A stave cooler system for cooling one or more cooling elements mounted in a metallurgical furnace. The system includes a stave cooler assembly having an inner end portion with an end part comprising a body and a number of fins extending from the body, each fin being formed to bend upon engagement of an outer part of each said fin respectively with an outer wall of the cooling element, to securely engage at least the outer part of each fin with an inner borehole wall partially defining the inner part when the end part is inserted into the inner part of the hole.

A stave cooler system for cooling one or more cooling elements mounted in a metallurgical furnace. The system includes a stave cooler assembly having an inner end portion with an end part comprising a body and a number of fins extending from the body, each fin being formed to bend upon engagement of an outer part of each said fin respectively with an outer wall of the cooling element, to securely engage at least the outer part of each fin with an inner borehole wall partially defining the inner part when the end part is inserted into the inner part of the hole.

A cooling plate for use in a blast furnace is described. The cooling plate has a copper body having an inner face containing ribs parallel therebetween, having first extremities and separated by grooves having second extremities. At least one of these grooves containing at least a part of a multilayer protrusion extending between its second extremities and having at least one layer made of a wear resistant material that increases locally the wear resistance of the neighboring ribs.

A cooling plate for a metallurgical furnace including a body with a front face and an opposite rear face, the body having at least one cooling channel therein having an opening in the rear face and a coolant feed pipe connected to the rear face of the cooling panel and is in fluid communication with the cooling channel where in use, the front face is turned towards a furnace interior, and at least one emergency cooling tube is arranged within the cooling channel, the emergency cooling tube having a cross-section smaller than a cross-section of the cooling channel, the emergency cooling tube has an end section with connection means for connecting an emergency feed pipe thereto, and in an emergency operation, the emergency cooling tube is physically connected to an emergency feed pipe via the connection means; while, in a normal operation, the connection means of the emergency cooling tube is physically disconnected from the emergency feed pipe. The invention also concerns the use of such a cooling plate.

A cooling panel for a metallurgical furnace includes a body with a front face and an opposite rear face, a top face and an opposite bottom face and two opposite side faces. The body has at least one cooling channel therein, the cooling channel having openings in the rear face; wherein, in use, the front face of the body is turned towards a furnace interior. According to the invention, the cooling panel having at least one cooling pipe arranged in at least one elongate recess formed in the front face, where the cooling pipe has an elongate middle section and at either end thereof, an angled branch, the cooling pipe forming the cooling channel, and where the cooling pipe is arranged in the elongate recess such that the angled branches protrude through the openings in the rear face of the 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.

A method for operating a blast furnace plant that includes a blast furnace, at least one material hopper for charging raw materials to the blast furnace, having a upper seal valve and a lower seal valve, and at least one hot stove that produces hot blast for the blast furnace, the method including at least one charging cycle with the following steps: opening the upper seal valve, introducing raw materials into the material hopper, closing the upper seal valve, pressure equalization of the material hopper with blast furnace top pressure, and opening the lower seal valve to discharge raw materials into the blast furnace, wherein, in order to provide a cost-effective way to minimize the explosion danger during operation of a top charging system, an offgas from the at least one hot stove is transferred by a transfer system to the at least one material hopper and, before the lower seal valve is opened, the offgas is injected into the material hopper.

A method for operating a blast furnace plant that includes a blast furnace, at least one material hopper for charging raw materials to the blast furnace, having a upper seal valve and a lower seal valve, and at least one hot stove that produces hot blast for the blast furnace, the method including at least one charging cycle with the following steps: opening the upper seal valve, introducing raw materials into the material hopper, closing the upper seal valve, pressure equalization of the material hopper with blast furnace top pressure, and opening the lower seal valve to discharge raw materials into the blast furnace, wherein, in order to provide a cost-effective way to minimize the explosion danger during operation of a top charging system, an offgas from the at least one hot stove is transferred by a transfer system to the at least one material hopper and, before the lower seal valve is opened, the offgas is injected into the material hopper.

A cooling plate for use in a blast furnace is described. The cooling plate contains a copper body having an inner face containing ribs parallel therebetween, having first extremities opposite therebetween and separated by grooves having second extremities opposite therebetween. At least one of these ribs contains at least one housing located between its first extremities and containing at least one insert made of a wear resistant material that increases locally the wear resistance of this rib.

A cooling plate for use in a blast furnace is described. The cooling plate contains a copper body having an inner face containing ribs parallel therebetween, having first extremities opposite therebetween and separated by grooves having second extremities opposite therebetween. At least one of these ribs contains at least one housing located between its first extremities and containing at least one insert made of a wear resistant material that increases locally the wear resistance of this rib.