All of a cast-iron or cast-copper stave cooler's weight is supported inside a furnace containment shell by single gas-tight steel collar on the backside. All the coolant piping in each cooler has every external connection collected and routed together through the one steel collar. A wear protection barrier is disposed on the hot face. Such is limited to include at least one of horizontal rows of ribs and channels that retain metal inserts or refractory bricks, or pockets that assist in the retention of castable cement and/or accretions frozen in place from a melt, or an application of an area of hardfacing that is welded on in bead, crosshatch, or weave pattern.

A furnace sidewall having slag retainers and metallurgical furnace having the same metallurgical furnace are disclosed herein. In one example, a furnace sidewall is provided that includes a hot plate and a plurality of slag retainers. The hot plate has an inner surface facing configured to face an interior volume of a metallurgical furnace and a bottom surface configured to face a hearth of the metallurgical furnace. The plurality of slag retainers extend inwardly from the inner surface of the hot plate and are arranged in a macro-pattern of slag retainer groups. The slag retainer groups include at least two or more of the slag retainers arranged in a micro-pattern.

A furnace sidewall having slag retainers and metallurgical furnace having the same metallurgical furnace are disclosed herein. In one example, a furnace sidewall is provided that includes a hot plate and a plurality of slag retainers. The hot plate has an inner surface facing configured to face an interior volume of a metallurgical furnace and a bottom surface configured to face a hearth of the metallurgical furnace. The plurality of slag retainers extend inwardly from the inner surface of the hot plate and are arranged in a macro-pattern of slag retainer groups. The slag retainer groups include at least two or more of the slag retainers arranged in a micro-pattern.

A plate cooler stave for use in a furnace having a shell wall, comprising: a top portion housing at least one cooling fluid inlet and at least one cooling fluid outlet for the flow of cooling fluid to and from the plate cooler stave from outside the furnace; and a main body disposed at an angle relative to the top portion so that the main body may be inserted into the furnace through an opening defined by the shell wall, wherein upon installation, at least a part of the top portion is disposed in the opening.

A cooling system for a metallurgical furnace includes a plurality of cooling arrangements having each a set of cooling elements arranged to extract heat from the furnace, the cooling elements having each at least one internal cooling channel for a coolant fluid, where the cooling elements are fluidly connected within each cooling arrangement; at least one discharge piping associated with each cooling arrangement for discharging the coolant fluid towards a main collector, where a flow regulating arrangement is serially mounted with the discharge piping and configured to control a flow rate of the coolant fluid therethrough and hence through the cooling arrangement, where the flow regulating arrangement includes a calibrated orifice defining a default, minimal flow cross section for the coolant fluid and a regulating valve selectively operable to define a variable, additional flow cross-section.

A cooling system for a metallurgical furnace includes a plurality of cooling arrangements having each a set of cooling elements arranged to extract heat from the furnace, the cooling elements having each at least one internal cooling channel for a coolant fluid, where the cooling elements are fluidly connected within each cooling arrangement; at least one discharge piping associated with each cooling arrangement for discharging the coolant fluid towards a main collector, where a flow regulating arrangement is serially mounted with the discharge piping and configured to control a flow rate of the coolant fluid therethrough and hence through the cooling arrangement, where the flow regulating arrangement includes a calibrated orifice defining a default, minimal flow cross section for the coolant fluid and a regulating valve selectively operable to define a variable, additional flow cross-section.

A stave comprising an outer housing, an inner pipe circuit comprising individual pipes housed within the outer housing, wherein the individual pipes each has an inlet end and an outlet end and wherein each pipe may or may not be mechanically connected to another pipe, and a manifold, integral with or disposed on or in the housing; wherein the inlet and/or outlet ends of each individual pipe is disposed in or housed by the manifold. The manifold may be made of carbon steel while the housing may be made of copper. Each of the inlet and outlet ends of each individual pipe may be surrounded in part by cast copper within a housing of the manifold.

A stave comprising an outer housing, an inner pipe circuit comprising individual pipes housed within the outer housing, wherein the individual pipes each has an inlet end and an outlet end and wherein each pipe may or may not be mechanically connected to another pipe, and a manifold, integral with or disposed on or in the housing; wherein the inlet and/or outlet ends of each individual pipe is disposed in or housed by the manifold. The manifold may be made of carbon steel while the housing may be made of copper. Each of the inlet and outlet ends of each individual pipe may be surrounded in part by cast copper within a housing of the manifold.

A smelting vessel includes a plurality of heat pipes (21) positioned in a refractory lining of at least a part of the hearth (9) for cooling at least a part of the refractory lining. At least one of the heat pipes includes (a) a liquid phase of a heat transfer fluid, typically water, in a lower section of the heat pipe and (b) a vapor phase of the heat transfer fluid, typically steam, in an upper section of the heat pipe. The heat pipe also includes a vent to allow vapour phase to escape from the heat pipe to reduce the pressure or the temperature within the heat pipe when the vapour pressure or the temperature in the heat pipe exceeds a predetermined threshold pressure or temperature.

A smelting vessel includes a plurality of heat pipes (21) positioned in a refractory lining of at least a part of the hearth (9) for cooling at least a part of the refractory lining. At least one of the heat pipes includes (a) a liquid phase of a heat transfer fluid, typically water, in a lower section of the heat pipe and (b) a vapor phase of the heat transfer fluid, typically steam, in an upper section of the heat pipe. The heat pipe also includes a vent to allow vapour phase to escape from the heat pipe to reduce the pressure or the temperature within the heat pipe when the vapour pressure or the temperature in the heat pipe exceeds a predetermined threshold pressure or temperature.