Multipurpose slag system

Claim 2

In combination, a wet bottom furnace including a bottom wall having an elevated section thereof defined by at least one upstanding wall portion defining an opening therethrough adjacent said bottom wall and defining a vertical tap hole in front of which granular material may be deposited for damming said vertical tap hole against the flow of molten slag therethrough from the interior of said furnace, said furnace bottom wall including wall means defining a downwardly opening compartment exteriorly of said furnace into which said tap hole opens from the interior of said furnace, said wall means including access means therein horizontally spaced from said tap hole and through which granular material may be inserted from exteriorly of said furnace and said downwardly opening compartment, through the latter and through said tap hole into said furnace for damming said floor inward of said tap hole, and also through which a tool may be inserted for raking up and withdrawing said granular material dam through said tap hole into said downwardly opening compartment.

Claim 3

The combination of claim 1 including an upwardly opening slag tank assembly disposed below and in vertical registry with said tap hole, said slag tank assembly including an upper portion and means for raising and lowering the level of water in said upper portion, said upper portion including a bottom structure, a central portion of said bottom structure being vertically registered with said tap hole, said tank assembly including a plurality of dependingly supported lower portions spaced about said central portion and opening upwardly through said bottom structure, each of said lower tank portions including slag removal means for removing solidified slag particles from the lower portion thereof, and a float-type closure within said tank upper portion and floatable therein into positions vertically registered with the open upper ends of said lower portions for lowering into sealed engagement with and closing the upper end of a selected lower portion upon lowering of the water level in said upper portion.

Claim 4

The combination of claim 1 including an upwardly opening slag tank assembly disposed below and in vertical registry with said tap hole, said slag tank assembly including means defining a horizontal support surface within said tank relative to which the level of water within the tank assembly may be adjustably elevated and depressed and adapted to have a solidified slag particle bed formed thereon.

Claim 5

The combination of claim 3 wherein said support surface comprises a selectively rotatable and elevatable and depressible turntable rotatable about an upstanding axis horizontally spaced from a vertical path into which said tap hole opens.

Claim 6

The combination of claim 4 wherein said support surface is centered relative to a vertical path into which said tap hole opens, water spray heads disposed about said path above said support surface and operative to direct jets of cooling water onto slag falling along said path toward said support surface.

Claim 7

In combination, a wet bottom furnace including a bottom wall having an elevated section thereof defined by upstanding peripheral wall portions projecting upwardly from said bottom wall and interconnected at their upper ends, one of said peripheral wall portions defining an opening therethrough adjacent said bottom wall and defining a vertical tap hole in front of which granular material may be deposited for damming said vertical tap hole against the flow of molten slag therethrough from the interior of said furnace, said furnace bottom wall including wall means defining a downwardly opening compartment exteriorly of said furnace into which said tap hole opens from the interior of said furnace, and closure means operatively associated with said wall means and shiftable into and out of position closing the lower portion of said compartment.

Claim 8

In combination, a wet bottom furnace including a bottom wall having an elevated section thereof defined by upstanding peripheral wall portions projecting upwardly from said bottom wall and interconnected at their upper ends, one of said peripheral wall portions defining an opening therethrough adjacent said bottom wall and defining a vertical tap hole in front of which granular material may be deposited for damming said vertical tap hole against the flow of molten slag therethrough from the interior of said furnace, said furnace bottom wall including wall means defining a downwardly opening compartment exteriorly of said furnace into which said tap hole opens from the interior of said furnace, and closure means operatively associated with said wall means and shiftable into and out of position closing the lower portion of said compartment.

Claim 9

The combination of claim 6 wherein said closure means comprises shiftable bottom wall means for said compartment upon which sand may be placed for gas sealing the lower end of said compartment.

Claim 10

The combination of claim 7 wherein said wall means includes means defining an access port opening into said compartment remote from said tap hole from the exterior of said furnace below the bottom wall thereof and through which granular material may be introduced into and through said compartment and said tap hole for construction of a dam on said furnace bottom wall in front of said tap hole.

Claim 11

In combination, a wet bottom furnace including a bottom wall having an elevated section thereof defined by upstanding peripheral wall portions projecting upwardly from said bottom wall and interconnected at their upper ends, one of said peripheral wall portions defining an opening therethrough adjacent said bottom wall and defining a vertical tap hole in front of which granular material may be deposited for damming said vertical tap hole against the flow of molten slag therethrough from the interior of said furnace, an upwardly opening slag tank assembly disposed below and in vertical registry with said tap hole, said slag tank assembly including an upper portion and means for raising and lowering the level of water in said upper portion, said upper portion including a bottom structure, a central portion of said bottom structure being vertically registered with said tap hole, said tank assembly including a plurality of dependingly supported lower portions spaced about said central portion and opening upwardly through said bottom structure, each of said lower tank portions including slag removal means for removing solidified slag particles from the lower portion thereof, and a float-type closure within said tank upper portion and floatable therein into positions vertically registered with the open upper ends of said lower portions for lowering into sealed engagement with and closing the upper end of a selected lower portion upon lowering of the water level in said upper portion.

Claim 12

In combination, a wet bottom furnace including a bottom wall having an elevated section thereof defined by upstanding peripheral wall portions projecting upwardly from said bottom wall and interconnected at their upper ends, one of said peripheral wall portions defining an opening therethrough adjacent said bottom wall and defining a vertical tap hole in front of which granular material may be deposited for damming said vertical tap hole against the flow of molten slag therethrough from the interior of said furnace, an upwardly opening slag tank assembly disposed below and in vertical registry with said tap hole, said slag tank assembly including an upper portion and means for raising and lowering the level of water in said upper portion, said upper portion including a bottom structure, a central portion of said bottom structure being vertically registered with said tap hole, said tank assembly including a plurality of dependingly supported lower portions spaced about said central portion and opening upwardly through said bottom structure, each of said lower tank portions including slag removal means for removing solidified slag particles from the lower portion thereof, and a float-type closure within said tank upper portion and floatable therein into positions vertically registered with the open upper ends of said lower portions for lowering into sealed engagement with and closing the upper end of a selected lower portion upon lowering of the water level in said upper portion.

Claim 13

The combination of claim 9 including slag displacement means operatively associated with said central portion for laterally displacing solidified slag from said central portion toward the open upper end of a selected tank lower portion.

Claim 14

The combination of claim 10 wherein said slag displacement means includes means operative, given a bed of loose grandular solidified slag particles on said central portion, to displace spaced portions of the upper layer portions of said bed into a continuous upwardly projecting peripheral mound extending about a central area of said bed and defining an upwardly opening recess centrally on said bed for "solid slag tapping".

Claim 15

In combination with an upstanding tubular neck downwardly through which molten slag may controllably be dropped, an upwardly opening slag tank assembly disposed below and in vertical registry with said neck, said slag tank assembly including an upper portion and means for raising and lowering the level of water in said upper portion, said upper portion including a bottom structure, a central portion of said bottom structure being vertically registered with said tap hole, said tank assembly including a plurality of dependingly supported lower portions spaced about said central portion and opening upwardly through said bottom structure, each of said lower tank portions including slag removal means for removing solidified slag particles from the lower portion thereof, and a float-type closure within said tank upper portion and floatable therein into positions vertically registered with the open upper ends of said lower portions for lowering into sealed engagement with and closing the upper end of a selected lower portion upon lowering of the water level in said upper portion.

Claim 16

In combination with an upstanding tubular neck downwardly through which molten slag may controllably be dropped, an upwardly opening slag tank assembly disposed below and in vertical registry with said neck, said slag tank assembly including an upper portion and means for raising and lowering the level of water in said upper portion, said upper portion including a bottom structure, a central portion of said bottom structure being vertically registered with said tap hole, said tank assembly including a plurality of dependingly supported lower portions spaced about said central portion and opening upwardly through said bottom structure, each of said lower tank portions including slag removal means for removing solidified slag particles from the lower portion thereof, and a float-type closure within said tank upper portion and floatable therein into positions vertically registered with the open upper ends of said lower portions for lowering into sealed engagement with and closing the upper end of a selected lower portion upon lowering of the water level in said upper portion.

Claim 17

The combination of claim 12 including slag displacement means operatively associated with said central portion for laterally displacing solidified slag from said central portion toward the open upper end of a selected tank lower portion.

Claim 18

The combination of claim 13 wherein said slag displacement means includes means operative, given a bed of loose grandular solidified slag particles on said central portion, to displace spaced portions of the upper layer portions of said bed into a continuous upwardly projecting peripheral mound extending about a central area of said bed and defining an upwardly opening recess centrally on said bed for "solid slag tapping".

Claim 19

In combination, a wet bottom furnace including a bottom wall having an elevated section thereof defined by upstanding peripheral wall portions projecting upwardly from said bottom wall and interconnected at their upper ends, one of said peripheral wall portions defining an opening therethrough adjacent said bottom wall and defining a vertical tap hole in front of which granular material may be deposited for damming said vertical tap hole against the flow of molten slag therethrough from the interior of said furnace, an upwardly opening slag tank assembly disposed below and in vertical registry with said tap hole, said slag tank assembly including means defining a horizontal support surface within said tank relative to which the level of water within the tank assembly may be adjustably elevated and depressed and adapted to have a solidified slag particle bed formed thereon.

Claim 20

In combination, a wet bottom furnace including a bottom wall having an elevated section thereof defined by upstanding peripheral wall portions projecting upwardly from said bottom wall and interconnected at their upper ends, one of said peripheral wall portions defining an opening therethrough adjacent said bottom wall and defining a vertical tap hole in front of which granular material may be deposited for damming said vertical tap hole against the flow of molten slag therethrough from the interior of said furnace, an upwardly opening slag tank assembly disposed below and in vertical registry with said tap hole, said slag tank assembly including means defining a horizontal support surface within said tank relative to which the level of water within the tank assembly may be adjustably elevated and depressed and adapted to have a solidified slag particle bed formed thereon.

Claim 21

The combination of claim 15 wherein said support surface is centered relative to a vertical path into which said tap hole opens.

Claim 22

The combination of claim 15 wherein said support surface comprises a selectively rotatable and elevatable and depressible turntable rotatable about an upstanding axis horizontally spaced from a vertical path into which said tap hole opens.

Claim 23

The combination of claim 17 including vertically reciprocal impact means spaced horizontally from said axis a distance generally equal to the horizontal spacing between said axis and vertical path and operative to break up a solidified slag ribbon supported on said turntable.

Claim 24

The combination of claim 18 including water spray heads disposed about said path above said turntable and operative to direct jets of cooling water onto slag falling along said path toward said turntable.

Claim 25

The combination of claim 19 including means supporting said spray heads for vertical shifting and angular displacement relative to said tank assembly along and about upstanding axes spaced about said path.

Claim 26

The combination of claim 15 wherein said support surface is centered relative to a vertical path into which said tap hole opens, water spray heads disposed about said path above said support surface and operative to direct jets of cooling water onto slag falling along said path toward said support surface.

Claim 27

The combination of claim 21 including means supporting said spray heads for vertical shifting and angular displacement relative to said tank assembly along and about upstanding axes spaced about said path.