An integral melter and pump assembly or system, and a method of making the same, is disclosed wherein the pump assembly comprises a melter housing having a melter container defined within the melter housing. A pump mounting plate is integrally mounted within a side wall portion of the melter container and an output dispensing supply pump is mounted directly upon an external surface portion of the pump mounting plate in a surface-to-surface manner such that heat generated internally within the melter container is effectively transferred by conduction from the melter container and through the pump mounting plate such that the temperature level of the output pump is elevated to, and maintained at, a predeterminedly desired level even when the pump, is not disposed in its output dispensing mode. In addition, since the output dispensing or material supply pump is disposed externally of the melter container and the melter housing, the output dispensing or material supply pump is easily and readily accessible in case maintenance becomes necessary. Optionally, an oil jacket or chamber can surround the melter container so as to more evenly or consistently provide heating of the melter container.

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 method for injecting a solid feed material through a solids injection lance includes creating flow conditions in an injection passageway of the lance so that at least a part of the feed material flowing along the passageway forms a buffer zone between a wall of a tube that defines the passageway and feed material flowing along a central section of the passageway.

Melting plant having a melting chamber which by way of a gas protection hood is separated from the environment, wherein the gas protection hood or another part of the melting chamber encasement has a lead through in which an electrode rod for moving an electrode to be melted is guided in a gas-tight manner by way of a sealing means. Hydraulic or pneumatic equalisation means, for exerting on the electrode rod equalisation forces which are in a proportional correlation with the gas pressure prevailing within the melting chamber are provided so as to compensate for the gas-pressure forces acting on the electrode rod.

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 corrosion-resistant nickel alloy is provided. The alloy includes the following components in percentage by mass: 4.68-5.35% of B, 5.69-6.41% of W, 27.68-28.39% of Cr, 12.65-13.42% of Al, and the balance of Ni and inevitable impurities. The corrosion-resistant nickel alloy is a NiWB ternary alloy with main components of Ni, W and B, wherein the three elements have strong high-temperature corrosion resistance at a temperature of about 600? C., and have the potential of solid solution hardening and precipitate formation because all belong to solid solution forming elements, so that a creep strength of a nickel alloy matrix is improved. Meanwhile, Al and Cr are further added in the alloy formula, so that Al.sub.2O.sub.3 and Cr.sub.2O.sub.3 oxide layers can be formed, which play a role as a physical diffusion barrier against chlorine gas and other corrosive gases.

Provided are a method and an arrangement for adjusting characteristics of a furnace process in a furnace space limited by a furnace shell of a metallurgical furnace. The arrangement comprises an injection unit having a frame mounted by means of a mounting means on the metallurgical furnace outside the furnace space of the furnace shell. Also provided is an injection unit for use in the method and in the arrangement.

At least one measurement value of a measurement variable characterizing the operating state of each of a plurality of system components that influence the operating conditions of an arc furnace is detected and compared to a respective currently permissible threshold value for the measurement variable. A maximum power that can be supplied to the arc furnace within a time window while satisfying all currently permissible threshold values is determined based on the result of the comparison.

Melting plant having a melting chamber which by way of a gas protection hood is separated from the environment, wherein the gas protection hood or another part of the melting chamber encasement has a lead through in which an electrode rod for moving an electrode to be melted is guided in a gas-tight manner by way of a sealing means. Hydraulic or pneumatic equalisation means, for exerting on the electrode rod equalisation forces which are in a proportional correlation with the gas pressure prevailing within the melting chamber are provided so as to compensate for the gas-pressure forces acting on the electrode rod.

A metal forming apparatus includes a smelting device, a molding device, an injection device and a vacuumizing device. The smelting device defines a smelting chamber, and includes a rotatable crucible and a heating unit both disposed within the smelting chamber. The molding device defines a molding chamber sealedly communicated with the smelting chamber. The injection device includes a charging barrel assembly sealedly disposed at a joint between the molding device and the smelting device and an injection unit sealedly connected with the smelting device. The vacuumizing device is sealedly connected with the smelting device and the molding device respectively so as to vacuumize the smelting chamber and the molding chamber.