A method can be used to burn and cool material in a parallel flow-counter flow regenerative shaft kiln having two shafts that are operated alternately as a burning shaft and a regenerative shaft. The material flows through a preheating zone, a burning zone, and a cooling zone to a material outlet. Fuel is supplied in or above the preheating zone, and thus fuel is heated in the preheating zone prior to entering the burning zone. Further, a parallel flow-counter flow regenerative shaft kiln for burning and cooling material may have two shafts that can be operated alternately as a burning shaft and a regenerative shaft. Each shaft has, in a flow direction, a preheating zone for preheating material, a burning zone for burning material, and a cooling zone for cooling material. A fuel inlet that admits fuel into each shaft is arranged above or inside the preheating zone.

A method can be used to burn and cool material in a parallel flow-counter flow regenerative shaft kiln having two shafts that are operated alternately as a burning shaft and a regenerative shaft. The material flows through a preheating zone, a burning zone, and a cooling zone to a material outlet. Fuel is supplied in or above the preheating zone, and thus fuel is heated in the preheating zone prior to entering the burning zone. Further, a parallel flow-counter flow regenerative shaft kiln for burning and cooling material may have two shafts that can be operated alternately as a burning shaft and a regenerative shaft. Each shaft has, in a flow direction, a preheating zone for preheating material, a burning zone for burning material, and a cooling zone for cooling material. A fuel inlet that admits fuel into each shaft is arranged above or inside the preheating zone.

The instant invention relates to a metallurgical furnace, comprising at least one upper stack (1), at least one lower stack (2), at least one fuel feeder positioned substantially between at least one upper stack (1) and the at least one lower stack (2), at least one row of tuyères (3, 4) positioned in at least one of the at least one upper stack (1) and at least one lower stack (2), the at least one row of tuyères (3, 4) providing a fluid communication between the inside of the furnace and the external environment, positioned in at least one of at least one upper stack (1) and at least one lower stack (2), and further comprising at least one permeabilizing fuel column fed through at least one hood (6), placed in the upper stack (1), which extends longitudinally through the furnace.

The instant invention relates to a metallurgical furnace, comprising at least one upper stack (1), at least one lower stack (2), at least one fuel feeder positioned substantially between at least one upper stack (1) and the at least one lower stack (2), at least one row of tuyères (3, 4) positioned in at least one of the at least one upper stack (1) and at least one lower stack (2), the at least one row of tuyères (3, 4) providing a fluid communication between the inside of the furnace and the external environment, positioned in at least one of at least one upper stack (1) and at least one lower stack (2), and further comprising at least one permeabilizing fuel column fed through at least one hood (6), placed in the upper stack (1), which extends longitudinally through the furnace.

An abnormality detection method of detecting abnormality of a blast furnace from tuyere images shot by cameras installed in vicinities of a plurality of tuyeres of the blast furnace includes: collecting, in a time-series manner, representative brightness vectors defined by representative brightnesses determined based on brightness values of respective pixels for each of the tuyeres image previously shot by the cameras at a same time; extracting a principal component vector by performing principal component analysis on the representative brightness vectors collected in the time-series manner; calculating, as an evaluation value, a length of a normal line drawn in a direction of the principal component vector from the representative brightness vector collected from the tuyere images shot by the cameras at the same time during an operation; and detecting the abnormality of the blast furnace by comparing the evaluation value with a predetermined threshold.

An abnormality detection method of detecting abnormality of a blast furnace from tuyere images shot by cameras installed in vicinities of a plurality of tuyeres of the blast furnace includes: collecting, in a time-series manner, representative brightness vectors defined by representative brightnesses determined based on brightness values of respective pixels for each of the tuyeres image previously shot by the cameras at a same time; extracting a principal component vector by performing principal component analysis on the representative brightness vectors collected in the time-series manner; calculating, as an evaluation value, a length of a normal line drawn in a direction of the principal component vector from the representative brightness vector collected from the tuyere images shot by the cameras at the same time during an operation; and detecting the abnormality of the blast furnace by comparing the evaluation value with a predetermined threshold.

A method of operating a shaft furnace includes inserting a mixture including anthracite coal and coke into a cavity defined by the furnace, and disposing a metal feedstock within the cavity. The method includes injecting natural gas at a natural gas flow rate and a first quantity of oxygen gas at a first oxygen gas flow rate into the cavity simultaneously through at least one burner. The method also includes driving a second quantity of oxygen gas at a supersonic oxygen gas flow rate into the cavity through at least one lance, wherein the supersonic oxygen gas flow rate is greater than the first oxygen gas flow rate. The method also includes combusting the mixture within the cavity to produce a stack gas, melting the metal feedstock to produce a melted metal material, and monitoring the stack gas to thereby operate the shaft furnace. A shaft furnace is also disclosed.

A method of operating a shaft furnace includes inserting a mixture including anthracite coal and coke into a cavity defined by the furnace, and disposing a metal feedstock within the cavity. The method includes injecting natural gas at a natural gas flow rate and a first quantity of oxygen gas at a first oxygen gas flow rate into the cavity simultaneously through at least one burner. The method also includes driving a second quantity of oxygen gas at a supersonic oxygen gas flow rate into the cavity through at least one lance, wherein the supersonic oxygen gas flow rate is greater than the first oxygen gas flow rate. The method also includes combusting the mixture within the cavity to produce a stack gas, melting the metal feedstock to produce a melted metal material, and monitoring the stack gas to thereby operate the shaft furnace. A shaft furnace is also disclosed.

The invention relates to a method for controlling suspension in a suspension smelting furnace, to a suspension smelting furnace, and to a concentrate burner. The method comprises feeding additionally to pulverous solid matter and additionally to reaction gas reducing agent into the suspension smelting furnace, wherein reducing agent is fed in the form of a concentrated stream of reducing agent through the suspension in the reaction shaft onto the surface of the melt to form a reducing zone containing reducing agent within the collection zone of the melt.

The invention relates to a method for controlling suspension in a suspension smelting furnace, to a suspension smelting furnace, and to a concentrate burner. The method comprises feeding additionally to pulverous solid matter and additionally to reaction gas reducing agent into the suspension smelting furnace, wherein reducing agent is fed in the form of a concentrated stream of reducing agent through the suspension in the reaction shaft onto the surface of the melt to form a reducing zone containing reducing agent within the collection zone of the melt.