Methods and apparatus are provided for constructing refractory structures, e.g., glass furnace regenerator structures and/or glass furnace structures formed of refractory components, the refractory structure being housed within a building having a roof support elements. Cross-support beams are provided to latitudinally span the refractory structure and are suspended from roof support elements associated with the building housing the refractory structure by a suspension support system attached to the cross-support beams. An overhead crane assembly may thus be supported by the cross-support beams.

A monolithic refractory structure includes: a monolithic refractory; a support body which supports the monolithic refractory; and a heat-resistant fiber support material which is buried in the monolithic refractory in a state of being connected to a support surface of the support body. The heat-resistant fiber support material includes a heat-resistant fiber rope which is formed of an inorganic fiber and extends along an X-axis direction perpendicular to the support surface, and a ratio L1/L2 of an X-axis direction length L1 of the heat-resistant fiber rope to an X-axis direction length L2 of the monolithic refractory is 0.35 or more and 0.95 or less.

Methods and apparatus for constructing refractory structures, e.g., glass furnace regenerator structures and/or glass furnace structures having walls formed of refractory block and buck stays externally supporting the walls are provided. Opposed pairs of supports are connected to at least a respective one of the vertically oriented buck stays with cross-support beams spanning the refractory structure between a respective pair of the supports. An overhead crane assembly is supported by the cross-support beams. In such a manner, refractory components of the refractory structure (e.g., refractory wall blocks and/or refractory checker bricks) may be installed using the overhead crane assembly.

A holding device for a heating element and a heater with at least one such holding device. The holding device is produced from a refractory metal or from an alloy on the basis of refractory metal, has at least two holding elements which are arranged perpendicularly or at least substantially perpendicularly to each other. A first holding element is at least partially arranged in an opening of a second holding element.

A holding device (1) for holding a ceramic anchor brick (300) to a furnace wall (10), the holding device (1) comprising: fastening means (100) for fastening the holding device (1) to a furnace wall (10); a receiving part (200) for holding a ceramic anchor brick (300) to the holding device (1); wherein the fastening means (100) comprise a first fastening part (101) and a second fastening part (102), wherein the first fastening part (101) is fastenable to a furnace wall (10), and the second fastening part (102) is fastenable to the receiving part (200), and wherein the second fastening part (102) is fastenable to the first fastening part (101), characterized in that the first fastening part (101) and the second fastening part (102) are designed in such a way that the second fastening part (102) can be fastened to the first fastening part (101) by a relative movement of the second fastening part (102) to the first fastening part (101).

A 180-degree pipe elbow having one end extending beyond the other end and method of joining a 180-degree pipe elbow to lengths of cooling pipe to form a cooling panel for use in a furnace, boiler or other industrial heating apparatus that benefits from assistance of a cooling panel. Having one end of the elbow extend beyond the other end of the elbow enables the one end to be joined to a length of pipe by welding whereby the joining may be by automatic welding which will reduce manufacturing costs and ensure a quality weld.

A method of densification of refractory material in a gap between a tap hole sleeve of a furnace and a surround block of the furnace, the surround block surrounding the tap hole sleeve, the method comprising, includes positioning a tool in the gap, the tool including a support having opposing surfaces and a sidewall connecting the opposing surfaces, the opposing surfaces having an arcuate shape, a plurality of elongated members extending from one of the opposing surfaces, and a connector arranged on the other of the opposing surfaces. The gap is filled with dry material, and vibration is applied to the tool to densify the dry material.

The present disclosure relates to methods of constructing a furnace facility including determining transport parameters including vessel parameters. The method can include determining operating site parameters of an operating site and designing one or more modules based on the vessel and operating site parameters. The modules can be sized to provide length, width, height, weight of the modules within allowance of the vessel and operating site parameters. The modules can be constructed at a module fabrication site before transporting to the operating site via a vessel. One or more modules can have one or more furnace components, and/or one or more modules can have one or more furnace.

A method of heating up a furnace bottom and a burner lance used in the method are proposed. The method of heating up the furnace bottom includes a step of opening, in the tap hole, a burner lance insertion hole having a diameter larger than a diameter of the burner lance so as to penetrate into the furnace, a step of installing the burner lance in the opened burner lance insertion hole, a step of filling a gap between the installed burner lance and a furnace exterior side of the tap hole with a refractory, and a step of blowing in gas for heating into the furnace from the burner lance to heat up the furnace bottom.