Fried. Krupp Gesellschaft MIT Beschrankter Haftung

Wolf-Dieter Ropke

Thomas Hoster

Dieter Neuschutz

A method and apparatus for the continuous melting of an iron-containing material in a melting device, the melting device being composed of a vertical shaft having a central axis, a melting furnace disposed below, and communicating with, the shaft, the melting furnace being asymmetrical to the central axis and being formed to have a region which is furthest removed from the central axis, at least one first nozzle opening into the furnace, located in the vicinity of the furnace bottom in the region furthest removed from the central axis, and at least two second nozzles opening into the furnace and located above the furnace bottom. Melting is effected by: introducing iron-containing material into the shaft for causing the material to descend through the shaft; supplying carbon carrier and oxygen to the nozzles for effecting partial combustion of the carbon carrier in the furnace to generate heat which is supplied to the material to form a bath of molten material in the furnace and to generate partially combusted exhaust gas; effecting a selected distribution of the carbon carrier and oxygen to the nozzles for causing the combustion arising from the first nozzle to supply superheating heat below the surface of the bath and the combustion arising from the second nozzles to supply heat for melting material located above the surface of the bath; and effecting post combustion of the partially combusted exhaust gas in the shaft for preheating material in the shaft.

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Wilnsdorf-Obersdorf, Germany

Wolf-Dieter Ropke