Method and apparatus for generating a hot air blast

摘要

A system to supply high temperature blast air and a method for providing preheating of a cold air blast by gas-to-air heating in a tube-type heat exchanger with heat from waste products of combustion. Such combustion products are recovered in a header by the use of valves at different times to form a continuous supply from a plurality of horizontal regenerators. The regenerators are horizontal metal vessels wherein a mid-portion is filled with checkerbrick forming horizontal flow spaces. Each regenerator has a burner to generate hot products of combustion for heating the refractory of the checkerbrick and recovery by the header. The burner is turned OFF when the checkerbricks are highly heated and preheated air is directed by valves through a header and into the regenerator by the checkerbricks. The resulting hot air blast, which may be tempered with cold air, is fed by a main to a blast furnace.