A high temperature vacuum furnace including a prefabricated tongue-and-groove, low-mass insulation ring assembly hot zone, resulting in decreased energy costs and increased energy efficiency, faster heating and cooling cycles, and expedited maintenance capability resulting in lower maintenance costs. Decreased time of a workpiece in the furnace improves production turnaround and lowers energy costs for each heat treating cycle. Furnace manufacturing is also easier and less expensive compared to prior art vacuum furnaces. A bottom support structure replaces the prior art metal support ring resulting in an approximately 80-85% weight saving in the furnace hot zone. This reduces the time and energy required to heat and cool the furnace components and workpiece.

Example systems include a vacuum chamber enclosing a pouring cup and a platform configured to support a casting assembly. The casting assembly is configured to hold a plurality of joinable components and a mold defining at least one mating groove configured to join at least two joinable components of the plurality of joinable components when occupied with a metal or an alloy. Each respective mating groove is fluidically connected to a respective surface opening of a plurality of surface openings defined by the mold. The pouring cup and the respective surface opening are movable relative to each other by moving at least one of the pouring cup or the platform supporting the casting assembly to substantially align the pouring cup with the respective surface opening. The pouring cup is configured to pour a respective volume of molten metal or alloy in at least two surface openings.

Example systems include a vacuum chamber enclosing a pouring cup and a platform configured to support a casting assembly. The casting assembly is configured to hold a plurality of joinable components and a mold defining at least one mating groove configured to join at least two joinable components of the plurality of joinable components when occupied with a metal or an alloy. Each respective mating groove is fluidically connected to a respective surface opening of a plurality of surface openings defined by the mold. The pouring cup and the respective surface opening are movable relative to each other by moving at least one of the pouring cup or the platform supporting the casting assembly to substantially align the pouring cup with the respective surface opening. The pouring cup is configured to pour a respective volume of molten metal or alloy in at least two surface openings.

Cooling equipment comprising: a plurality of injection units in a continuous annealing furnace including heating zone, soaking zone, and cooling zone through which strip-shaped steel sheet is sequentially fed, the injection units arranged in cooling zone in row along feed direction of steel sheet and injecting, from injection nozzles, cooling gas containing hydrogen, onto steel sheet; and hydrogen concentration adjustment unit adjusts hydrogen concentration of cooling gas such that hydrogen concentration distribution is formed in which, in a space of the cooling zone where plurality of injection units are disposed, hydrogen concentration at upstream region is higher than hydrogen concentration at downstream region; plurality of injection nozzles arranged along feed direction of steel sheet, and each of injection nozzles extending toward steel sheet; and injection nozzles positioned at both sides in array direction inclined to slope toward a center of the array direction on progression toward tips of injection nozzles.

Cooling equipment comprising: a plurality of injection units in a continuous annealing furnace including heating zone, soaking zone, and cooling zone through which strip-shaped steel sheet is sequentially fed, the injection units arranged in cooling zone in row along feed direction of steel sheet and injecting, from injection nozzles, cooling gas containing hydrogen, onto steel sheet; and hydrogen concentration adjustment unit adjusts hydrogen concentration of cooling gas such that hydrogen concentration distribution is formed in which, in a space of the cooling zone where plurality of injection units are disposed, hydrogen concentration at upstream region is higher than hydrogen concentration at downstream region; plurality of injection nozzles arranged along feed direction of steel sheet, and each of injection nozzles extending toward steel sheet; and injection nozzles positioned at both sides in array direction inclined to slope toward a center of the array direction on progression toward tips of injection nozzles.

A 180-degree pipe elbow having one end extending beyond the other end and method of joining a 180-degree pipe elbow to lengths of cooling pipe to form a cooling panel for use in a furnace, boiler or other industrial heating apparatus that benefits from assistance of a cooling panel. Having one end of the elbow extend beyond the other end of the elbow enables the one end to be joined to a length of pipe by welding whereby the joining may be by automatic welding which will reduce manufacturing costs and ensure a quality weld.

A cooling apparatus includes: a first air nozzle configured to spray air to the metal strip from above; a first water nozzle configured to spray water to the metal strip from above; and a gas discharging part configured to discharge an air around the metal strip upwardly, wherein the first air nozzle, the first water nozzle and the gas discharging part are aligned along a transport direction of the metal strip in the order of the first air nozzle, the first water nozzle and the gas discharging part, wherein the cooling apparatus is adapted to collide the air from the first air nozzle against the metal strip and then the air moves along a surface of the metal strip to a point at which steam is generated by the water from the first water nozzle, and is adapted to discharge the steam using the gas discharging part.

A cooling apparatus includes: a first air nozzle configured to spray air to the metal strip from above; a first water nozzle configured to spray water to the metal strip from above; and a gas discharging part configured to discharge an air around the metal strip upwardly, wherein the first air nozzle, the first water nozzle and the gas discharging part are aligned along a transport direction of the metal strip in the order of the first air nozzle, the first water nozzle and the gas discharging part, wherein the cooling apparatus is adapted to collide the air from the first air nozzle against the metal strip and then the air moves along a surface of the metal strip to a point at which steam is generated by the water from the first water nozzle, and is adapted to discharge the steam using the gas discharging part.

A cooling plate for a metallurgical furnace including a body with a front face and an opposite rear face, the body having at least one cooling channel therein having an opening in the rear face and a coolant feed pipe connected to the rear face of the cooling panel and is in fluid communication with the cooling channel where in use, the front face is turned towards a furnace interior, and at least one emergency cooling tube is arranged within the cooling channel, the emergency cooling tube having a cross-section smaller than a cross-section of the cooling channel, the emergency cooling tube has an end section with connection means for connecting an emergency feed pipe thereto, and in an emergency operation, the emergency cooling tube is physically connected to an emergency feed pipe via the connection means; while, in a normal operation, the connection means of the emergency cooling tube is physically disconnected from the emergency feed pipe. The invention also concerns the use of such a cooling plate.

A cooling plate for a metallurgical furnace including a body with a front face and an opposite rear face, the body having at least one cooling channel therein having an opening in the rear face and a coolant feed pipe connected to the rear face of the cooling panel and is in fluid communication with the cooling channel where in use, the front face is turned towards a furnace interior, and at least one emergency cooling tube is arranged within the cooling channel, the emergency cooling tube having a cross-section smaller than a cross-section of the cooling channel, the emergency cooling tube has an end section with connection means for connecting an emergency feed pipe thereto, and in an emergency operation, the emergency cooling tube is physically connected to an emergency feed pipe via the connection means; while, in a normal operation, the connection means of the emergency cooling tube is physically disconnected from the emergency feed pipe. The invention also concerns the use of such a cooling plate.