Steel conversion method and apparatus

Claim 2

A vessel for treating ferrous melts comprising: refractory lining having an opening in its top end and a refractory material closing the lower end of said refractory lining and tuyere means extending therethrough for injecting gases into molten metal contained within said lining when said top opening is in a generally upward attitude, means for rotating said vessel about a substantially horizontal axis, said refractory lining defining an interior surface for said vessel, said lining surface including a generally cylindrical portion disposed intermediate the ends of said vessel and frusto conical surface portions adjacent the upper and lower ends thereof, the large diameter ends of said frusto conical surfaces terminating at the oppositE ends of said cylindrical surface, the small diameter ends of said upper and lower conical surfaces terminating adjacent the open upper and lower ends of said lining surface respectively, the distance between the small diameter portions of said frusto conical surfaces being about 1.1 to 1.2 times the diameter of said cylindrical surface portion and the height of each of said frusto conical surface portions being substantially equal to each other and to the height of said cylindrical surface portion so that when said vessel is pivoted from a normal vertical position to a substantially horizontal position a substantial quantity of molten metal can be retained in said vessel with the upper surface of said metal lying below said open upper end and the tuyeres contained in the refractory bottom.

Claim 3

The apparatus in accordance with claim 1 and including hood means positioned above said opening and being adapted to substantially close said opening so as to collect gas which evolves from said vessel, elbow means coupled to said hood means, gas cleaning apparatus displaced horizontally from said vessel and lying substantially within the height confines of the vessel and the hood means, duct means having one end coupled with said elbow means, said duct means being below the upper height limit of said elbow means and extending generally downwardly therefrom so as to not require appreciable inside height clearance within the building, the other end of said downwardly extending duct means communicating with said gas cleaning apparatus for conducting evolved gases to said gas cleaning apparatus.

Claim 4

The apparatus in accordance with claim 1 including at least one storage vessel or finely divided materials, said storage vessel being displaced horizontally from said converter vessel with said storage vessel being substantially within the height confines of the converter vessel and hood means, conduit means arranged to conduct pressurized gas and gas entraining finely divided materials to said tuyere means, and means selectively connecting said storage vessel to said conduit means whereby to entrain said finely divided material in a gas stream for injecting the same through said tuyere means to permeate upwardly through the molten metal in the converter vessel.

Claim 5

The apparatus set forth in claim 1 and including conduit means coupled to said tuyere means, a plurality of sources of gas under pressure, each of said sources being coupled to said conduit means, a plurality of selectively operable valve means, one of said valve means being disposed between each of said gas sources and said conduit means for selectively controlling the flow of each of said gas means to said tuyere means.

Claim 6

The apparatus set forth in claim 1 including, conduit means coupled to said tuyere means, a plurality of sources of gas under pressure, each of said sources being coupled to said conduit means, a plurality of selectively operable valve means, one of said valve means being disposed between each of said gas sources and said conduit means for selectively controlling the flow of each said gas means to said tuyere means, material storage vessel means for containing powdered material and having an outlet coupled to said conduit means, additional valve means disposed between said outlet means and said conduit means, and control means coupled to each of said plurality of valve means and said additional valve means for selectively coupling said gas sources to said tuyere means and said material storage vessel means to said conduit means for entraining powdered material disposed in said material storage means in the gas flowing in said conduit means.

Claim 7

The apparatus set forth in claim 5 wherein said gas sources comprise oxygen, air and an inert gas selected from the group consisting of argon and nitrogen.

Claim 8

Apparatus set forth in claim 6 and including hood means positioned above said opening in the top end of said vessel and being adapted to suBstantially close said opening so as to collect gas which evolves from said vessel, gas cleaning apparatus displaced horizontally from said vessel and lying substantially within the height confines of the vessel and the hood means, duct means having one end coupled with said hood means and extending generally downwardly therefrom, the other end of said downwardly extending duct means communicating with said gas cleaning apparatus for conducting evolved gases to said cleaning apparatus.

Claim 9

Apparatus for converting molten ferrous metal to steel and including a refractory lined metallurgical vessel, a charge receiving opening at its upper end and a refractory material closing the lower end thereof, said tuyere means extending through said refractory material for injecting gases into molten metal contained within said lining, means for rotating said vessel about a substantially horizontal axis; said refractory lining having an open top and bottom, said refractory lining defining an interor surface for said vessel, said lining surface including a generally cylindrical portion disposed intermediate the ends of said vessel and frusto conical surface portions adjacent the upper and lower ends thereof, the large diameter ends of said frusto conical surfaces terminating at the opposite ends of said cylindrical surface, the small diameter ends of said upper and lower conical surfaces terminating adjacent the open upper and lower ends of said lining surface respectively, the distance between the small diameter portions of said frusto conical surfaces being 1.1 to 1.2 times the diameter of said cylindrical surface portion and the height of each of said frusto conical surface portions being substantially equal to each other and to the height of said cylindrical surface portion so that when said vessel is pivoted from a normal vertical position to a substantially horizontal position a substantial quantity of molten metal can be retained in said vessel with the upper surface of said metal lying below said open upper end and the tuyeres contained in the refractory bottom, conduit means coupled to said tuyere means, a plurality of sources of gas under pressure, each of said sources being coupled to said conduit means, said gas sources comprising oxygen, air and an inert gas taken from a group consisting of argon and nitrogen, a plurality of selectively operable valve means, one of said valve means being disposed between each of said gas sources and said conduit means for selectively controlling the flow of each of said gas means to said tuyere means, material storage vessel means for containing powdered material and having an outlet coupled to said conduit means, additional valve means disposed between said outlet means and said conduit means, control means coupled to each of said plurality of valve means and said additional valve means for selectively coupling said gas sources to said tuyere means and said material storage vessel means to said conduit means for entraining powdered material disposed in said material storage means in the gas flowing in said conduit means, hood means positioned above said charge receiving opening and being adapted to substantially close said opening so as to collect gas which evolves from said vessel, gas cleaning apparatus displaced horizontally from said vessel and lying substantially within the height confines of the vessel and the hood means, duct means having one end coupled with said hood means and extending generally downwardly therefrom, the other end of said downwardly extending duct means communicating with said gas cleaning apparatus for conducting evolved gases to said gas cleaning apparatus.

Claim 10

Apparatus for converting molten ferrous metal to steel and including a refractory lined metallurgical vessel, a charge receiving opening at its upper end and a refractory material closing the lower end thereof, said tuyere means extending through said refractory material for injecting gases into molten metal contained within said lining, means for rotating said vessel about a substantially horizontal axis; said refractory lining having an open top and bottom, said refractory lining defining an interor surface for said vessel, said lining surface including a generally cylindrical portion disposed intermediate the ends of said vessel and frusto conical surface portions adjacent the upper and lower ends thereof, the large diameter ends of said frusto conical surfaces terminating at the opposite ends of said cylindrical surface, the small diameter ends of said upper and lower conical surfaces terminating adjacent the open upper and lower ends of said lining surface respectively, the distance between the small diameter portions of said frusto conical surfaces being 1.1 to 1.2 times the diameter of said cylindrical surface portion and the height of each of said frusto conical surface portions being substantially equal to each other and to the height of said cylindrical surface portion so that when said vessel is pivoted from a normal vertical position to a substantially horizontal position a substantial quantity of molten metal can be retained in said vessel with the upper surface of said metal lying below said open upper end and the tuyeres contained in the refractory bottom, conduit means coupled to said tuyere means, a plurality of sources of gas under pressure, each of said sources being coupled to said conduit means, said gas sources comprising oxygen, air and an inert gas taken from a group consisting of argon and nitrogen, a plurality of selectively operable valve means, one of said valve means being disposed between each of said gas sources and said conduit means for selectively controlling the flow of each of said gas means to said tuyere means, material storage vessel means for containing powdered material and having an outlet coupled to said conduit means, additional valve means disposed between said outlet means and said conduit means, control means coupled to each of said plurality of valve means and said additional valve means for selectively coupling said gas sources to said tuyere means and said material storage vessel means to said conduit means for entraining powdered material disposed in said material storage means in the gas flowing in said conduit means, hood means positioned above said charge receiving opening and being adapted to substantially close said opening so as to collect gas which evolves from said vessel, gas cleaning apparatus displaced horizontally from said vessel and lying substantially within the height confines of the vessel and the hood means, duct means having one end coupled with said hood means and extending generally downwardly therefrom, the other end of said downwardly extending duct means communicating with said gas cleaning apparatus for conducting evolved gases to said gas cleaning apparatus.

Claim 11

The apparatus set forth in claim 8 and including a plurality of storage vessels, each of said vessels including a discharge opening coupled to said conduit means and selectively operable valve means disposed between each of said outlets and said conduit means, said control means beIng coupled to each of said additional valve means and operative to selectively couple each of said material storage vessels to said conduit means whereby the contents of said vessles may be entrained in the gas flowing through said conduit means.