole in a vicinity of an iron notches portion of the blast furnace. 
   
   
       17 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein at least partially inserting the body into the opening in the blast furnace comprises inserting the body in an existing hole in a vicinity of a bosh portion of the blast furnace. 
   
   
       18 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein at least partially inserting the body into the opening in the blast furnace comprises inserting the body in an existing hole in a vicinity of a stack portion of the blast furnace. 
   
   
       19 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein at least partially inserting the body into the opening in the blast furnace comprises inserting the body in an existing hole in a vicinity of a tuyere breast portion of the blast furnace.