An apparatus for removing a blockage in a solids injection lance extending into a direct smelting vessel The solids injection lance has a single inlet coupled to a section of supply line that conveys gas and solids to the solids injection lance and that is upstream and co-axial with the solids injection lance. The apparatus has a tool that extends through the supply line section and the solids injection lance to remove a blockage of solid material and an assembly for advancing the tool through the solids injection lance and the supply line section to the blockage from an upstream side of the blockage.

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 system of obtaining an aluminium melt including SiC particles for use when moulding vehicle parts, e.g. brake disks, the system comprises a pre-processing tank (2), configured to receive SiC particles and to apply a pre-processing procedure to pre-process the SiC particles; a SiC particle transport member (4) configured to transport the pre-processed SiC particles from the pre-processing tank (2) to a crucible (6) of a melting furnace device (8), and the melting furnace device (8) is configured to receive and melt solid aluminium, e.g. aluminium slabs, and to hold an aluminium melt (10) and to receive said pre-processed SiC particles (12). The system also comprises a tube-like SiC particle mixing arrangement (14) defining and enclosing an elongated mixing chamber (16), the mixing arrangement (14) is configured to be mounted in said crucible (6) and structured to receive into said mixing chamber (16) said pre-processed SiC particles (12) via a first inlet (18) and said aluminium melt (10) via at least one second inlet (20), and to apply a mixing procedure by rotating a rotatable mixing member (22) arranged in said mixing chamber (16) about said longitudinal axis A, wherein said pre-processed SiC particles are mixed together with the aluminium melt in said mixing chamber. The mixing arrangement (14) is provided with at least one outlet (26) to feed out the mixture from said mixing chamber into said crucible.

A system of obtaining an aluminium melt including SiC particles for use when moulding vehicle parts, e.g. brake disks, the system comprises a pre-processing tank (2), configured to receive SiC particles and to apply a pre-processing procedure to pre-process the SiC particles; a SiC particle transport member (4) configured to transport the pre-processed SiC particles from the pre-processing tank (2) to a crucible (6) of a melting furnace device (8), and the melting furnace device (8) is configured to receive and melt solid aluminium, e.g. aluminium slabs, and to hold an aluminium melt (10) and to receive said pre-processed SiC particles (12). The system also comprises a tube-like SiC particle mixing arrangement (14) defining and enclosing an elongated mixing chamber (16), the mixing arrangement (14) is configured to be mounted in said crucible (6) and structured to receive into said mixing chamber (16) said pre-processed SiC particles (12) via a first inlet (18) and said aluminium melt (10) via at least one second inlet (20), and to apply a mixing procedure by rotating a rotatable mixing member (22) arranged in said mixing chamber (16) about said longitudinal axis A, wherein said pre-processed SiC particles are mixed together with the aluminium melt in said mixing chamber. The mixing arrangement (14) is provided with at least one outlet (26) to feed out the mixture from said mixing chamber into said crucible.

An apparatus for producing a bloated mineral granulate with a heated processing channel (1) for the mineral granulate fed to a conveying flow (13), wherein an inflow opening (4) is provided in the processing channel (1) for forming a granulate-free laminar flow (5) running along the inner wall of the processing channel, is described.

In order to design a device of the type described above in such a way that a continuous, qualitatively controllable production process is achieved, it is proposed in that the processing channel (1) comprises two channel sections (16), (17) with differing cross-sections, wherein the channel section (16) with a smaller cross-section projects into the channel section (17) with a larger cross-section, forming the inflow opening (4), and wherein the channel section (16) with a smaller cross-section is enclosed by the channel section (17) with a larger cross-section in such a way that an inflow opening (4) is formed completely around the projecting region of the channel section (16) with a smaller cross-section.

An apparatus for producing a bloated mineral granulate with a heated processing channel (1) for the mineral granulate fed to a conveying flow (13), wherein an inflow opening (4) is provided in the processing channel (1) for forming a granulate-free laminar flow (5) running along the inner wall of the processing channel, is described.

In order to design a device of the type described above in such a way that a continuous, qualitatively controllable production process is achieved, it is proposed in that the processing channel (1) comprises two channel sections (16), (17) with differing cross-sections, wherein the channel section (16) with a smaller cross-section projects into the channel section (17) with a larger cross-section, forming the inflow opening (4), and wherein the channel section (16) with a smaller cross-section is enclosed by the channel section (17) with a larger cross-section in such a way that an inflow opening (4) is formed completely around the projecting region of the channel section (16) with a smaller cross-section.

A decompression heat-insulating pipe structure that can exhibit the desired heat-insulating performance and is easy to assemble. In the structure, a space between ends of inner and outer tubes is decompressed. The outer tube includes a first flange, which extends radially inward from an axially one end thereof, and a second flange, which extends radially outward from the axially other end thereof. The inner tube includes a third flange, which extends radially inward from an axially one end thereof and is opposed to the first flange at an axially inward position of the first flange, and a fourth flange, which extends radially outward from the axially other end thereof and being opposed to the second flange at an axially outward position of the second flange. First and second elastic seal members are disposed between the first and third flanges and between the second and fourth flanges, respectively.

A decompression heat-insulating pipe structure that can exhibit the desired heat-insulating performance and is easy to assemble. In the structure, a space between ends of inner and outer tubes is decompressed. The outer tube includes a first flange, which extends radially inward from an axially one end thereof, and a second flange, which extends radially outward from the axially other end thereof. The inner tube includes a third flange, which extends radially inward from an axially one end thereof and is opposed to the first flange at an axially inward position of the first flange, and a fourth flange, which extends radially outward from the axially other end thereof and being opposed to the second flange at an axially outward position of the second flange. First and second elastic seal members are disposed between the first and third flanges and between the second and fourth flanges, respectively.

A continuous concentrate feeding equipment of the present invention, which can supply the concentrate to a smelting furnace continuously when the concentrate is received, includes a pressure-adjusting tank that temporarily accumulates granular concentrate; a lift tank that receives the concentrate from the pressure-adjusting tank and discharges the concentrate to a smelting furnace; an air passage for introducing compressed air into the pressure-adjusting tank and the lift tank, respectively; and control means for controlling the compressed air, and the concentrate is continuously supplied from the lift tank to the smelting furnace even when the lift tank receives the concentrate from the pressure-adjusting tank by the control means.

A continuous concentrate feeding equipment of the present invention, which can supply the concentrate to a smelting furnace continuously when the concentrate is received, includes a pressure-adjusting tank that temporarily accumulates granular concentrate; a lift tank that receives the concentrate from the pressure-adjusting tank and discharges the concentrate to a smelting furnace; an air passage for introducing compressed air into the pressure-adjusting tank and the lift tank, respectively; and control means for controlling the compressed air, and the concentrate is continuously supplied from the lift tank to the smelting furnace even when the lift tank receives the concentrate from the pressure-adjusting tank by the control means.