The present document describes a smelting apparatus for smelting metallic ore. The smelting apparatus comprises a furnace having a continuous curved wall and end walls defining a longitudinal volume having a longitudinal axis in a horizontal direction. The continuous curved wall has a lowermost area. The longitudinal volume is divided in at least three longitudinal layers comprising a top layer within which gasified fuel is combusted for creating a hot gas composition at a temperature sufficient to release, from the metallic ore, at least molten metal and slag, a lowermost layer at the lowermost area for holding molten metal, and a mid-layer above the lowermost layer in which the slag accumulates. The present document also describes processes using the smelting apparatus for producing ferrous and non-ferrous minerals from a metallic ore.

A modular dome structure (5) for a masonry oven, which includes a plurality of interlocking wall modules (60) abutting one another to form a wall of the dome and a base (7) upon which the wall modules are mounted. Each wall module (60) is formed of a plurality of blocks (63) hingedly interconnected together and shaped so as to form an arch segment of the dome wall when facing surfaces of adjacent blocks (63) of the wall module (60) abut and interlock with one another.

One or more embodiments of a burner panel for a metallurgical furnace is described herein. The burner panel has a body. The body has a front face, a first side surface, and a second side surface. Additionally, the body has a hollow extending between the first side surface, second side surface, and the front face. A middle portion of the body extends from the hollow toward the interior face. A burner tube is disposed through the middle portion of the body. The burner tube has an exterior portion having an entry and an exit disposed at the font face. An internal mounting flange extends along the first side surface and the second side surface. The body of the burner panel has no internal plumbing for cooling.

Furnace operation includes consecutive cycles of a heating step, a stopping step and a restarting step. The fuel and/or the oxidizing agent is preheated upstream of the furnace by indirect exchange with the discharged fumes through a medium passing through a chamber. A first wall separates the fumes from the medium in the chamber. The fuel and/or oxidizing agent is separated from the medium in the chamber by a second wall. During restarting, the medium's flow rate Dm is regulated to limit the heating rate of the first wall until it reaches the operational temperature at an end thereof.

A method of disposing of a mixture of oxidizable catalyst material and inert support media. The method comprises introducing inert gas into an enclosure; introducing the mixture into the enclosure; separating the oxidizable catalyst material and the inert support media within the enclosure; maintaining an inert gas environment around the oxidizable catalyst material during separating; exporting the separated inert support media from the enclosure; and grinding the separated oxidizable catalyst material into a powder for disposal as hazardous waste via incineration.

A burner lance insert (1) for an electric arc furnace (2), includes a support body (3) that can be inserted into a wall opening (17) of the electric arc furnace (2). The insert has a front opening (5), a burner lance unit (7) which is mounted in the support body (3) in a rotatable manner about a rotational axis (A). A discharge channel (28) runs to a burner lance unit (7) discharge opening (29) lying in the front opening (5). A drive unit (9) rotates the burner lance unit (7) between two end positions in which the discharge opening (29) assumes different positions in the front opening (5) and the discharge channel (28) defines different discharge directions. The rotational axis (A) forms an angle between 30 degrees and 60 degrees, particularly preferably 40 degrees to 0 degrees, together with the direction of the gravitational force of the Earth after the support body (3) is inserted into the wall opening (17). The burner lance unit (7) is suitable for carrying out a burner operation as well as a lancing operation.

One or more embodiments of a burner panel for a metallurgical furnace is described herein. The burner panel has a body. The body has a front face, a first side surface, and a second side surface. Additionally, the body has a hollow extending between the first side surface, second side surface, and the front face. A middle portion of the body extends from the hollow toward the interior face. A burner tube is disposed through the middle portion of the body. The burner tube has an exterior portion having an entry and an exit disposed at the font face. An internal mounting flange extends along the first side surface and the second side surface. The body of the burner panel has no internal plumbing for cooling.

A melting furnace includes a melting portion to which a metal material is supplied; a burner for melting the metal material in the melting portion; a heating portion that receives the molten material from the melting portion; a temperature regulating portion that receives the molten material from the heating portion; a separator that separates the heating portion and the temperature regulating portion, wherein the lower portion of the separator is immersed in the molten material to form, below the separator, an inlet; an immersion heater wherein at least part of the immersion heater is immersed in the molten material in the temperature regulating portion; and a gas introduction path that is formed in the separator, and that introduces combustion gas from the burner into a space above the molten material in the temperature regulating portion; wherein the burner is controlled so that the combustion gas has an oxygen concentration of 5% or less.

The invention relates to a method for operating a furnace (12), comprising a furnace chamber (14), which is heated by means of at least one burner (16), wherein the method comprises a monitoring of a combustion in the furnace chamber (14), and monitoring a calorific value of a fuel determined for the burner (16). The invention further relates to a furnace system (10), and to a control unit (24).

The present invention provides a melting furnace capable of suppressing oxidation of molten materials and improving the quality of the molten materials. As shown in FIG. 3, a melting furnace 1 includes a melting portion 2 to which a metal material is supplied; a burner 4 for melting the metal material in the melting portion 2 into a molten material; a heating portion 5 that receives the molten material from the melting portion 2 to raise the temperature of the molten material; a temperature regulating portion 6 that receives the molten material from the heating portion 5 and stores the molten material; a separator 7 that separates the heating portion 5 and the temperature regulating portion 6, wherein the lower portion 70 of the separator 7 is immersed in the molten material to form, below the separator 7, an inlet 71 that allows the introduction of the molten material from the heating portion 5 into the temperature regulating portion 6; an immersion heater 10 wherein at least part of the immersion heater 10 is immersed in the molten material in the temperature regulating portion 6 to thereby heat the molten material; and a gas introduction path 72 that is formed in the separator 7, and that introduces combustion gas from the burner 4 into a space above the molten material in the temperature regulating portion 6; wherein the burner 4 is controlled so that the combustion gas has an oxygen concentration of 5% or less.