The invention relates to a process for injecting particulate material into a liquid metal bath wherein the liquid metal bath contains species to be oxidized, wherein the particulate material is carried to the liquid bath by means of a first gas stream. The solids injection rate is controlled such that the liquid bath temperature and/or the evolution of the liquid bath temperature is maintained within a pre-defined temperature range and the penetration depth of the first gas stream into the liquid bath is controlled by adjusting the flow of the first gas stream. At least one second gas stream is injected into the liquid, wherein the first and the second gas streams are an oxidizing gas, in particular oxygen, and the sum of the gas flows of the first and the second gas streams is determined based on the mass of the species to be oxidized and on the desired time for oxidizing the mass of the species.

A multiple chamber material-stirring lance and method used to treat molten metal in a ladle, the lance having a stirring gas chamber, and a plurality of gas permeable ports arranged at a terminal end of the gas chamber, and at least one material chamber positioned parallel to the gas chamber and terminating in a plurality of material ports. In use, the multiple chamber material-stirring lance is lowered into the ladle of molten metal, and gas and material are both introduced into a respective chamber and emitted through their respective ports. Stirring gas emitted through the gas permeable ports under a gas pressure between 40 and 600 cfm causes the stirring gas to create a boiling effect in the molten metal, drawing material into the stirring gas bubbles and away from the lance body, improving material dispersion efficiency and thus impurity extraction from the molten metal.

The invention relates to a tilting mechanism for a tilting metallurgical vessel, in particular a converter, around a horizontal axis, comprising a rotatable shaft and at least one tilting drive mechanism for rotating the vessel about the axis, the at least one tilting drive mechanism has a fixed part and a moving part, wherein the moving part of the at least one tilting drive mechanism is directly connected to one end of the rotatable shaft.

When using oxygen gas pipes 3, situations can arise, in particular due to slag return and similar dangers, in which the operator must initiate safety measures. Slag return safety devices are known which, in such a case, ensure that the gas flow is stopped by melting a cap 35 of a heat sensor 5. The response of this outlet valve 6 of the slag return safety device can be recognized, for example, by the fact that the inlet pressure of the existing oxygen gas 4 is used to push pins 21 located in the wall 19 of the oxygen gas pipe 3 beyond the outside 27 of the oxygen gas pipe 3, so that they cannot be overlooked as a warning signal. The movement of the pins 21 can be used to activate further signal systems 30 in order to provide additional indications of this movement optically and/or acoustically.

A TSL lance has an outer shell of three substantially concentric lance pipes, at least one further lance pipe concentrically within the shell, and an annular end wall at an outlet end of the lance which joins ends of outermost and innermost lance pipes of the shell at an outlet end of the lance and is spaced from an outlet end of the intermediate lance pipe of the shell. Coolant fluid is able to be circulated through the shell, by flow to and away from the outlet end. The spacing between the end wall and the outlet end of the intermediate pipe provides a constriction to the flow of coolant fluid to increase coolant fluid flow velocity therebetween. The further lance pipe defines a central bore and is spaced from the innermost lance pipe of the shell to define an annular passage, whereby materials passing along the bore and the passage mix adjacent to the outlet end of the lance. The end wall and an adjacent minor part of the length of the shell comprise a replaceable lance tip assembly.

An oxygen blowing lance comprising: a lance body including an oxygen conduit and cooling water inlet and outlet conduits surrounding said oxygen conduit; a lance head connected to said lance body and comprising a nozzle body, said nozzle body including a central strut having bore hole, a plurality of nozzles arranged about said central strut, and a plurality of cooling chambers arranged about said central strut, wherein said plurality of nozzles are in fluid communication with said oxygen conduit for discharging oxygen from said oxygen conduit onto a metal bath in a converter vessel, and wherein said plurality of cooling chambers are in fluid communication with said cooling water inlet and outlet conduits; a temperature probe or camera assembly received in said bore hole for monitoring the temperature of said lance head or molten heat in which the lance is inserted; signal lines connected to said temperature probe for conveying signals from said temperature probe whereby operation of said blowing lance is regulated in response to said signals; and a protective pipe pressurized with a gas disposed in the bore and surrounding said temperature probe assembly and the signal lines.

The invention relates to a method and an apparatus for controlling the pressure in the exhaust gas duct of a converter in a steel mill using a pressure control loop. To optimize the defined pressure setpoint for the pressure control loop so as to prevent excessive amounts of outside air from being drawn in via the converter mouth, the pressure setpoint is determined according to the invention by adapting a raw value based on the extent to which smoke or flames is/are formed at the mouth (120) of the converter (100).

A long-life service method for powder-bottom-injecting converter based on collaborative hot replacement of furnace bottom and bottom purging brick belongs to the field of steelmaking technologies using powder-bottom-injecting converters. According to equipment characteristics, process characteristics, and erosion characteristics of the powder-bottom-injecting converter, the design, arrangement, installation, use, maintenance, and replacement of the bottom purging/powder injection bricks are systematically optimized and improved, a technology of automatically detecting the erosion height of bottom purging bricks is adopted, and hot replacement of bottom purging/powder injection bricks and hot replacement of the converter furnace bottom are used collaboratively, which not only can prolong the service life of a single bottom purging/powder injection brick, but also can greatly prolong the overall life of the powder-bottom-injecting converter from 1000-3000 heats in the prior art to 6000-10000 heats. Hence, the life of the powder-bottom-injecting converter is as long as that of a conventional converter.

A suspension device (8) for a converter, comprising a central structure (8′), adapted to be fixed to a container (2) of the converter (1), a first lateral structure (29), arranged at a first side of the central structure and adapted to be fixed to a first surface (10, 11) of a supporting ring (3) of the container, a second lateral structure (28), arranged at a second side of said central structure and adapted to be fixed to the surface (10, 11), wherein two wedge-shaped elements (15, 15′) are provided, each element being provided between the central structure and a respective lateral structure and configured so as to slide on sliding surfaces (23, 24, 24′) connected respectively to the central structure and to the respective lateral structure, wherein each wedge-shaped element is crossed by at least one tie-rod (16, 16′) connected thereto, and wherein elastic means (17) are provided, which are associated to or intrinsic with said one tie-rod and configured to maintain a wedging of the wedge-shaped element.

The current invention refers to a blowing spear (100) used in the primary refining process for obtainment of steel, developed in such a way to maintain the loading and blowing operational conditions, comprising at the base a copper nozzle (101) to which is welded in its extremity a tube (102), comprising yet a module (125) with cleaning output (103) and positioned above module (125) a steel tube (118) and on its upper extremity, the head (107) that comprises a cooling liquid inlet (115), a gases inlet (116) and a cooling liquid outlet (117), comprising yet the spear (100) in its interior the inner tube (122) responsible for the gas passage and the intermediate tube (123) responsible for the division between the cooling liquid inlet flow and its outlet passing mandatorily through the copper nozzle (101).