An abrasion-resistant material for the working face of a metallurgical furnace cooling element such as a stave cooler or a tuyere cooler having a body comprised of a first metal. The abrasion-resistant material comprises a macro-composite material including abrasion-resistant particles which are arranged in a substantially repeating, engineered configuration infiltrated with a matrix of a second metal, the particles having a hardness greater than that of the second metal. A cooling element for a metallurgical furnace has a body comprised of the first metal, the body having a facing layer comprising the abrasion-resistant material. A method comprises: positioning the engineered configuration of abrasion-resistant particles in a mold cavity, the engineered configuration located in an area of the mold cavity to define the facing layer; and introducing molten metal into the cavity, the molten metal comprising the first metal of the cooling element body.

An abrasion-resistant material for the working face of a metallurgical furnace cooling element such as a stave cooler or a tuyere cooler having a body comprised of a first metal. The abrasion-resistant material comprises a macro-composite material including abrasion-resistant particles which are arranged in a substantially repeating, engineered configuration infiltrated with a matrix of a second metal, the particles having a hardness greater than that of the second metal. A cooling element for a metallurgical furnace has a body comprised of the first metal, the body having a facing layer comprising the abrasion-resistant material. A method comprises: positioning the engineered configuration of abrasion-resistant particles in a mold cavity, the engineered configuration located in an area of the mold cavity to define the facing layer; and introducing molten metal into the cavity, the molten metal comprising the first metal of the cooling element body.

The invention relates to a method for producing an expanded granulate (29) made of a sand grain-shaped mineral material (1) using a propellant; wherein the material (1) is fed to a substantially upright furnace (2); wherein the material (1) is conveyed along a conveying path (4) through a plurality of vertically separated healing zones (5) in a furnace shaft (3) of the furnace (2), wherein each heating zone (5) can be heated by at least one independently controllable heating element (6); wherein the material (1) is heated to a critical temperature at which the surfaces (7) of the sand grains (1) become plastic and the sand grains (1) are expanded through the propellant. It is provided according to the invention that the material (1) is fed together with an amount of air from below, wherein the material (1) is conveyed from bottom to top along the conveying path (4) by means of the amount of air which flows from bottom to top within the furnace shaft (3) and forms an air flow (14), and wherein the expanding of the sand grains (1) occurs in the upper half, preferably in the uppermost third, of the conveying path (4).

The invention relates to a method for producing an expanded granulate (29) made of a sand grain-shaped mineral material (1) using a propellant; wherein the material (1) is fed to a substantially upright furnace (2); wherein the material (1) is conveyed along a conveying path (4) through a plurality of vertically separated healing zones (5) in a furnace shaft (3) of the furnace (2), wherein each heating zone (5) can be heated by at least one independently controllable heating element (6); wherein the material (1) is heated to a critical temperature at which the surfaces (7) of the sand grains (1) become plastic and the sand grains (1) are expanded through the propellant. It is provided according to the invention that the material (1) is fed together with an amount of air from below, wherein the material (1) is conveyed from bottom to top along the conveying path (4) by means of the amount of air which flows from bottom to top within the furnace shaft (3) and forms an air flow (14), and wherein the expanding of the sand grains (1) occurs in the upper half, preferably in the uppermost third, of the conveying path (4).

A method for burning material, such as carbonate rocks, in a parallel-flow regenerative shaft kiln having two shafts which are operated alternately as a burning shaft and as a regenerative shaft and are connected to one another by means of a connecting channel, wherein the material flows through a material inlet into a preheating zone for preheating the material, a burning zone for burning the material and a cooling zone for cooling the material to a material outlet, wherein a cooling gas is admitted into the cooling zone, wherein exhaust gas is discharged from one of the shafts via an exhaust gas outlet, wherein the exhaust gas discharged from the shaft via the exhaust gas outlet is at least partially introduced into at least one of the shafts.

A method for burning material, such as carbonate rocks, in a parallel-flow regenerative shaft kiln having two shafts which are operated alternately as a burning shaft and as a regenerative shaft and are connected to one another by means of a connecting channel, wherein the material flows through a material inlet into a preheating zone for preheating the material, a burning zone for burning the material and a cooling zone for cooling the material to a material outlet, wherein a cooling gas is admitted into the cooling zone, wherein exhaust gas is discharged from one of the shafts via an exhaust gas outlet, wherein the exhaust gas discharged from the shaft via the exhaust gas outlet is at least partially introduced into at least one of the shafts.

A sintering furnace can have a housing, one or more heating elements, and a conveying assembly. Each heating element can be disposed within the housing and can subject a heating zone to a thermal shock temperature profile. A substrate with one or more precursors thereon can be moved by the conveying assembly through an inlet of the housing to the heating zone, where it is subjected to a first temperature of at least 500 C. for a first time period. The conveying assembly can then move the substrate with one or more sintered materials thereon from the heating zone and through an outlet of the housing.

Disclosed is a vertical kiln which can be used in calcination and/or drying processes in industrial plants operating in the mining sector

Disclosed is a vertical kiln which can be used in calcination and/or drying processes in industrial plants operating in the mining sector

An indirect-heat thermal processor for processing bulk solids includes a housing including an inlet for receiving the bulk solids and an outlet for discharging the bulk solids and a plurality of heat transfer plate assemblies disposed between the inlet and the outlet and arranged in spaced relationship for the flow of the bulk solids that flow from the inlet, between the heat transfer plate assemblies, to the outlet. The heat transfer plate assemblies include a heat spreader, a heating element disposed adjacent the heat spreader, a temperature detection device spaced from the heating element and disposed adjacent the heat spreader, covers disposed on opposing sides of the heat spreader, the heating element, and the temperature detection device to provide a sandwiched assembly in which the heat spreader, the heating element, and the temperature detection device are sandwiched between the covers, heating element couplings coupled to the heating element and extending from the sandwiched assembly for controlling the heating element, and a connector coupled to the temperature detection device and extending from the sandwiched assembly for monitoring a temperature at the temperature detection device.