DEVICE FOR MELTING-DOWN SCRAP, SPONGE-IRON, OR THE LIKE

摘要

Iron-containing materials are loaded into the top of a shaft furnace to form therein an upright column of the materials. A burner forms a flame above the floor of the furnace to heat the base of the column and thereby melt the materials at the base of the column into a liquefied-iron melt on the floor of the furnace and a layer of slag on the melt. In addition this flame formed by the burner forms a deposit in the furnace on which the column is supported. Slag is continuously withdrawn from the furnace at a location substantially level with the deposit and the melt is withdrawn from the furnace at a location below the layer of slag and is heated as it is withdrawn. This melt is withdrawn through an iron-drain conduit having an outlet end vertically positioned to be horizontally even with the lower surface of the slag and a refining vessel working inductively or by means of an electric arc may be provided in this outlet conduit for the continuous transformation of the liquefied iron into steel.