WO2000034530A3 - Cooling panels for blast furnaces - Google Patents

Abstract

A cooling panel for a blast furnace includes at least one internal passageway for conducting a coolant media and is formed by a casting process including the provision of at least one internal core forming a passageway, the material of the core being removed after casting. This allows the internal passageways to be non-linear, as opposed to those formed by drilled internal bores as per existing copper stave panels. The cored cooling channels can also be non-circular in cross-section, a particularly preferred cross-section being trapezoidal as this presents a larger cooling surface than one with a circular cross-section. Thus, for the same cross-sectional area, the effective cooling surface area supplied by a stave according to the present invention can be greater than that for known copper staves. A trapezoidal cross-section also allows the cooling channel depth to be reduced, in turn reducing the stave body thickness and giving scope for further increases in furnace volume. The use of this arrangement further allows the placement of the coolant supply and drain pipes to match the positions of the pipework for conventional cast iron panels. Thus, the staves can be retro-fitted into existing furnaces which have previously employed iron staves, allowing restoration work to be undertaken mid-campaign without the need for furnace shell alterations or external pipework modification. It is preferred that the stave is cast of copper or a copper alloy, but the invention can be applied to the use of other materials.