A furnace includes a tank having outer and inner walls defining a closed canal to be filled with molten metal continuously circulating along the canal. The canal includes at least one heating area having a heating component for transferring energy to the molten metal thus overheating it; at least one loading area for loading metal or metallic waste into the molten metal; a melting/treatment area for receiving the overheated molten metal and material dragged on its surface. The overheated molten metal transfers its exceeding energy to the material, causing its melting/treatment. The furnace has a central hollow delimited by the inner wall and a driving component within the hollow, having a rotor with at least one magnet body and coupled to a motor and configured to rotate upon activation of the motor, generating a magnetic field capable of causing circulation of the molten metal in a continuous and cyclical manner.

A compound for forming a foamy slag layer for use in an electric arc furnace, is described. The electric arc furnace has a chamber for melting scrap steel and an opening for introducing material into the chamber. The compound has un-calcined dolomite ore having a weight percentage from about 10% to about 60% and carbon having a weight percentage from about 40% to about 90%. The un-caicined dolomite ore and carbon are introduced to the chamber of the electric arc furnace while the scrap steel is being melted to form a foamy slag layer on the surface of the molten steel.

A method for forming a protective antioxidative barrier on the furnace electrodes using a chemically altered cooling liquid containing an antioxidant additive. This method can be applied to electrodes used in electric arc furnaces and ladle metallurgy furnaces. The method can involve spraying the cooling liquid onto the electrode, thereby forming the protective antioxidative barrier and reducing the oxidation of the electrode.

A method for forming a protective antioxidative barrier on the furnace electrodes using a chemically altered cooling liquid containing an antioxidant additive. This method can be applied to electrodes used in electric arc furnaces and ladle metallurgy furnaces. The method can involve spraying the cooling liquid onto the electrode, thereby forming the protective antioxidative barrier and reducing the oxidation of the electrode.

The present document describes a smelting apparatus for smelting metallic ore. The smelting apparatus comprises a furnace having a continuous curved wall and end walls defining a longitudinal volume having a longitudinal axis in a horizontal direction. The continuous curved wall has a lowermost area. The longitudinal volume is divided in at least three longitudinal layers comprising a top layer within which gasified fuel is combusted for creating a hot gas composition at a temperature sufficient to release, from the metallic ore, at least molten metal and slag, a lowermost layer at the lowermost area for holding molten metal, and a mid-layer above the lowermost layer in which the slag accumulates. The present document also describes processes using the smelting apparatus for producing ferrous and non-ferrous minerals from a metallic ore.

To provide a technique that reliably and quickly melts conductive metal, there is provided a conductive metal melting method including: rotating a magnetic field device formed of a permanent magnet, which includes a permanent magnet, about a vertical axis near a driving flow channel of a flow channel that includes an inlet through which conductive molten metal flows into the flow channel from the outside and an outlet through which the molten metal is discharged to the outside and includes a vortex chamber provided between the driving flow channel provided on an upstream side and an outflow channel provided on a downstream side, and moving lines of magnetic force of the permanent magnet while the lines of magnetic force of the permanent magnet pass through the molten metal present in the driving flow channel; allowing the molten metal to flow into the vortex chamber by an electromagnetic force generated with the movement to generate the vortex of the molten metal in the vortex chamber into which the raw material is to be put; and discharging the molten metal to the outside from the outlet. The conductive metal melting method further includes driving the molten metal present in the outflow channel toward the outlet by an electromagnetic force generated with the movement of the lines of magnetic force as necessary.

To provide a technique that reliably and quickly melts conductive metal, there is provided a conductive metal melting method including: rotating a magnetic field device formed of a permanent magnet, which includes a permanent magnet, about a vertical axis near a driving flow channel of a flow channel that includes an inlet through which conductive molten metal flows into the flow channel from the outside and an outlet through which the molten metal is discharged to the outside and includes a vortex chamber provided between the driving flow channel provided on an upstream side and an outflow channel provided on a downstream side, and moving lines of magnetic force of the permanent magnet while the lines of magnetic force of the permanent magnet pass through the molten metal present in the driving flow channel; allowing the molten metal to flow into the vortex chamber by an electromagnetic force generated with the movement to generate the vortex of the molten metal in the vortex chamber into which the raw material is to be put; and discharging the molten metal to the outside from the outlet. The conductive metal melting method further includes driving the molten metal present in the outflow channel toward the outlet by an electromagnetic force generated with the movement of the lines of magnetic force as necessary.

The present invention provides an electric furnace including: a furnace body that includes an electrode; and a slag holding furnace that is configured to hold molten slag in a molten state and is capable of pouring the molten slag into the furnace body when tilted, in which the furnace body includes a cylindrical furnace wall, a furnace cover that is provided at an upper end of the furnace wall, a furnace bottom that is provided at a lower end of the furnace wall and includes a deep bottom portion and a shallow bottom portion as a region having a height of 150 mm to 500 mm from a deepest point of the deep bottom portion, and a slag pouring port that is provided at the furnace cover and through which the molten slag is poured from the slag holding furnace, the slag pouring port overlaps the shallow bottom portion in a plan view, and the area ratio of the shallow bottom portion to the furnace bottom in a plan view is 5% to 40%.

The invention is a continuation of U.S. Pat. No. 9,617,610 issued on Apr. 11, 2017. It consists of a process to treat comingled and co-mixed ferrous and non-ferrous scrap by heat from flue gases generated in the hearth of the furnace, charging and melting the treated ferrous scrap after removing contaminants and non-ferrous elements of the scrap through a three step process in a triple chamber furnace (FIGS. 1 and 4). The furnace consists of a first chamber (4) where the scrap is loaded, and treated in an oxygen deficient flue gas atmosphere downstream of a heat recuperator (3), at high temperature to cause the peeling and melting of zinc from galvanized scrap, the melting of non-ferrous components of the scrap and their collection at the bottom of the chamber at a dedicated spout (23) to a crucible (24), the pyrolysis of paints, plastic and used tire contaminants of the scrap. Upstream of the recuperator flue gas from the second stage, or charging and melting chamber (2) rise to exchange heat in the recuperator (3) and pre-heat combustion air on its way to the primary burner of the furnace (11). Ferrous scrap after being separated from non ferrous elements is charged into the second stage or charging and melting chamber (2); the chamber having a floor sloped at an angle less than the angle of repose of steel in a solid form, so that the molten iron and steel can flow to the third stage or hearth (1) where carbon is added at the carburizer (5), alloying elements at the charging spout (6) and oxygen carrying gases, gaseous, liquid and pulverized solid fuel are applied at the burner (11) to complete the refining of the scrap and their discharge for castings. To achieve the pyrolysis needed to eliminate coating, paint, rubber tires, plastic scrap, the combustion in the hearth is completed at stoichometric ratio to deplete the flue gases from oxygen. Flue gases on the discharge of the triple chamber Cokeless furnace are treated by conventional methods to extract dust, condense and separate hydrocarbons that resulted from the pyrolysis in the scrap in the treatment chamber prior to discharge to the environment (27). Condensed hydrocarbons are burned in the hearth (1) for additional heat. Non-ferrous molten metals collected in a crucible or channel furnace (24) are further processed outside the triple chamber furnace. In a different embodiment of the invention, containers full of scrap tires, scrap plastics and non-ferrous scrap (34) are charged closed in the scrap processing chamber, heated externally by flue gases and the containers ven

A metallurgical furnace including a vessel, in turn having a lower shell for containing the metal bath, the metal bath being composed of molten metal and an overlying layer of slag, wherein the lower shell is tiltingly supported and is provided with a deslagging opening for evacuating the slag and with a tapping opening for tapping the molten metal, and an upper shell removably positioned on the lower shell and provided with at least one inlet opening for feeding, through the same, charge material in the solid state or in the molten state, a closing roof for the upper closing of the vessel, wherein the closing roof is removably positioned on the upper shell and is provided with a passage opening for the passage, through the same, of at least one electrode and at least one charge opening for feeding, through the same, charge material in the solid state, wherein at least one of the inlet openings, the passage opening, the charge opening is closed or can be associated with a closing element of the removable type, and wherein the lower shell has a diameter D and the vessel has an overall height H ranging from 0.70 D to 1.25 D, preferably ranging from 0.70 D to 0.80 D if the furnace is used as an electric arc furnace and from 0.80 D to 1.25 D if the furnace is used as a converter.