Charge metering apparatus for shaft furnaces

Claim 1

Apparatus for use in the delivery of materials to the interior of a shaft furnace, said furnace having a vertical axis and operating with a high counter-pressure, said apparatus comprising: at least one storage hopper for providing intermediate storage for a charge of material to be delivered to the furnace, said storage hopper having a supply port and a discharge port; weighing means associated with said storage hopper; means pivotally supporting said storage hopper on said weighing means; means defining a discharge channel for said storage hopper; first flexible coupling means connecting the first end of said discharge channel defining means to said storage hopper; means for delivering material discharged from said storage hopper through said discharge channel defining means to the furnace, said delivering means including material flow control valve means, said delivering means being mounted on the furnace; and second flexible coupling means for connecting the second end of said channel defining means to said delivering means, said first and second flexible coupling means and said supporting means cooperating to define a suspension for said hopper which converts differential displacements between said hopper and the furnace to angular displacements which do not significantly degrade the accuracy of measurements provided by said weighing means.

Claim 12

A method for controlling the charging process of a shaft furnace, the furnace having a vertical axis and operating with a high counter-pressure, comprising the steps of: loading an intermediate storage hopper with material to be delivered to the interior of the furnace, the loading being performed while the interior of the hopper is at atmospheric pressure; isolating the interior of the hopper from the ambient atmosphere; equalizing the pressure interior of the hopper to the pressure existing within the furnace; controllably delivering the charge material from the pressurized hopper to the interior of the furnace to achieve a desired flow of material onto the furnace hearth; continuously measuring the quantity of material in the hopper during the delivery of such material into the furnace whereby the distribution thereof may be adjusted as a function of the quantity measurement; and converting linear differential displacements between the hopper and the furnace to angular displacements of the hopper which will not have a deleterious effect on the quantity measurement.

Claim 13

A method for controlling the charging process of a shaft furnace, the furnace having a vertical axis and operating with a high counter-pressure, comprising the steps of: loading an intermediate storage hopper with material to be delivered to the interior of the furnace, the loading being performed while the interior of the hopper is at atmospheric pressure; isolating the interior of the hopper from the ambient atmosphere; equalizing the pressure interior of the hopper to the pressure existing within the furnace; controllably delivering the charge material from the pressurized hopper to the interior of the furnace to achieve a desired flow of material onto the furnace hearth; continuously measuring the quantity of material in the hopper during the delivery of such material into the furnace whereby the distribution thereof may be adjusted as a function of the quantity measurement; and converting linear differential displacements between the hopper and the furnace to angular displacements of the hopper which will not have a deleterious effect on the quantity measurement.