Charging apparatus for blast furnace with high top pressure

Claim 1

THE COMBINATION WITH A BLAST FURNACE OPERATING AT HIGH TOP PRESSURES OF: A CHAMBER HAVING A LOWER OPENING, IN COMMUNICATION WITH THE TOP OF SAID BLAST FURNACE, AND AN UPPER OPENING; MEANS FOR INTRODUCING BLAST FURNACE CHARGE MATERIAL THROUGH SAID UPPER OPENING; MEANS, INCLUDING VALVE MEANS, FOR INTRODUCING GAS INTO SAID CHAMBER BETWEEN SAID UPPER AND LOWER CHAMBER OPENINGS; MEANS, INCLUDING VALVE MEANS, FOR EXHAUSTING GAS FROM SAID CHAMBER AT A LOCATION BETWEEN THE UPPER AND LOWER CHAMBER OPENINGS; CHAMBER SEALING MEANS CONSISTING ESSENTIALLY OF A FIRST SOLID RIGID CLOSURE MEANS FORMING A GAS SEAL FOR THE UPPER CHAMBER OPENING AND A SECOND SOLID RIGID CLOSURE MEANS FORMING A GAS SEAL FOR THE LOWER CHAMBER OPENING; MEANS MOUNTING SAID FIRST SOLID CLOSURE MEANS FOR MOVEMENT BETWEEN AN OPEN POSITION, ENTIRELY REMOVED FROM THE PATH OF CHARGING MATERIAL BEING INTRODUCED THROUGH SAID UPPER OPENING, AND A CLOSED POSITION FOR SEALING THE UPPER OPENING; A HOPPER WITHIN SAID CHAMBER; SAID HOPPER HAVING AN UPPER OPEN END FOR RECEIVING SAID BLAST FURNACE CHARGE MATERIAL INTO THE HOPPER, AND A LOWER OPEN END FOR DISCHARGING SAID MATERIAL FROM THE HOPPER; A CLOSURE MEMBER NORMALLY CLOSING SAID LOWER OPEN END OF THE HOPPER; MEANS MOUNTING SAID CHAMBER''S SECOND SOLID CLOSURE MEANS, AT SAID LOWER OPENING OF THE CHAMBER, FOR MOVEMENT BETWEEN A CLOSED POSITION, FOR SEALING THE FURNACE FROM THE CHAMBER, AND AN OPEN POSITION; MEANS MOUNTING SAID HOPPER FOR MOVEMENT BETWEEN AN UPPER MATERIAL-RECEIVING POSITION, IN WHICH THE HOPPER''S LOWER END AND THE CLOSURE MEMBER THEREFOR ARE ABOVE SAID SECOND SOLID CLOSURE MEANS, AND A LOWER MATERIAL-DISCHARGING POSITION IN WHICH THE HOPPER EXTENDS THROUGH THE CHAMBER''S LOWER OPENING AND THE HOPPER''S LOWER END AND THE CLOSURE MEMBER THEREFOR ARE BELOW THE CHAMBER''S SECOND SOLID CLOSURE MEANS, WHEN THE LATTER IS IN ITS OPEN POSITION; MEANS MOUNTING THE CLOSURE MEMBER AT THE LOWER END OF THE HOPPER FOR MOVEMENT FROM ITS NORMALLY CLOSED POSITION TO AN OPEN POSITION WHEN THE HOPPER IS IN ITS LOWER POSITION; AND MEANS FOR PREVENTING SAID CHARGE MATERIAL FROM FLOWING OVER THE OPEN UPPER END OF THE HOPPER AND ONTO THE CHAMBER''S SECOND CLOSURE MEANS.