An electrode seal for use in a metallurgical furnace, the furnace comprising a furnace space heated by electrodes extending through an aperture into the furnace space. The electrode seal comprises at least three sets of shoes in consecutive lateral contact, each shoe having a biasing member for biasing a surface of the shoe toward one of the electrodes thereby allowing the one electrode to longitudinally move within the electrode seal while providing electrical insulation between the electrode and the aperture.

The present disclosure discloses a refractory protection layer for a metallurgical furnace, which includes a insulating layer, a permanent layer built with a refractory brick and arranged on the insulating layer, a working layer built with a refractory brick and arranged on the permanent layer, and a first anti-permeation layer made of ramming mass and arranged on the working layer. The refractory protection layer for the metallurgical furnace described in the present disclosure embodiments has both high temperature resistance and good permeability resistance.

High heat flux furnace cooler comprise CuNi pipe coils cast inside pours of high purity (99%-Wt) copper. The depth of front copper cover over the pipe coils in the hot face to manufacture into the casting is derived from a projection of the thermal and stress conditions existing at the cooler's end-of-campaign-life. CFD and/or FEA analyses and modeling is used for a trial-and-error zeroing in of the optimum geometries to employ in the original casting of CuNi pipe coils in high purity copper casting. Individual pipe coil positions to cast inside a copper casting mold are secured with devices that will not melt, cause thermal shear stresses, or be the source of contaminations or copper defects. Pipe bonding to the casting results because the differential coefficient of expansions of the pipes' and the casting's copper alloys involved do not exceed the yield strength of the casting copper during operational thermal cycling.

Methods and apparatus are provided for constructing refractory structures, e.g., glass furnace regenerator structures and/or glass furnace structures formed of refractory components, by positioning opposed pairs of vertically oriented base beams on respective opposite sides of the refractory structure and having a lower end rigidly attached to a foundation of the refractory structure and an upper end which extends vertically above the refractory structure, and attaching cross-support beams to respective ones of the base beams at the upper end thereof so as to latitudinally span the refractory structure. An overhead crane assembly may thus be supported by the cross-support beams.

Disclosed herein are methods for making a bonded refractory material, the methods comprising preparing a slurry comprising glass precursor particles having an average particle size ranging from about 1 nm to about 200 nm; combining zirconia particles with the slurry to form a batch composition comprising at least about 80% by weight of zirconia; forming a green body from the batch composition; and sintering the green body to form a sintered refractory material. Sintered high-zirconia refractory materials can comprise at least about 80% by weight of zirconia having an average grain size of 100 microns or less, wherein the zirconia is interspersed in a glassy phase, and wherein the sintered refractory materials comprise about 15% or less by weight of the glassy phase. Melting vessels having at least one interior surface comprising such sintered zirconia refractory materials are further disclosed herein.

Titanium dioxide is used as an emissivity enhancer in high emissivity coating compositions. The titanium dioxide increases the emissivity of the high emissivity coating compositions. In certain embodiments, titanium dioxide is recovered from industrial waste sources such as catalyst containing waste streams from olefin polymerization processes or re-based sources. Titanium dioxide emissivity enhancers recovered from industrial waste sources contribute favorably to the cost of manufacturing high emissivity coating compositions containing such enhancers.

This invention provides a high temperature vacuum furnace including a hot zone designed for improved energy efficiency resulting in lower electrical power usage, lower manufacturing costs and easier replacement of components for lower maintenance costs. The hot zone has an outer supporting wall and an inner insulating wall surrounded by a new HEFVAC high density, high strength, low conductivity and low moisture-sensitive graphite insulation board ring connected in a unique z-shaped arrangement that contains radiant energy within the hot zone during the heat treating cycle. The hot zone further includes heating elements made of high quality graphite for increased thermal efficiency of the furnace. Also included in the hot zone are lower mass, tapered graphite nozzles that can sustain high pressure gas flow and decrease conductive heat losses from the nozzles to the hot zone chamber outer supporting wall during the heat treating cycle.

In an aspect, a method of manufacturing a high purity copper-based alloy comprises providing in a melting furnace a feedstock and melting the feedstock. The method additionally includes bubbling an inert gas into the molten copper-based alloy to form the high purity copper-based alloy. Aspects are also directed to an apparatus and a method of fabricating an apparatus for manufacturing the high purity copper-based alloy.

Provided are a magnesia carbon brick which does not include graphite yet has excellent spalling and corrosion resistances, and a method for producing thereof. The brick is obtained by adding an organic binder to a refractory raw material mixture followed by kneading, molding, and heat-treating, wherein the mixture includes total 0.1 to 2.0 mass % of pitch and/or carbon black, total 0.1 to 1.0 mass % of aluminum and/or aluminum alloy, 3.0 to 10.0 mass % of magnesia having particle diameter of less than 0.075 mm, and 87.0 to 96.0 mass % of magnesia having particle diameter of 0.075 to 5 mm; and a mass ratio of magnesia having particle diameter of 1 to 5 mm to that of 0.075 to 1 mm is 1.66 to 2.34; graphite is not included therein; and an apparent porosity thereof after heat-treatment under reductive atmosphere at 1400 C. for 3 hours is 8.0% or less.

Block apparatus for use with oxidizers are disclosed. An example apparatus includes a converter including a block having a plurality of channels extending therethrough. The channels define a cellular pattern including at least one central channel and a plurality of surrounding channels. Protrusions extend into the channels from respective inner surfaces of the channels. The inner surfaces are defined by respective peripheral walls.