Shaft furnace charging installation

Abstract

A blast furnace charging system for feeding charge material into the hearth of a blast furnace includes at least two hoppers for temporarily storing charge material, each hopper having a discharge assembly for feeding the charge material from the respective hopper into the hearth of a blast furnace, the discharge assembly including an inclined discharge channel having, at its lower end, a material gate providing charge material flow control at the lower end of the discharge channel; and a protection ring arranged in the vicinity of the material gate for leading charge material from the discharge channel to a seal seat of the discharge assembly, where the discharge assembly further includes a heated panel arranged on the protection ring, the heated panel being formed by a panel-like copper body having fluid channels arranged therein so as to form a channel leading from a fluid inlet to a fluid outlet.

1 . Blast furnace charging system for feeding charge material into a hearth of a blast furnace, said system comprising;
 at least two hoppers for temporarily storing charge material, each hopper comprising a discharge assembly for feeding said charge material from the respective hopper into the hearth of a blast furnace; said discharge assembly comprising:
 an inclined discharge channel having, at a lower end, a material gate providing charge material flow control at the lower end of the discharge channel; 
 a protection ring arranged in a vicinity of the material gate for leading charge material from said discharge channel to a seal seat of said discharge assembly; and 
 a heated panel arranged on said protection ring, said heated panel being formed by a panel-like copper body having fluid channels arranged therein so as to form a channel leading from a fluid inlet to a fluid outlet. 
   
     
     
         2 . System according to  claim 1 , wherein said fluid channels in said panel-like copper body are formed by casting. 
     
     
         3 . System according to  claim 1 , wherein said fluid channels in said panel-like copper body are formed by drilling. 
     
     
         4 . System according to  claim 3 , wherein plugs are arranged in the end portions of said drilled fluid channels. 
     
     
         5 . System according to  claim 1 , wherein said heated panel has a shape corresponding to a shape of said discharge channel, wherein said panel-like copper body is formed into said shaped heated panel after formation of said fluid channels therein. 
     
     
         6 . System according to  claim 1 , wherein said heated panel comprises a connection element for connecting said heated panel to said protection ring. 
     
     
         7 . System according to  claim 6 , wherein a wear resistant copper alloy is arranged on a lower portion of a front face of the heated panel and on a front face of the connection element. 
     
     
         8 . System according to  claim 1 , wherein said fluid channels comprise a fluid inlet and a fluid outlet, said fluid inlet and outlet being connected to a fluid circuit for delivering a hot fluid to said heated panel.