Sleeve seal for electric furnace electrodes

Abstract

A highly flexible sealing arrangement designed to seal high-temperature furnace ports, particularly the electrode port of an electric furnace. The seal comprises an annular support member fixed to a flexible sealing member and employs the use of a garter spring to uniformly apply the desired amount of seal compression. The arrangement and flexibility of the sealing member allows the seal to adapt itself to the wide range of operating and upset conditions that typically exist for a furnace electrode seal. Frictional wear on the seal may be greatly reduced as the design inherently allows for a much lower amount of seal compression to be applied, furthermore, the seal is able to move axially which can significantly reduce wear caused by electrode regulation.

Description

[0001] Cross References to Related Applications [0002] This application claims priority and benefit to US Provisional Patent Application No. 61 / 985,026, filed April 28, 2014, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. technical field [0003] The subject-matter of the present invention relates to electrode seals for sealing electrode ports of electric furnaces, and more particularly to electrode seals having a flexible sealing arrangement capable of following the axial movement of the electrodes while resisting the furnace harsh operating environment. Background technique [0004] Electric furnaces are often used in the metal industry for melting and smelting operations. A typical electric furnace provides a refractory lined enclosure capable of withstanding high temperatures in which the feed is melted by one or more cylindrical electrodes axially through a circular port in the roof to maintain proper depth for the melting operation. Once the electrode ...

AI Technical Summary

Problems solved by technology

However, this design is often costly, difficult to inspect and maintain, and cannot accommodate significant variations in electrode diameter

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