Burner and/or injector panel apparatus, methods of installation and use of the same in a metal-melting furnace, and metal-melting furnace including the same

Abstract

A burner and/or injector panel apparatus includes a flange rotatable within a cylindrical aperture in a horizontal plate and securely retainable between one or more retaining clips and the plate. Extending downward from the flange is a main body with a cylindrical chamber. A burner, burner/injector, or injector is contained within the cylindrical chamber. The main body has a helical cooling circuit extending around the cylindrical chamber and burner and/or injector. The burner and/or injector panel apparatus may be installed through a furnace wall, especially an electric arc furnace, more particularly, a balcony panel of a sump area of an electric arc furnace. The burner and/or injector panel apparatus may be tilted from horizontal or rotated around its vertical axis in order to better target a target area of a molten bath of metal with a flame, jet of oxygen, or stream of carbon particles.

1 . A burner and/or injector panel apparatus for use in metal melting furnaces, comprising:
 a horizontal plate having a lower surface, an upper surface, and a vertically oriented cylindrical aperture extending through said upper and lower surfaces;   a horizontally extending flange having a uniform height along its periphery, a width or diameter of said flange being greater than a diameter of said cylindrical aperture;   a main body integrally formed with said flange and extending downwardly therefrom along a main body axis at an angle to a vertical axis of said flange, said main body having a centrally disposed cylindrical chamber extending upper and lower ends thereof, said integrally formed flange and main body being operatively associated with said plate such that:
 said flange is capable of resting atop said plate while said main body projects downwardly though said cylindrical aperture, 
 said integrally formed main body is rotatable within said cylindrical aperture while said flange is rotatable atop said plate, 
 said plate is adapted and configured to retain said plate in fixed position; and 
   a burner and/or injector inserted in said main body cylindrical chamber adapted and configured to inject therefrom at least one of a flame, a jet of oxygen, and a stream of carbon particles.   
     
     
         2 . The burner and/or injector panel apparatus, further comprising:
 one or more fasteners; and   one or more retaining clips corresponding to said one or more fasteners, wherein said plate further comprises one or more studs corresponding to said one or more retaining clips upwardly projecting from an upper surface of said plate, said clips being adapted and configured to be fastened to said studs with said fasteners so as to fixedly secure said flange between said plate and said one or more clips.   
     
     
         3 . The burner and/or injector panel apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein said integrally formed flange and main body include a cooling circuit having a helically shaped portion in said main body extending around said cylindrical chamber. 
     
     
         4 . The burner and/or injector panel apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein said main body has a cylindrical configuration coaxial with said cylindrical chamber. 
     
     
         5 . The burner and/or injector panel apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein said flange has a cylindrical configuration and said flange diameter is greater than a diameter of said cylindrical aperture. 
     
     
         6 . The burner and/or injector panel apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein said burner and/or injector comprises a burner. 
     
     
         7 . The burner and/or injector panel apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein said burner and/or injector comprises an oxygen injector. 
     
     
         8 . The burner and/or injector panel apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein said burner and/or injector comprises a burner and an oxygen injector. 
     
     
         9 . The burner and/or injector panel apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein said burner and/or injector comprises a carbon particle injector. 
     
     
         10 . The burner and/or injector panel apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein said burner and/or injector comprises a burner and a carbon particle injector. 
     
     
         11 . The burner and/or injector panel apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein said burner and/or injector comprises a burner, an oxygen injector, and a carbon particle injector. 
     
     
         12 . An electric arc furnace installation, comprising:
 a furnace having a hearth adapted and configured to contain a bath of molten metal;   a sump region with a tap hole;   sidewalls extending upwardly and around said hearth and sump region;   a balcony panel extending horizontally over said sump region and having a cylindrical opening; and   the burner and/or injector panel apparatus of  claim 1 , said plate being secured to an exterior surface of said balcony panel and said cylindrical aperture is aligned with said balcony panel cylindrical opening, said main body extending downwardly through said balcony panel cylindrical opening.   
     
     
         13 . A method of installing the burner and/or injector panel apparatus of  claim 1  in an electric arc furnace having a balcony panel extending horizontally over a sump region, the balcony panel having a cylindrical opening, comprising the steps of:
 securing said plate to an exterior of the balcony panel with an axis of said cylindrical aperture being aligned with an axis of said cylindrical opening; 
 inserting said main body through said cylindrical aperture and said cylindrical opening while nestling said flange atop said plate; 
 rotating said integrally formed flange and main body until said burner and/or injector is pointing towards a desired target area in said sump region; and 
 securing said flange to said plate to arrest rotation of said flange with respect to said plate. 
 
     
     
         14 . The method of installation of  claim 13 , further comprising the step of connecting at least one of a source of fuel and oxidant, a source of oxygen, and a source of carbon particles to said burner and/or injector. 
     
     
         15 . The method of installation of  claim 13 , wherein:
 the burner and/or injector panel apparatus further comprises one or more fasteners and one or more retaining clips corresponding to said one or more fasteners;   said plate further comprises one or more studs corresponding to said one or more retaining clips upwardly projecting from an upper surface of said plate; and   said method comprises the further step of fastening said one or more clips to said one or more studs with said one or more fasteners so as to fixedly secure said flange between said plate and said one or more clips.   
     
     
         16 . The method of installation of  claim 13 , wherein:
 the main body includes a helically shaped cooling circuit extending around said cylindrical chamber; and   said method comprises the further step of connecting the cooling circuit to a supply of cooling water.   
     
     
         17 . The method of installation of  claim 13 , further comprising the step of adjusting the pitch and/or roll angle of the flange with respect to the plate by adjusting a clearance in between said flange and plate at one or more circumferential portions thereof. 
     
     
         18 . The method of installation of  claim 17 , wherein the pitch and/or roll angle is adjusted by driving one or more wedges in between said flange and plate at one or more circumferential portions thereof. 
     
     
         19 . The method of installation of  claim 17 , wherein the pitch and/or roll angle is adjusted by tightening or loosening one or more threaded fasteners threadingly engaged in said flange and which also bear against an upper surface of said plate to increase or decrease, respectively, a clearance in between said flange and plate at one or more circumferential portions thereof. 
     
     
         20 . A method of using the electric arc furnace installation of  claim 12 , comprising the step of:
 injecting at least one of fuel and oxidant, oxygen, and carbon particles from said burner and/or injector.   
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 20 , wherein said burner and/or injector comprises a burner and fuel and an oxidant are injected from said burner to combust within an interior of said electric arc furnace. 
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 20 , wherein:
 said burner and/or injector comprises an oxygen injector and oxygen is injected from said oxygen injector into a molten metal bath in said electric arc furnace.   
     
     
         23 . The method of  claim 20 , wherein:
 said burner and/or injector comprises a combined burner and oxygen injector;   fuel and an oxidant are injected from said burner to combust within an interior of said electric furnace; and   oxygen is injected from said oxygen injector into a molten metal bath in said electric arc furnace.   
     
     
         24 . The method of  claim 20 , wherein:
 said burner and/or injector comprises a combined burner, oxygen injector, and carbon particle injector;   fuel and an oxidant are injected from said burner to combust within an interior of said electric furnace;   oxygen is injected from said oxygen injector into a molten metal bath in said electric arc furnace; and   carbon particles are injected from said carbon particle injector into said molten metal bath.