Method and apparatus for sintering operation

Claim 3

A method according to claim 1, where the magnetic field is applied to the sintered cakes from the time when the temperature of the sintered cakes becomes not more than 600 ° C in a level region of 50 to 150 mm from the surface of the sintered cakes.

Claim 4

A method according to claim 2, wherein the magnetic field is applied to the sintered cakes from the time when the temperature of the sintered cakes becomes in a range of room termperature to 500 ° C in a level region of 50 to 150 mm from the surface of the sintered cakes.

Claim 11

A method according to claim 9, wherein the sintered cakes are peeled from the sintering bed below, the sintered cakes when the sintered cakes come to have a thickness ranging from 1/5 to 5/5 of the thickness of the layer of raw materials with progress of the sintering.

Claim 12

A method according to claim 9, wherein the sintered cakes are peeled from the sintering bed below the sintered cakes when the sintered cakes come to have a thickness ranging from 200 to 400 mm.

Claim 13

A method according to claim 9, wherein the sintered cakes are peeled from the sintering bed below the sintered cakes when the temperature of the sintered cakes is brought into a range of room temperature to 500 ° C in a level range from 50 to 150 mm from the surface of the sintered cakes with progress of the sintering.

Claim 14

A method according to claim 9, wherein the sintering is continued while maintaining the gap between the magnetic pole end and the surface of the sintering bed in a range of 10 to 50 mm after the ignition of the layer of raw materials and then an electric current through the electromagnetic coil is controlled, thereby applying a magnetic floating force to the sintered cakes and thereby peeling the sintered cakes from the sintering bed below the sintered cakes.

Claim 15

A method according to claim 9, wherein an electric current through the electromagnetic coil is controlled while maintaining the gap between the magnetic pole end and the surface of the sintering bed at zero, thereby applying a magnetic floating force to the sintered cakes, and the sintering is continued while maintaining the peeled sintered cakes in a floating state.

Claim 19

An apparatus according to claim 16, which further comprises a controller to which a necessary magnetic floating force for the position of at least one magnet in the longitudinal direction of the sintering machine is input as data to enable selection of individual magnetization patterns, and which computes an electric current from a set electromagnetic force and the gap to control an electric current to the magnet through a main power source, thereby controlling the set electromagnetic force and also control the gap size by the magnet level controller, thereby controlling the magnetic floating force.

Claim 20

An apparatus according to claim 16 or 17, wherein at least one of an electromagnet, a permanent magnet, a superconducting magnet, and a compound magnet is used as the magnet.

Claim 21

A floating type apparatus for sintering operation, which comprises a magnetic floating apparatus comprising a rotatable caterpillar belt comprising a plurality of magnets each having magnet pole ends, provided above a set of pallets of a sintering machine by a mounting frame and arranged outwards from the surface of the caterpillar belt and a magnet level controller for controlling a gap size between the magnetic pole ends and the surface of the sintered cakes formed in the pallets, and a gap sensor for measuring the gap size, the magnetic floating apparatus and the gap sensor being provided in the longitudinal direction of the sintering machine in a magnetizing region extending from the outlet of an ignition furnace to the inlet to a sintered ore discharge section.

Claim 22

A floating type apparatus for sintering operation, which comprises a magnetic floating apparatus comprising a rotatable caterpillar belt comprising a plurality of magnets each having magnet pole ends, provided above a set of pallets of a sintering machine by a mounting frame and arranged outwards from the surface of the caterpillar belt and a magnet level controller for controlling a gap size between the magnetic pole ends and the surface of the sintered cakes formed in the pallets, and a gap sensor for measuring the gap size, the magnetic floating apparatus and the gap sensor being provided in the longitudinal direction of the sintering machine in a magnetizing region extending from the outlet of an ignition furnace to the inlet to a sintered ore discharge section.

Claim 23

An apparatus according to claim 19, which further comprises a controller to which anecessary magnetic floating force for the position of at least one magnet in the longitudinal direction of the sintering machine is input as data to enable selection of individual magnetization patterns, and which computes an electric current from a set electromagnetic force and the gap to control an electric current to the magnet through a main power source, thereby controlling the set electromagnetic force, and applying a magnetic field to the sintered cakes by passing an electric current through the electromagnetic coile of the magnet, when the magnets consituting the rotatable caterpillar belt are transferred as an underlayer of the caterpillar belt to counterpose a set of the pallet by rotation, and then discontinuing the passage of the electric current to the electromagnetic coils of the magnets when the magnets reach the sintered cake discharge reaction and when the magnets as transferred so far as the underlayer of the caterpillar belt are changed to an upper layer of the caterpillar belt by rotation, thereby making the magnets to proceed as the upper layer in such a manner that the magnets do not apply a magnet field to the sintered cakes.