A device for determining the topography of the burden surface in a shaft furnace (10), the device comprising a radar device (20) that scans the burden surface (18) and has an antenna device (22) arranged in the area of a furnace cover (13), the antenna device being arranged on an axis of rotation (24) that is inclined in relation to a vertical axis (15) of the shaft furnace at an angle of inclination and being rotatable about the axis of rotation by means of a drive device in such a manner that a radar fan beam (28) formed by the emitted radar radiation of the antenna device is incident upon the burden surface along a profile line p and sweeps across the burden surface as the antenna device rotates.

A slag volume evaluation method for a molten metal surface includes calculating an approximation curve indicating a correspondence between a thickness of slag and a density parameter in advance by measuring thicknesses of a plurality of pieces of the slag which float on a surface of a molten metal in a container and differ from each other in thickness, and calculating a value of the density parameter which is correlated to a density in a pixel region corresponding to the plurality of pieces of the slag in a captured image of a molten metal surface in the container; and calculating a volume of the slag by calculating and integrating the thickness of the slag for each of pixels constituting the captured image obtained by capturing an image of the molten metal surface which is an evaluation target, according to a value of the density parameter of each of the pixels and the approximation curve.

Sensors measure magnetic field components, and the measured fields are used to calculate and estimated transverse position of a longitudinal electric current flowing as an electric discharge across a discharge gap. Based on the estimated position, and according to a selected transverse trajectory or distribution of the estimated discharge position, magnetic fields are applied transversely across the discharge gap so as to control or alter the estimated discharge position. Inventive apparatus and methods can be employed, inter alia, during operation of a vacuum arc furnace.

The present invention preferably comprises a system and method for operating and/or positioning a lance and nozzle assembly relative to a molten metal bath in a vessel. Specifically, at least one temperature sensor is provided proximate a tip of the lance and nozzle assembly and at least one temperature sensor is provided on or in the vessel. A processing unit is configured to receive at least one signal from each of the temperature sensors, process the signals to determine the active position of the lance and nozzle assembly relative to the metal bath, and move the lance and nozzle assembly to a preferred position the corresponds to a stage of operation in the vessel.

A system and equipment to measure and control the feeding of load material into an electrical arc furnace (EAF) includes an automatic control device feeding the load material; a measuring device positioned between the EAF and the tilting platform that includes an upper plate adapted to slide against the EAF, a lower plate engaged to the tilting platform, and a ring structure therebetween having a peripheral ring wall, a ring plate extending across the ring structure, and a contact member coupled to the ring plate that upperly contacts the upper plate and lowerly approaches, without contacting the lower plate; and one or more sensors measuring a deformation of the ring plate upon application of a load on the upper plate.

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.

Apparatus and method are provided for life cycle wear monitoring of a consumable refractory in an electric induction furnace used for heating and melting materials by accumulating laser imaging data of the refractory's inner surface periodically over the refractory's life cycle while the furnace is utilized in a foundry environment and processing the accumulated imaging data for comparative analysis with previous laser imaging data of the refractory's inner surface.

Provided are a method and an arrangement for operating a metallurgical furnace. The method comprises a feeding step, and a temperature controlling step for controlling the temperature of a molten metal layer and a slag layer in a furnace space of the metallurgical furnace. The temperature controlling step comprises a first measuring step for measuring the slag temperature (T.sub.slag), a second measuring step for measuring the slag liquidus temperature (T.sub.slag, liquidus), and a calculating step for calculating a superheat temperature (T.sub.superheat) by calculating the temperature difference between the slag temperature (T.sub.slag) and the slag liquidus temperature (T.sub.slag, liquidus). In case the calculated superheat temperature (T.sub.superheat) is outside a predefined superheat temperature range (T.sub.superheat set), the method comprises an adjusting step for adjusting to adjust the actual superheat temperature. Also provided are computer program products.

Sensors measure magnetic field components, and the measured fields are used to calculate and estimated transverse position of a longitudinal electric current flowing as an electric discharge across a discharge gap. Based on the estimated position, and according to a selected transverse trajectory or distribution of the estimated discharge position, magnetic fields are applied transversely across the discharge gap so as to control or alter the estimated discharge position. Inventive apparatus and methods can be employed, inter alia, during operation of a vacuum arc furnace.

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.