A New or Improved Process and Apparatus for Smelting Ores, more particularly Iron Ore.

摘要

7367. Simmersbach, O. March 28. Metallurgical furnaces ; liquid and gaseous fuel fittings.-Iron and other ores are smelted in a furnace by the action of heated carbon monoxide, with exclusion of air, and without the use of solid carbonaceous material. Fig. 2 shows a furnace having firebrick walls a in which are two series of vertical channels b1, b2, staggered or arranged alternately above and below a central annular channel c, as shown in Fig. 5. The furnace is heated to the temperature necessary for reduction (above 900‹ C.) by gas nozzles or bunsen burners e1, e2 situated in flared ends d1, d2 of the channels b1, b2. Gas is supplied to the nozzles from two circular pipes at the top and bottom of the furnace connected by a pipe g and connected to a feeding-pipe. A discharge pipe k is connected to the channel c. Carbon monoxide is supplied through tuyÞres p connected by a circular pipe n to the gas conduit m. The tuyÞres are situated in an iron base r kept cool by water and provided with hermetically-closed openings s, u for insertion of rakes &c. and for removal of metal, respectively. The reduced metal is cooled in the base r of the furnace and so escapes oxida. tion. The waste gases are sucked off through a pipe v at the throat of the furnace by an exhauster which draws the carbon monoxide through the material and causes quicker and more complete reduction. The use of an exhauster also allows of regulation of the furnace and removal of deposits &c. by increase of suction. The burners e1, e3 are preferably fed from the waste furnace gases. The heating-channels may be inclined or tortuous, and the gas burners may be arranged at one part only of the furnace.