Converter-bottom for bottom-blow steel making process

Claim 2

In a bottom-blow steel making converter, a converter-bottom comprising: a metal shell side wall means, a metal bottom wall, gas injector means extending upright through the bottom wall, rammed refractory material between the injector means and the side wall means and forming a bottom surface below a converter melting area up to which extends a top of the injector means to provide gaseous communication of the gas within the injector means into the interior of the melting area, coolant spray and metal shield means between the refractory material and the injector means, coolant spray means extending in between the shield means and the injector means and being below the converter bottom surface below the melting area, said spray means spraying the coolant under low pressure in the area of the injector means attendant to cooling the gases to be emitted from the injector means, and cooling means between the injector means and the metal side wall means in the rammed refractory material and spaced substantially below the bottom surface of the melting area so as not to come in contact with the melting area, said metal shield means being spaced from and disposed about said spray means and said injector means, and a tapered and top annular metal collar means having a reduced upper end adjacent the bottom surface of said refractory material and an enlarged lower end disposed on said metal shield means, said refractory material including portions surrounding and covering the upper reduced end of said metal collar means from the converter melting area, said metal collar means being disposed about the top of said injector means whereby said metal collar means and said metal shield means effectively cool the top of said injector means upon operation of said spray means during use of said converter.

Claim 3

The invention according to claim 1, and said injector means comprising a plurality of injectors within the rammed refractory material, each injector including a pair of concentric inner and outer tubes defining a central inner passageway communicating with the interior of the melting area and an outer annular passageway surrounding the central passageway and communicating with the interior of the melting area.

Claim 4

The invention according to claim 2, and said outer passageway providing for a conduit of a protective gas such as methane and the inner passageway providing a conduit for oxygen gas.

Claim 5

The invention according to claim 2, and said injector comprising a connecting block to a source of protective gas for the outer tube and to a source of oxygen gas for the inner tube, said block having a first inlet opening for the protective gas and a second inlet opening for the oxygen gas. said block having a first enlarged aperture transverse to and communicating with the first opening and connecting with outer tube, and said block having a second reduced aperture transverse to and communicating with second opening and connecting with the inner tube.

Claim 6

The invention according to claim 1, and said metal shield means being spaced substantially below the melting area.

Claim 7

The invention according to claim 1, and shield means including a plurality of upper coolant spray shield portions in the rammed refractory material and said injector means including a plurality of injectors each being surrounded by a respective shield portion, and said shield means including a lower portion and a coolant drain reservoir shrouded thereby for receiving coolant from the spray area between the shields and the injectors.

Claim 8

The invention according to claim 6, and grid means over said reservoir for allowing draining of the sprayed coolant into the reservoir.

Claim 9

The invention according to claim 2, and said bottom wall being a metal plate and said shield means including a plurality of tubes pressed into said plate with openings in the plate each communicating with a respective tube interior and said injectors each being within a respective tube.

Claim 10

The invention according to claim 2, and said converter having a pair of trunnions and trunnion support standards connecting with said trunnions and pivotally supporting said converter and coolant conduit means extending through said trunnions and connecting with said cooling means for supplying coolant from an outside source.

Claim 11

In a bottom-blow steel making converter, a converter-bottom comprising: a metal shell side wall means, a metal bottom wall, gas injector means extending upright through the bottom wall, rammed refractory material between the injector means and the side wall means and forming a bottom surface below a converter melting area up to which extends a top of the injector means to provide gaseous communication of the gas within the injector means into the interior of the melting area, cooLant spray and metal shield means between the refractory material and the injector means, coolant spray means extending in between the shield means and the injector means and being below the converter bottom surface below the melting area, said spray means spraying the coolant under low pressure in the area of the injector means attendant to cooling the gases to be emitted from the injector means, cooling means between the injector means and the metal side wall means in the rammed refractory material and spaced substantially below the bottom surface of the melting area so as not to come in contact with the melting area, said injector means comprising a plurality of injectors within the rammed refractory material, each injector including a pair of concentric inner and outer tubes defining a central inner passageway communicating with the interior of the melting area and an outer annular passageway surrounding the central passageway and communicating with the interior of the melting area, the outer tube having an upper part, said outer passageway providing for a conduit of a protective gas such as methane and the inner passageway providing a conduit for oxygen gas, said metal shield means being spaced substantially below the melting area, said metal shield means being spaced from and disposed annularly around said spray means and said outer tube of the injector, and a tapered and top annular metal collar means being over and connecting with said shield means, and having a reduced upper end adjacent the bottom surface of said refractory material and an enlarged lower end disposed on said metal shield means, said refractory material including portions surrounding and covering the upper reduced end of said collar mean, said metal collar means being disposed about the upper part of said outer tube whereby said metal collar means and said metal shield means effectively cool the top of said injector means upon operation of said spray means during use of said converter.

Claim 12

In a bottom-blow steel making converter, a converter-bottom comprising: a metal shell side wall means, a metal bottom wall, gas injector means extending upright through the bottom wall, rammed refractory material between the injector means and the side wall means and forming a bottom surface below a converter melting area up to which extends a top of the injector means to provide gaseous communication of the gas within the injector means into the interior of the melting area, cooLant spray and metal shield means between the refractory material and the injector means, coolant spray means extending in between the shield means and the injector means and being below the converter bottom surface below the melting area, said spray means spraying the coolant under low pressure in the area of the injector means attendant to cooling the gases to be emitted from the injector means, cooling means between the injector means and the metal side wall means in the rammed refractory material and spaced substantially below the bottom surface of the melting area so as not to come in contact with the melting area, said injector means comprising a plurality of injectors within the rammed refractory material, each injector including a pair of concentric inner and outer tubes defining a central inner passageway communicating with the interior of the melting area and an outer annular passageway surrounding the central passageway and communicating with the interior of the melting area, the outer tube having an upper part, said outer passageway providing for a conduit of a protective gas such as methane and the inner passageway providing a conduit for oxygen gas, said metal shield means being spaced substantially below the melting area, said metal shield means being spaced from and disposed annularly around said spray means and said outer tube of the injector, and a tapered and top annular metal collar means being over and connecting with said shield means, and having a reduced upper end adjacent the bottom surface of said refractory material and an enlarged lower end disposed on said metal shield means, said refractory material including portions surrounding and covering the upper reduced end of said collar mean, said metal collar means being disposed about the upper part of said outer tube whereby said metal collar means and said metal shield means effectively cool the top of said injector means upon operation of said spray means during use of said converter.

Claim 13

A water-cooled converter-bottom of the construction of claim 1, further characterized by the provision of thermal sensitive elements embedded at various depths in the refractory material to measure the temperature gradient through the converter-bottom for regulating the degree of cooling of the bottom wall by water spray.

Claim 14

A water-cooled converter-bottom as described in claim 1 and further characterized by the provision of a protective shroud located under the converter-bottom housing, the coolant spray means and the gas injector means and a water basin for collecting the spray coolant.

Claim 15

A water-cooled converter-bottom as described in claim 1, and said gas injector means being concentric tube injectors each including an inner oxygen tube and including and outer shield gas tube, a plurality of feeder blocks, each concentric-tube injector being connected to a feeder block, and each feeder block being connected to associated gas supply lines.