The object of the present invention is to provide a melting/refining furnace for cold iron sources and an operation method for a melting/refining furnace that can increase the heating efficiency of the raw material without causing oxidation of the raw material, reduce the amount of power consumption required for melting the raw material, shorten the melting and refining time, improve the productivity, and reduce costs, and the present invention provides a melting/refining furnace including: one or more through-holes (21) provided to penetrate a furnace wall (2A) of an electric furnace (2); and an oxygen burner-lance (3) provided in the through-hole (21), wherein the oxygen burner-lance (3) includes at least one combustion-supporting gas supply pipe (31) and at least one fuel gas supply pipe (32) which have an opening communicating with an inside of the electric furnace (2), and wherein a high-temperature gas generator (10) is provided in any one or more of the combustion-supporting gas supply pipes (31).

Multiple magnetic field sensors are arranged around a current-containing volume at multiple longitudinal and circumferential positions. Each sensor measures multiple magnetic field components and is characterized by one or more calibration parameters. A longitudinal primary current flows through two end-to-end electrical conductors that are separated by an arc gap, and flows as at least one longitudinal primary electric arc that spans the arc gap and that moves transversely within the arc gap. Estimated transverse position of the primary electric arc is calculated, based on the longitudinal position of the arc gap, and two or more of the measured magnetic field components along with one or more corresponding sensor positions or calibration parameters. In addition, estimated occurrence, position, and magnitude of a transverse secondary current (i.e., a side arc) can be calculated based on those quantities.

An apparatus for feeding and preheating a metal charge toward a melting furnace of a melting plant, comprising at least one conveyor channel for said metal charge, at least one hood disposed above said conveyor channel and scrap detection means able to identify the profile of the metal charge entering said conveyor channel. The present invention also concerns a plant for melting metal comprising said apparatus, and a method to feed and preheat a metal charge.

The invention relates to a device and to a method for sensing a conveying rate at which liquid material is filled into a metallurgical target vessel (6) from a pivotable starting vessel (4). For this purpose, means for determining an amount of liquid material with which the initial vessel (4) has been filled and means for sensing an amount of the liquid material which is discharged toward the target vessel (6) or filled into the target vessel (6) by pivoting of the starting vessel (4) are provided.

With a method for detecting variables in an outlet of a metallurgical vessel, different variables in the outlet are detected or measured by at least one coil surrounding the outlet channel and/or an induction coil of an induction heater as a monitoring system, wherein the variables relate to the slag portion when pouring out the metal melt, wear condition of refractory parts in the outlet channel, the solidified metal melt, flow rate and/or plugging mass in the outlet channel. After evaluation, a closure element for the outlet is actuated, heating of the metal in the outlet channel is activated and/or renewal of the outlet channel is triggered. In this way, optimum operation in the pouring of metal melt out of a vessel is simply achieved, wherein occurrence of irregularities are detected during the entire pouring, and pouring out of slag can be successfully prevented at the end of the pouring.

A temperature sensor including a sapphire optical fiber and a nanoporous cladding layer covering at least a portion of the sapphire optical fiber.

Multiple magnetic field sensors are arranged around a current-containing volume at multiple longitudinal and circumferential positions. Each sensor measures multiple magnetic field components and is characterized by one or more calibration parameters. A longitudinal primary current flows through two end-to-end electrical conductors that are separated by an arc gap, and flows as at least one longitudinal primary electric arc that spans the arc gap and that moves transversely within the arc gap. Estimated transverse position of the primary electric arc is calculated, based on the longitudinal position of the arc gap, and two or more of the measured magnetic field components along with one or more corresponding sensor positions or calibration parameters. In addition, estimated occurrence, position, and magnitude of a transverse secondary current (i.e., a side arc) can be calculated based on those quantities.

A method to control slag foaming in a smelting process in a vessel for smelting an iron-containing feed material including the steps of: measuring vibration of the metallurgical vessel with an accelerometer at one or more positions on the vessel, comparing values derived from accelerometer data with a threshold value which indicates the onset of a slag foaming incident, and adjusting the smelting process if the value derived from the accelerometer data passes a predefined alarm value, wherein the smelting process is adjusted by adjusting the amounts of the gaseous and/or the solid components injected in the smelting process.

Provided are a method and to an arrangement for monitoring characteristics of a furnace process in a furnace space limited by a furnace shell of a metallurgical furnace. The arrangement comprises a process monitoring unit having a frame mounted by means of a mounting means on the metallurgical furnace outside the furnace space of the furnace shell. Also provided is a process monitoring unit for use in the method and/or in the arrangement.

One object of the present invention is to improve efficiency at the time of operation of a melting and refining furnace of a cold iron source using an oxygen burner lance, and the present invention provides a melting and refining furnace comprising a through-hole provided through a furnace wall, one or more oxygen burner lances provided in the through-hole: and a thermometer which is configured to measure a temperature in the furnace, the oxygen burner lance has one or more openings communicating with the inside of the furnace, and the thermometer is provided in any one of the openings.