Furnace Technology & Services

Hatch's Furnace Group specializes in the engineering of new, modified and rebuilt metallurgical furnaces and associated systems.

Types of furnaces

• Submerged electric arc furnaces
  • rectangular 6 in-line
  • round AC 3-in-delta
  • round DC
• Flash smelting
• Flash converting
• Rotary furnaces
• Shaft furnaces
• Reverb furnaces
• Direct and indirect-fired kilns
• Lance injection furnaces
• Feed systems (including hot feed transfer)

Technologies

• Water-cooled elements for furnace walls and roofs
• Electrode columns, slipping systems and hydraulics
• Feed systems
• Transformers and buswork
• Water-cooled tapholes
• Power control computer systems

Services

• Preliminary engineering and feasibility studies
• Process studies
• Detail design, procurement, shop inspections
• Equipment supply packages (furnace, feed, off-gas)
• Construction, commissioning and start-up assistance
• Operations support
• Troubleshooting, inspections, retrofits, upgrades

Furnace Design Elements

• Process knowledge - custom design for each application
• Intense wall cooling - copper coolers
• Robust binding and hold down systems
• High quality refractory lining
• Water-cooled tap-holes
• Power supply
• Expert systems and controls
• Hot material transfer
• Feed, tapping & off-gas systems

Key benefits for robust and reliable furnaces provide

• High power density (power input per unit area of furnace) to reduce number of units required and thus capital and operating costs per tonne of product
• Long campaign lives
• Ability to accommodate process upsets and flexibility in feed materials to maximize utilization
• Minimal maintenance