The invention concerns a process for detecting water leaks in smelting furnaces (2; 4) or in metal or alloy treatment plants, comprising the following steps: (i) providing at least one smelting furnace (2; 4), or at least one metal or alloy treatment plant provided with a water cooling system (5) and being connected to a process fume exhaust system; (ii) mixing in the cooling water a tracer chemical which is volatile in the event of water leakage together with the exhaust gases and which is suitable to be detected by an analysis system of the exhaust gases; and (iii) detecting said tracer chemical contained in the exhaust gases by said analysis system comprised in said process fume exhaust plant, wherein said tracer chemical is deuterated water. The invention further refers to a Plant for the production of metals or alloys.

The invention concerns a process for detecting water leaks in smelting furnaces (2; 4) or in metal or alloy treatment plants, comprising the following steps: (i) providing at least one smelting furnace (2; 4), or at least one metal or alloy treatment plant provided with a water cooling system (5) and being connected to a process fume exhaust system; (ii) mixing in the cooling water a tracer chemical which is volatile in the event of water leakage together with the exhaust gases and which is suitable to be detected by an analysis system of the exhaust gases; and (iii) detecting said tracer chemical contained in the exhaust gases by said analysis system comprised in said process fume exhaust plant, wherein said tracer chemical is deuterated water. The invention further refers to a Plant for the production of metals or alloys.

A system for automatic monitoring of smelt flow exiting a recovery boiler based on optical information. A processor is used to read at least one stationarily imaged video sequence, comprising digital image frames, including an area under examination representing at least part of the smelt flow exiting the recovery boiler. The processor is used to identify, in the area under examination, an area distinguishable based on colour and/or intensity information. The processor is used to determine, based on the identified distinguishable area, a monitored flow property of the smelt flow.

A heating cooker according to the present disclosure includes a heating chamber, a heating unit, a capturing unit, a control unit, an appearance characteristic analysis unit that analyzes an appearance characteristic of a heated material, an information reading unit that reads heating control information, an information storage unit in which an acceptable range of the heating control information is registered, and an information determination unit that determines whether the heating control information read by the information reading unit is within the acceptable range. When the heating control information read by the information reading unit is within the acceptable range, the control unit executes heating control based on the heating control information read by the information reading unit. When the heating control information read by the information reading unit is not within the acceptable range, the control unit does not execute heating control based on the heating control information read by the information reading unit.

A heating cooker according to the present disclosure includes a heating chamber, a heating unit, a capturing unit, a control unit, an appearance characteristic analysis unit that analyzes an appearance characteristic of a heated material, an information reading unit that reads heating control information, an information storage unit in which an acceptable range of the heating control information is registered, and an information determination unit that determines whether the heating control information read by the information reading unit is within the acceptable range. When the heating control information read by the information reading unit is within the acceptable range, the control unit executes heating control based on the heating control information read by the information reading unit. When the heating control information read by the information reading unit is not within the acceptable range, the control unit does not execute heating control based on the heating control information read by the information reading unit.

A device is configured to operate a Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) system. The device is further configured to determine that the amount of time to close a pressure switch exceeds a time threshold value. The device is further configured to receive an audio signal from a microphone while operating the HVAC system, to identify an audio signature for the combustion air inducer, and to determine the audio signature for the combustion air inducer is present within the audio signal. The device is further configured to determine a fault type based on the determination that the audio signature for the combustion air inducer is present within the audio signal, to identify a component identifier for a component of the HVAC system that is associated with fault type, and to output a recommendation identifying the component identifier.

A heat treatment apparatus including: a cylindrical processing container; a heater configured to heat the processing container; and a cooler configured to cool the processing container, wherein the cooler includes: discharge holes provided at intervals in a longitudinal direction of the processing container, the discharge holes being configured to discharge a cooling medium toward the processing container; a branch configured to divide the cooling medium into a plurality of flowing paths that communicate with the discharge holes; and blowers provided for respective ones of the flowing paths, the blowers being configured to send the cooling medium to the discharge holes that communicate with the respective ones of the flowing paths.

The method for heating a metal component to a target temperature, in which the component has a preliminary coating and is passed through a furnace that has at least four zones, which can be respectively adjusted to an individual zone temperature, wherein the component is passed successively through at least an initial heating zone, a plateau zone, a peak heating zone and an end zone and wherein the initial heating zone is adjusted to an initial heating temperature, the plateau zone is adjusted to a plateau temperature, the peak heating zone is adjusted to a peak temperature and the end zone is adjusted to the target temperature, the plateau temperature being chosen such that the temperature of the component in the plateau zone lies in a band around a melting temperature of the preliminary coating which is characterized in that the peak temperature lies by at least 100 K above the target temperature.

A system and method is disclosed for monitoring graphite electrodes for use in an electric arc furnace includes receiving an electrode identifiers from a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag reader configured to interrogate RFID tags in the vicinity of an electric arc furnace (EAF), wherein the RFID tags are attached to electrodes. The electrode identifier is associated with EAF data collected from the EAF and the association is stored in a memory. The association is used for generating current and past operating parameters of the electric arc furnace for specific electrodes. Data for each specific electrode used in the EAF can also be collected for determining performance parameters for specific electrodes.

An elemental analysis device includes a heating furnace in which a test sample that is placed in a crucible is heated so that a sample gas is generated from the test sample, an inflow path through which a carrier gas is introduced into the heating furnace, an outflow path through which a mixture gas made up of the carrier gas and the sample gas is led out from the heating furnace, a dust filter that is provided on the outflow path, an analysis mechanism that is provided on the outflow path on a downstream side from the dust filter, and that detects one or a plurality of predetermined components contained in the mixture gas, and a cleaning gas supply mechanism that supplies cleaning gas to the dust filter in an opposite direction from a direction in which the mixture gas is flowing.