Plant for cooling and cleaning waste-gases in steel works

Claim 1

A PLANT FOR USING AND COOLING WASTE GASES OF STEEL CONVERTERS OR THE LIKE COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION, A PLURALITY OF INTERMITTENTLY OPERATED STEEL CONVERTERS, EACH PRODUCING DURING OPERATION HOT WASTE GAS GRADUALLY VARYING IN TEMPERATURE DURING EACH OPERATION FROM A MINIMUM TEMPERATURE AT THE BEGINNING OF THE OPERATION TO A MAXIMUM TEMPERATURE AND DROPPING TO SAID MINIMUM TEMPEREATURE AT THE END OF THE OPERATION; A WASTE GAS COLLECTING HOOD FOR EACH CONVERTER FOR RECEIVING WASTE GAS THEREFROM, SAID HOOD HAVING AN OUTLET END; A COMMON GAS COLLECTING DUCT COMMUNICATING WITH THE OUTLET END OF THE HOOD OF EACH CONVERTER SO THAT WASTE GASES FROM ALL CONVERTERS WILL PASS THROUGH SAID COMMON GAS COLLECTING DUCT, SAID DUCT HAVING A DISCHARGE OPENING; MEANS CONNECTED WITH SAID DUCT FOR MAINTAINING AT SAID DISCHARGE OPENING A SUBSTANTIALLY CONSTANT TEMPERATURE OF THE GAS PASSING THERETHROUGH AND INCLUDING HEAT REGENERATOR MEANS IN SAID COMMON DUCT WHICH ARE HEATED UP DURING THE TIME THE HOT WASTE GASES PASSING THERETHROUGH ARE AT SAID MAXIMUM TEMPERATURE AND WHICH GIVE UP HEAT TO GASES PASSING THROUGH SAID COMMON DUCT WHEN SAID GASES HAVE A TEMPERATURE BELOW SAID MAXIMUM TEMPERATURE; AND MEANS COMMUNICATING WITH SAID DISCHARGE OPENING OF SAID COMMON DUCT FOR TRANSFORMING THE HEAT CONTENT OF THE WASTE GAS PASSING THERETHROUGH INTO USEFUL ENERGY WHILE SIMULTANEOUSLY COOLING THE WASTE GAS.