(12) INTERNATIONAL APPLICATION PUBLISHED UNDER THE PATENT COOPERATION TREATY (PCT)

(19) World Intellectual Property

Organization
International Bureau
(10) International Publication Number
(43) International Publication Date WO 2015/028707 Al
5 March 2015 (05.03.2015) PO PCT

(51) International Patent Classification: (74) Agent: PAPULA OY; P.O. Box 981, FI-00101 Helsinki
F27B 3/08 (2006.01) F27D 11/10 (2006.01) (FI).
F27D 11/08 (2006.01)
(81) Designated States (unless otherwise indicated, for every
(21) International Application Number: kind of national protection available): AE, AG, AL, AM,
PCT/FI2014/050640 AO, AT, AU, AZ, BA, BB, BG, BH, BN, BR, BW, BY,
BZ, CA, CH, CL, CN, CO, CR, CU, CZ, DE, DK, DM,
(22) International Filing Date: DO, DZ, EC, EE, EG, ES, FI, GB, GD, GE, GH, GM, GT,
20 August 2014 (20.08.2014)
HN, HR, HU, ID, IL, IN, IR, IS, JP, KE, KG, KN, KP, KR,
(25) Filing Language: English KZ, LA, LC, LK, LR, LS, LT, LU, LY, MA, MD, ME,
MG, MK, MN, MW, MX, MY, MZ, NA, NG, NI, NO, NZ,
(26) Publication Language: English OM, PA, PE, PG, PH, PL, PT, QA, RO, RS, RU, RW, SA,
(30) Priority Data: SC, SD, SE, SG, SK, SL, SM, ST, SV, SY, TH, TJ, TM,
20135862 27 August 2013 (27.08.2013) FI TN, TR, TT, TZ, UA, UG, US, UZ, VC, VN, ZA, ZM,
ZW.
(71) Applicant: OUTOTEC (FINLAND) OY [FEFI];
Rauhalanpuisto 9, FI-02230 Espoo (FI). (84) Designated States (unless otherwise indicated, for every
kind of regional protection available): ARIPO (BW, GH,
(72) Inventors: OLLILA, Janne; Myrskymaentie 6, FI-02820 GM, KE, LR, LS, MW, MZ, NA, RW, SD, SL, ST, SZ,
Espoo (FI). RONNBERG, Tom; Rauhamaenkuja 3, FI- TZ, UG, ZM, ZW), Eurasian (AM, AZ, BY, KG, KZ, RU,
02820 Espoo (FI). JUVONEN, Seppo; Oravanmarjapolku TJ, TM), European (AL, AT, BE, BG, CH, CY, CZ, DE,
3, FI-06100 Porvoo (FI). DK, EE, ES, FI, FR, GB, GR, HR, HU, IE, IS, IT, LT, LU,

[Continued on next page]

(54) Title: ARRANGEMENT FOR COOLING CHANNELS IN AN ELECTRODE SYSTEM

(57) Abstract: The invention relates to an arrangement for cooling channels in an electrode
column assembly of an elec- trie arc furnace, wherein the lower part of theelec- trode
column assembly isprovided with a contact shoe ring formed of a plurality of contact shoe
elements (3 1), a pressure ring formed of a plurality of pres- sure blocks, and a heat shield
33 located above the pres- sure ring and formed of a plurality of heat shield segments. The
contact shoe elements (3 1) and/orthe pressure blocks are provided with channels (35, 36)
fora cooling liquid to flow therein. The channels (35, 36) made in the material of the con
tact shoe ele- ments (31) and/orthe pressure blocks extend obliquely downwards from the
3 " upper ends (33) of said contact shoe elements (3 1) and/orthe pressure blocks near to the
lower ends (34) of the same. At least two of said oblique channels (35, 36) in a same con
tact shoe ele- ment (3 1) and/orpressure block join together at their lower ends near the
lower ends (34) of the contact shoe elements (3 1) and/orthe pressure blocks to form a con
3 ' tinuous channel (35, 36) in each contact shoe el- ement (3 1) and pressure block. (FIG.5)

ol
00
o Fig. 5
 w o 2015/028707 Ai III 111 II II III I I11 I
III III II I II II II III II I
II

LV, MC, MK, MT, NL, NO, PL, PT, RO, RS, SE, SI, SK,
— of inventorship (Rule 4.1 7(iv))
SM, TR), OAPI (BF, BJ, CF, CG, CI, CM, GA, GN, GQ,
GW, KM, ML, MR, NE, SN, TD, TG). Published:
Declarations under Rule 4.17: — with international search report (Art. 21(3))
— as to applicant's entitlement to apply for and be granted — before the expiration of the time limit for amending the
a patent (Rule 4.1 7(H)) claims and to be republished in the event of receipt of
amendments (Rule 48.2(h))
— as to the applicant's entitlement to claim the priority of
the earlier application (Rule 4. J 7( i))
ARRANGEMENT FOR COOLING CHANNELS IN AN ELECTRODE SYS¬
TEM

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to an arrangement for

cooling channels in an electrode column assembly of an
electric arc furnace. More specifically, the invention
relates to an arrangement for cooling channels in an
electrode column assembly of an electric arc furnace,
the lower part of which electrode column assembly be
ing provided with an electrode lower column assembly
comprising a contact shoe ring formed of a plurality
of contact shoe elements connected to each other in an
annular form and placed in contact with the electrode
to conduct electric current to the electrode, a pres
sure ring formed of a plurality of pressure blocks
connected to each other to form an annular ring sur
rounding the contact shoe ring, the pressure blocks of
said pressure ring being provided with hydraulic bel
lows by which the contact shoe ring i s pressed against
the steel mantle of the electrode, and a heat shield
located above the pressure ring in the axial direction
of the electrode column assembly, said heat shield
comprising a plurality of heat shield segments con
nected to each other to form an annular ring surround
ing the lower electrode column assembly, whereby the
contact shoe elements and/or the pressure blocks are
provided with channels through which a cooling liquid
i s made to flow for cooling of the contact shoe ring
and the pressure ring.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

An electric arc furnace is an electrically operated

furnace used for melting metal and/or for cleaning
slag. The operation of the furnace i s based on an arc
flame that burns either between separate electrodes,
or between electrodes and the material to be melted.
The furnace may be operated either b y AC or DC cur
rent. Heat is created in the arc flame, and also in
the material to b e melted, in case the arc flame burns
between the material and the electrodes. Power i s con
ducted to vertical electrodes that are located symmet
rically in a triangle with respect to the midpoint of
the furnace. In the case of a DC smelting furnace
there is one electrode in the middle of the furnace.
The assembly depth of the electrodes in the furnace is
continuously adjusted, because they are worn at the
tips owing to the arc flame.

The lower part of the electrode column assembly com

prises a contact shoe ring, a pressure ring and a heat
shield. The contact shoe ring consists of a plurality
of contact shoe elements arranged a s a ring to be in
contact with a steel mantle inside of which the elec-
trode paste is sintered. Such an electrode is a so-
called Soderberg electrode. The contact shoe elements
conduct electric current to the electrode. A pressure
ring is arranged on the outside of the contact shoe
ring, so that the contact shoe ring i s surrounded by
said pressure ring. The pressure ring consists of a
plurality of pressure blocks connected with each other
a s a ring, which pressure blocks being provided with
hydraulic bellows b y which the contact shoes in the
contact shoe ring are pressed against the steel mantle
of the electrode. A heat shield surrounding the elec
trode column assembly is arranged above the pressure
ring in the axial direction of the electrode column
assembly. Also the heat shield i s comprised of a plu
rality of segments connected with each other to form
an assembly of annular form.
Because of the extremely hot environment the contact
shoe elements, pressure ring and heat shield must be
cooled and in current electrode column assemblies
cooling i s arranged so that the contact shoe elements,
pressure ring blocks and heat shield segments are pro
vided with cooling channels for flowing cooling liq
uid. Cooling channels are made so that borings are
drilled in the contact shoes, pressure ring blocks and
heat shield segments. Borings are drilled so that they
extend through said parts within which at least some
of the borings are joining with each other. Therefore
at least some of the borings must be closed with
plugs. Plugging of the borings causes a risk for leak
ing of the cooling liquid. Leaks in the electrode col-
umn assemblies are very detrimental, especially when
leaking plugs are situated in the hot lower end of the
rings where they are not visible.

OBJECTIVE OF THE INVENTION

An objective of the present invention i s to provide a

cooling channel arrangement for an electrode column
assembly of an electric arc furnace which overcomes
the disadvantages and drawbacks relating to prior art,
especially when it comes to the problems relating to
the leaking of the cooling liquid.

A further objective of the present invention is to

provide a cooling channel arrangement for an electrode
column assembly of an electric arc furnace, b y which
arrangement an adequate channel system and flow amount
of the cooling liquid are attained in the contact shoe
ring, pressure ring and heat shield.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The objectives of the present invention are attained

b y the arrangement in which the channels made in the
material of the contact shoe elements and/or the pres
sure blocks extend obliquely downwards from the upper
ends of the contact shoe elements and the pressure
blocks near to the lower ends of the same, so that at
least two of said oblique channels in a same contact
shoe element and/or pressure block join together at
their lower ends near the lower ends of the contact
shoe elements and the pressure blocks to form a con
tinuous channel in each contact shoe element and pres-
sure block.

In the arrangement at least two oblique channels are

made in the material of each contact shoe element
and/or pressure block, so at least a single continuous
channel i s formed in the respective contact shoe ele
ment and/or pressure block. On the other hand a plu
rality of oblique channels can be made in the material
of each contact shoe element and/or pressure block to
form several continuous channels in the respective
contact shoe element and/or pressure block.

The channels in the material of the contact shoe ele

ments and/or the pressure blocks are preferably made
b y drilling. The channels are made in the material of
the contact shoe elements and/or the pressure blocks
with a safety distance between the channels.

Also the heat shield segments are preferably provided

with similar oblique channels a s the contact shoe ele-
ments and/or the pressure blocks.

The contact shoe elements and/or the pressure blocks

and/or the heat shield segments are made of an elec
trical and thermal conductive material with a high me-
chanical strength. The material i s preferably copper.
Also other materials, e.g. brass or bronze are appli
cable .
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are included to pro

vide a further understanding of the invention and con-
stitute a part of this specification, illustrate em
bodiments of the invention and together with the de
scription help to explain the principles of the inven
tion. In the drawings:

Fig. 1 i s a schematic elevation side view of an elec

tric arc furnace.

Fig. 2 is schematic elevation side view of a lower

electrode column assembly of the electric arc furnace
of Fig. 1 in a larger scale.

Fig. 3 i s an axonometric view of the lower electrode

column assembly.

Fig. 4 i s an axonometric view of a pressure block with

the bellows cylinder in an exploded view.

Fig. 5 i s a cross-sectional view of the pressure block

showing the structure of the bellows cylinder in more
detail.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Fig. 1 shows a schematic illustration of an electric

arc furnace 6. The furnace 6 comprises a plurality of
electrode column assemblies 1, but for the sake of
simplicity only one of them i s shown in Fig. 1.

With reference to Figs. 1, 2 and 3 an electrode lower

column assembly 2 i s located in the lower part of the
electrode system. The electrode lower column assembly
2 comprises a contact shoe ring 3, a pressure ring 4
and a heat shield 5. The contact shoe ring 3 i s con
figured to be placed in contact with the electrode to
conduct electric current to the electrode. The contact
shoe ring 3 comprises a plurality of contact shoe ele-
ments 31. The contact shoe elements 3 1 are arranged in
an annular form to surround the electrode. The contact
shoes 31 are pressed against the steel mantle of the
electrode with the aid of a plurality of hydraulic
bellows arranged in the pressure ring 4 that surrounds
the contact shoe ring 3 . The pressure ring 4 comprises
a plurality of pressure blocks 41 connected to each
other to form an annular ring. Preferably each of the
pressure blocks 4 1 i s provided with a hydraulic bellow
a s mentioned above. A heat shield 5 i s located above
the pressure ring 4 in the axial direction of the
electrode column assembly 1. The heat shield 5 com
prises a plurality of heat shield segments 5 1 connect
ed to each other to form an annular ring surrounding
the lower electrode column assembly 2 .

A s it can be seen in Figs. 2 and 3 pipes 32, 42 are

connected to the contact shoe elements 3 1 of the con
tact shoe ring 3 and to the pressure blocks 4 1 of the
pressure ring 4. Said pipe connections are arranged at
upper ends 33, 4 3 of the contact shoe elements 3 1 and
pressure blocks 41. The pipes 32, 42 are arranged for
a cooling liquid to be led into and out of the contact
shoe elements 31 and pressure blocks 41 to maintain
their temperature at a desired level. Naturally, cor-
responding channels are made in the material of the
contact shoe elements 31 and pressure blocks 41. So,
cooling liquid is made to flow and circulate in the
contact shoe ring 3 and pressure ring 4. The piping
can be arranged so that the cooling fluid flows sepa-
rately through each contact shoe element 31 and/or
from one element to another. In a corresponding way
the cooling fluid can be made to flow separately
through each pressure block 41 and/or from one block
to another.

The channel arrangements for the pressure blocks 41

and contact shoe elements 3 1 are shown in Figs. 4 and
5. A s it can b e seen in Fig. 4, the channels 45, 4 6 in
the pressure block 4 1 are made in the material of the
block so that they extend obliquely downwards from the
upper end 4 3 of the pressure block 4 1 near to the low-
er end 44 of the block. Further, the channels 45, 46
are made so, that two oblique channels 45, 4 6 join to
gether at their lower ends, i.e. near the lower end 4 4
of the pressure block 41. A t least two channels 45, 46
joining together at their lower ends are made in the
material of the pressure block, but Fig. 4 shows that
the pressure block 4 1 comprises preferably a plurality
of oblique channels 45, 46. So, pipes 42 for the cool
ing liquid are connected to the upper ends of the
channels 45, 46.

A s it can be seen in Fig. 5, the channels 35, 3 6 in

the contact shoe element 3 1 are made in the material
of the element so that they extend obliquely downwards
from the upper end 3 3 of the contact shoe element 31
near to the lower end 3 4 of the element. In a corre
sponding way shown in Fig. 4, the channels 35, 3 6 are
made so, that two oblique channels 35, 3 6 join togeth
er at their lower ends, i.e. near the lower end 3 4 of
the contact shoe element 31. A t least two channels 35,
3 6 joining together at their lower ends are made in
the material of the contact shoe element 31, but Fig.
5 shows that the contact shoe element 31 comprises
preferably a plurality of oblique channels 35, 36. So,
pipes 32 (Figs. 2 and 3) for the cooling liquid are
connected to the upper ends of the channels 35, 36.
If and/or when any of the channels 35, 36; 45, 4 6 in
the contact shoe elements 3 1 and/or pressure blocks 4 1
has to be closed with a plug, such plug i s placed only
at the upper end 33, 4 3 of the element 3 1 and/or block
41, which minimizes the risk of cooling liquid leaks.

The contact shoe elements 31 are made of a material

having good electrical and thermal conductivity. Fur
ther, the mechanical strength of the material must be
high. E.g. copper is a material which fulfils these
properties. Copper i s a massive material which i s very
well applicable for the contact shoe elements 31. Oth
er materials that could be used for this purpose are
e.g. brass and bronze. Also other materials having
corresponding properties can be used. Preferably the
pressure blocks 41 are made of the same material as
the contact shoe elements 31.

The channels 35, 36; 45, 4 6 in the contact shoe ele-

ments 31 and in the pressure blocks 41 are made by
drilling. To obtain an adequate cooling in the contact
shoe elements 31 the pressure blocks 41 it is im
portant that the channels 35, 36; 45, 4 6 or borings
made by drilling cover the whole area of the contact
shoe elements 3 1 and the pressure blocks 4 1 a s well a s
possible. However, an adequate safety distance, e.g.
2 0 mm, remains between the borings.

The same channel system can be used also in the heat

shield segments 5 1 which are preferably made of a sim
ilar material a s the contact shoe elements 3 1 and the
pressure blocks 41.

It i s obvious to a person skilled in the art that with

the advancement of technology, the basic idea of the
invention may be implemented in various ways. The in
vention and its embodiments are thus not limited to
the examples described above, instead they may vary
within the scope of the claims .
CLAIMS

1. Arrangement for cooling channels in an electrode

column assembly of an electric arc furnace (6), the
lower part of which electrode column assembly (1) be-
ing provided with an electrode lower column assembly
(2) comprising
a contact shoe ring (3) formed of a plurality of
contact shoe elements (31) connected to each other in
an annular form and placed in contact with the elec-
trode to conduct electric current to the electrode,
a pressure ring (4) formed of a plurality of
pressure blocks (41) connected to each other to form
an annular ring surrounding the contact shoe ring (3) ,
the pressure blocks (41) of said pressure ring (4) be-
ing provided with hydraulic bellows (47) by which the
contact shoe ring (3) is pressed against the steel
mantle of the electrode, and
a heat shield (5) located above the pressure
ring (4) in the axial direction of the electrode col-
umn assembly (1), said heat shield (5) comprising a
plurality of heat shield segments (51) connected to
each other to form an annular ring surrounding the
lower electrode column assembly (2),
whereby the contact shoe elements (31) and/or
the pressure blocks (41) are provided with channels
(35, 36; 45, 46) through which a cooling liquid is
made to flow for cooling of the contact shoe ring (3)

and the pressure ring (4) , characteri zed in

that the channels (35, 36; 45, 46) made in the
material of the contact shoe elements (31) and/or the
pressure blocks (41) extend obliquely downwards from
the upper ends (33, 43) of the contact shoe elements
(31) and the pressure blocks (41) near to the lower
ends (34, 44) of the same, so
- that at least two of said oblique channels (35,
36; 45, 46) in a same contact shoe element (31) and/or
pressure block (41) join together at their lower ends
near the lower ends (34, 44) of the contact shoe ele
ments (31) and the pressure blocks (41) to form a con
tinuous channel (35, 36; 45, 46) in each contact shoe
element (31) and pressure block (41) .

2. Arrangement as claimed in claim 1, charac

teri zed in that at least two oblique channels (35,
36; 45, 46) are made in the material of each contact
shoe element (31) and/or pressure block (41), so at
least a single continuous channel (35, 36; 45, 46) is
formed in the respective contact shoe element (31)
and/or pressure block (41) .

3. Arrangement as claimed in claim 1, charac-

teri zed in that a plurality of oblique channels
(35, 36; 45, 46) are made in the material of each con
tact shoe element (31) and/or pressure block (41) to
form several continuous channels (35, 36; 45, 46) in
the respective contact shoe element (31) and/or pres-
sure block (41) .

4. Arrangement a s claimed in any one of the preced

ing claims, characteri zed in that the channels
(35, 36; 45, 46) in the material of the contact shoe
elements (31) and/or the pressure blocks (41) are made
by drilling.

5. Arrangement as claimed in claim 4, charac

teri zed in that the channels (35, 36; 45, 46) are
made in the material of the contact shoe elements (31)
and/or the pressure blocks (41) with a safety distance
between the channels (35, 36; 45, 46) .

6. Arrangement a s claimed in any one of the preced-

ing claims, characteri zed in that also the heat
shield segments (51) are provided with similar oblique
channels a s the contact shoe elements (31) and/or the
pressure blocks (41) .

7. Arrangement a s claimed in any one of the preced-

ing claims, characteri zed in that the contact
shoe elements (31) and/or the pressure blocks (41)
and/or the heat shield segments (51) are made of an
electrical and thermal conductive material with a high
mechanical strength.

8. Arrangement a s claimed in claim 7 , charac

teri zed in that the material of the contact shoe
elements (31) and/or the pressure blocks (41) and/or
the heat shield segments (51) i s copper.

9. Arrangement as claimed in claim 7, charac

teri zed in that the material of the contact shoe
elements (31) and/or the pressure blocks (41) and/or
the heat shield segments (51) i s brass.

10. Arrangement as claimed in claim 7, charac

teri zed in that the material of the contact shoe
elements (31) and/or the pressure blocks (41) and/or
the heat shield segments (51) i s bronze.
A . CLASSIFICATION O F SUBJECT MATTER
INV. F27B3/08 F27D11/08 F27D11/10
ADD.

According to International Patent Classification (IPC) o r t o both national classification and IPC

B . FIELDS SEARCHED
Minimum documentation searched (classification system followed by classification symbols)
F27B F27D H05B

Documentation searched other than minimum documentation to the extent that such documents are included in the fields searched

Electronic data base consulted during the international search (name of data base and, where practicable, search terms used)

EPO-Internal , WPI Data

C . DOCUMENTS CONSIDERED T O B E RELEVANT

Category* Citation of document, with indication, where appropriate, of the relevant passages Relevant to claim No.

EP 1 971 190 A2 (METIX PTY LTD [ZA] ) 1-10

17 September 2008 (2008-09-17)
the whol e document

FR 2 922 076 Al ( FAI PRODUCTION S0C PAR 1-10

ACTIONS [FR] ) 10 Apri l 2009 (2009-04-10)
the whol e document

0 2014/118147 Al ( FAI PRODUCTION [FR] ) 1-10

7 August 2014 (2014-08-07)
the whol e document

ZA 9 903 871 A (PYR0MET TECHNOLOGI ES PTY 1-10

LTD) 1 February 2001 (2001-02-01)
the whol e document

-/-

X| Further documents are listed in the continuation of Box C . See patent family annex.

* Special categories of cited documents :

"T" later document published after the international filing date o r priority
date and not in conflict with the application but cited to understand
"A" document defining the general state of the art which is not considered
the principle o r theory underlying the invention
to be of particular relevance
"E" earlier application o r patent but published o n o r after the international
"X" document of particular relevance; the claimed invention cannot be
filing date considered novel o r cannot b e considered to involve a n inventive
"L" documentwhich may throw doubts o n priority claim(s) orwhich is step when the document is taken alone
cited to establish the publication date of another citation o r other
"Y" document of particular relevance; the claimed invention cannot be
special reason (as specified)
considered to involve a n inventive step when the document is
"O" document referring to a n oral disclosure, use, exhibition o r other combined with one o r more other such documents, such combination
means being obvious to a person skilled in the art
"P" document published prior to the international filing date but later than
the priority date claimed "&" document member of the same patent family

Date of the actual completion of the international search Date of mailing of the international search report

28 January 2015 16/02/2015

Name and mailing address of the ISA/ Authorized officer
European Patent Office, P.B. 5818 Patentlaan 2
N L - 2280 HV Rijswijk
Tel. (+31-70) 340-2040,
Fax: (+31-70) 340-3016 Gavri l i u , Al exandru
C(Continuation). DOCUMENTS CONSIDERED TO BE RELEVANT

Category* Citation of document, with indication, where appropriate, of the relevant passages Relevant to claim No.

A U 2006 225 192 A l (FAI PRODUCTION) 1-10

26 April 2007 (2007-04-26)
the whole document

ZA 9 903 870 A (PYROMET TECHNOLOGIES PTY 1-10

LTD) 1 February 2001 (2001-02-01)
the whole document

ZA 200 501 486 A (NICRO IND PTY LTD) 1-10

6 September 2005 (2005-09-06)
the whole document
 Patent document Publication Patent family Publication
cited in search report date member(s) date

EP 1971190 A2 17-09-2008 EP 1721493 A2 15-11-2006

EP 1876866 A2 09-01-2008
EP 1876867 A2 09-01-2008
EP 1971190 A2 17-09-2008
HK 1119350 Al 24-05-2013
HK 1119351 Al 02-03-2012
O 2005071335 A2 04-08-2005

FR 2922076 Al 10-04-2009 FR 2922076 A l 10-04-2009

ZA 200709597 A 29-10-2008

WO 2014118147 Al 07-08-2014 FR 3001535 A l 01-08-2014

WO 2014118147 A l 07-08-2014

ZA 9903871 A 0 1 -02 -2001 NONE

A U 2006225192 Al 26 -04 -2007 AU 2006225192 Al 26 -04·-2007

BR PI0604460 A 28 -08·-2007
CN 1949942 A 18 -04·-2007
EA 200601653 Al 27 -04·-2007
FR 2891981 Al 13 -04·-2007

ZA 9903870 A 0 1 -02 -2001 NONE

ZA 200501486 A 06 -09 -2005 NONE