Authors: R. Veenstra, N. Voermann, B. Wasmund
36th Annual Conference of Metallurgists, Sudbury, Canada, August 1997
Abstract
One of the most severe duty areas in any furnace is the metal tap hole. Operation of these tap holes requires frequent maintenance and usually involves hot repairs during furnace idle conditions. The requirement for a metal tap block design which both simplifies and minimizes maintenance is clear. In anticipation of the construction of a new lead smelting furnace, Cominco Ltd. embarked on a testing program to develop an optimal metal tap block for the commercial furnace. Two alternative prototype tapping blocks were installed in an existing lead blast furnace settler for evaluation under duties similar to those expected in the new furnace. The test program verified the predicted performance of the blocks and identified key features to be included in the final commercial block. This paper presents the general design basis of the Hatch prototype tapping block. Also included are
details of the thermal analysis of this block and the performance of this block during testing.
