Low heat loss electrode holder for arc furnace - uses sealed, hollow, water-cooled contact-plates operating at 80-400 deg.C and clamping-pieces contg. vaporising heat transference liq.

摘要

Electrodes (14) are held between several contact-plates, each having a narrow lower chamber (11), with a long contact face (13), opening into a wider upper chamber (12), cooled by water circulating within double-skinned walls (21,22,23). If these are of copper, a sleeve (24) of lower thermal conductivity, e.g. stainless steel, separates them from the electrode. A calculated quantity of liq., e.g. mercury, metallic halide such as TiBr4, at reduced pressure in the chambers, evaporates in the lower chamber, condenses in the upper, and falls back as liq. over distributing deflectors (18,19). Pressure is applied to the plates via outer clamping-pieces, similarly chambered (26,26) and water-cooled (29,30). ADVANTAGE - Self-regulating cooling with heat losses only 30-40% of that previously achieved. Higher plate temp. e.g. 300 deg.C+ reduces electrode thermal stresses.