A device for measuring a shape of a wall portion of a coke oven is provided. The device includes a box having a main part defining at least one opening and a closing system movable with respect to the main part between an open position and a closed position, an internal protective screen located within the box and defining at least one scanning window, the scanning window being narrower than the opening along a transverse direction (T) of the box and at least one 3D laser scanner located in the box for scanning the wall portion through the scanning window and through the opening when the closing system is in the open position.

Plant for melting metal materials comprising at least a heating unit (11) provided with a container (13) to contain the mainly metal materials and with at least an induction heating device (22) configured to heat the mainly metal materials contained in the container (13). The plant also comprises a transfer unit (25) disposed downstream of the heating unit (11) and configured to move, substantially continuously, the mainly metal solid materials exiting from the heating unit (11) to a melting furnace (12). The container (13) is provided with an aperture (16) through which the mainly metal material, heated and in a solid state, is discharged onto the transfer unit (25), and opening/closing members (17) are associated with the aperture (16), commanded by an actuator (19) and configured to open, close and choke the aperture (16) in order to regulate the delivery of the metal materials that is discharged onto the transfer unit (25).

Plant for melting metal materials comprising at least a heating unit (11) provided with a container (13) to contain the mainly metal materials and with at least an induction heating device (22) configured to heat the mainly metal materials contained in the container (13). The plant also comprises a transfer unit (25) disposed downstream of the heating unit (11) and configured to move, substantially continuously, the mainly metal solid materials exiting from the heating unit (11) to a melting furnace (12). The container (13) is provided with an aperture (16) through which the mainly metal material, heated and in a solid state, is discharged onto the transfer unit (25), and opening/closing members (17) are associated with the aperture (16), commanded by an actuator (19) and configured to open, close and choke the aperture (16) in order to regulate the delivery of the metal materials that is discharged onto the transfer unit (25).

A process for producing hot briquetted iron with increased solid carbonaceous material and/or flux includes: providing a shaft furnace of a direct reduction plant to reduce iron oxide with reducing gas; providing a hot briquette machine to produce hot briquetted iron; coupling a chute between a) a discharge exit of the shaft furnace for discharge of hot direct reduced iron and b) an entrance of the hot briquette machine; adding solid carbonaceous material and/or flux to the discharged hot direct reduced iron from the shaft furnace to produce a mixture of the discharged hot direct reduced iron and the solid carbonaceous material and/or flux before feeding to the hot briquette machine; and processing in the hot briquette machine to produce a product of hot briquetted iron with increased solid carbonaceous material content greater than about 3 weight percent and/or an increased flux content.

A process for producing hot briquetted iron with increased solid carbonaceous material and/or flux includes: providing a shaft furnace of a direct reduction plant to reduce iron oxide with reducing gas; providing a hot briquette machine to produce hot briquetted iron; coupling a chute between a) a discharge exit of the shaft furnace for discharge of hot direct reduced iron and b) an entrance of the hot briquette machine; adding solid carbonaceous material and/or flux to the discharged hot direct reduced iron from the shaft furnace to produce a mixture of the discharged hot direct reduced iron and the solid carbonaceous material and/or flux before feeding to the hot briquette machine; and processing in the hot briquette machine to produce a product of hot briquetted iron with increased solid carbonaceous material content greater than about 3 weight percent and/or an increased flux content.

Burning and cooling carbonate rock in cocurrent regenerative lime kilns may involve alternately operating two shafts such that a first shaft operates as a burning shaft and a second shaft operates as a regenerative shaft during a first period and such that the first shaft operates as the regenerative shaft and the second shaft operates as the burning shaft during a second period. Carbonate rock introduced to upper regions of the shafts may be preheated and calcined. The carbonate rock may then be cooled in lower regions of the shafts before being discharged through discharge devices. The cooling of the carbonate rock may comprise introducing cooling air into the shafts partially through central displacement bodies in the shafts and partially through the discharge devices. Amounts of air entering through the central displacement bodies compared to the discharge devices may vary widely from the burning shaft to the regenerative shaft.

Systems for dehydrogenating an alkane are provided. An exemplary system includes a furnace and further includes alkane heating chambers, regeneration mixture heating chambers, and two groups of reaction chambers, all located within the furnace. The alkane heating chambers and regeneration mixture heating chambers can preheat an alkane feed and a regeneration mixture feed, respectively. The two groups of reaction chambers can be switchably coupled to an alkane feed and a regeneration mixture feed such that an alkane can flow through one group of reaction chambers while a regeneration mixture flows through the other group of reaction chambers. Processes for dehydrogenating an alkane are also provided.

The present disclosure relates to a decarbonation process of carbonated materials, in particular limestone and dolomitic limestone, with CO.sub.2 recovery in a multi-shaft vertical kiln (MSVK) comprising a first and a second shaft with preheating, heating and cooling zones and a cross-over channel between each shaft. The method includes alternately heating carbonated materials by a combustion of at least one fuel with at least one comburent, up to a temperature range in which carbon dioxide of the carbonated materials is released, the combustion of the fuel and the decarbonation generating an exhaust gas. Decarbonated materials are cooled in the cooling zones with one or more cooling streams. The process further includes extracting the exhaust gas from the multi-shaft vertical kiln and feeding a buffer with the extracted exhaust gas.

The present disclosure discloses a decarbonation process of limestone and dolomitic limestone with CO.sub.2 recovery in a multi-shaft vertical kiln (MSVK) having three shafts with preheating, heating and cooling zones and a cross-over channel between each shaft. The method includes alternately heating carbonated materials by a combustion of a fuel with a comburent up to a temperature range in which carbon dioxide of the carbonated materials is released, the combustion of the fuel and the decarbonation generating an exhaust gas, the decarbonated materials being cooled in the cooling zones with cooling stream(s). Mixing between the exhaust gas and the one or more cooling streams is minimized. The decarbonated materials in two or three of the shafts are cooled with the cooling streams while a supply of the fuel in each shaft is stopped.

A heating system for heating composite materials includes a housing defining a cavity therein, a vertical conveyor system provided in the cavity of the housing for moving objects through the housing, and a heating arrangement provided in the housing for heating the objects that are moved through the housing. The heating arrangement may include at least one heating element provided in at least one of an upper portion of the housing and a lower portion of the housing. The heating arrangement may include at least one fan to circulate heated air generated by the heating arrangement throughout the cavity of the housing.