1. A method of relining a vessel that is used to carry out a direct smelting process that produces molten metal under conditions requiring molten bath temperatures of at least 1000 C., which vessel has a floor that is refractory lined, a side wall that is at least partially refractory lined, and a top wall, and at least two access openings to the interior of the vessel, whereby after shutting down operation of the direct smelting process, the relining method includes the steps of cooling down the vessel, gaining access to the interior of the vessel via the access openings, relining the vessel, and re-starting operation of the process in a period of time of 21 or less days.
2. The method defined in claim 1 wherein the shutdown period is 18 or less days.
3. The method defined in claim 2 where the shutdown period is 15 or less days.
4. The method defined in any one of the preceding claims wherein there is at least one access opening in the vessel side wall in a hearth region of the vessel and at least one access opening in an upper section of the vessel.
5. The method defined in any one of claims 1 to 3 wherein there are 2 side wall access openings in the hearth region of the vessel and at least one access opening in an upper section of the vessel.
6. The method defined in claim 4 or claim 5 wherein there is a further access opening in the floor of the vessel.
7. The method defined in any one of the preceding claims wherein the vessel includes at least one solids injection lance extending through the side wall and at least one lance for injecting oxygen-containing gas into an upper region of the vessel.
8. The method defined in any one of the preceding claims wherein the side wall of the vessel includes water-cooled panels.
9. The method defined in any one of the preceding claims wherein the top wall of the vessel includes water-cooled panels.
10. The method defined in any one of the preceding claims wherein the vessel includes a forehearth.
11. The method defined in any one of the preceding claims where the step of cooling down the vessel is completed in 24 or less hours.
12. The method defined in any one of the preceding claims wherein the step of cooling down the vessel includes forced convection cooling or by quench cooling.
13. The method defined in any one of the preceding claims wherein the step of gaining access to the interior of the vessel via the access openings is completed within 30 or less hours in the case of a partial reline of the vessel and within 54 or less hours in the case of a full vessel reline.
14. The method defined in claim 13 wherein in both a partial reline and a full reline of the vessel the step of gaining access to the interior of the vessel via the access openings includes isolating the vessel from sources of feed materials, removing lancestuyeres, and opening the access openings.
15. The method defined in any one of the preceding claims wherein the step of relining the vessel is completed in 370 or less hours in the case of a partial reline of the vessel and 492 or less hours in the case of a full vessel reline.
16. The method defined in any one of the preceding claims wherein the step of relining the vessel in a partial reline includes the steps of removing the existing refractory lining, installing a safety lining on the side wall, installing a hot face lining on the safety lining, installing a slag zone lining on the safety lining, installing lancestuyeres, and connecting the vessel to feed materials sources.
17. The method defined in claim 16 wherein the safety lining includes an outer permanent lining and an inner replaceable refractory brick lining and the step of installing the safety lining includes patching the permanent lining and laying a new replaceable brick lining.
18. The method defined in any one of claims 1 to 15 wherein the step of relining the vessel in a full reline includes the partial reline steps defined in claim 16 or claim 17 and also includes the steps of replacing water cooled panels in the side and top walls, removing and replacing the forehearth, and installing a refractory floor.
19. The method defined in claim 18 wherein the step of replacing the water cooled panels in the top wall includes removing the top wall, replacing the water cooled panels in the top wall, and thereafter repositioning the top wall on the vessel.
20. The method defined in claim 18 or claim 19 wherein the step of relining the vessel in the full reline includes bricking a forehearth connection between the forehearth and the vessel and using the brickwork of the forehearth connection that extends into the vessel as a key for the brickwork for the replaceable safety lining and the hot face lining.
21. The method defined in any one of the claims 18 to 20 wherein the step of installing the refractory floor includes laying one or more courses of precast refractory blocks as a sub-floor and laying a top course of refractory bricks on the sub-floor.
22. The method defined in any one of the preceding claims wherein the step of re-starting operation of the direct smelting process after relining is completed in 96 or less hours.
23. The method defined in any one of the preceding claims wherein the step-of relining the vessel includes positioning a safety platform above a hearth region of the vessel and thereby dividing the vessel into two work zones, one above the safety platform and the other below the safety platform, so that relining work can be carried out simultaneously in both zones.
24. The method defined in claim 23 wherein the step of relining the vessel includes positioning on the platform an assembly that can support and raise and lower water cooled panels and using the assembly as required to remove water cooled panels from the side wall or the roof and positioning replacement water cooled panels on the side wall or the roof.
25. A vessel for carrying out a direct smelting process, which vessel includes: a base which defines a vessel floor, a side wall, and a top wall, an off-gas duct, at least one solids injection lancetuyere extending through the side wall, at least one lance for injecting an oxygen-containing gas into an upper region of the vessel, a refractory lining at least in a hearth region of the vessel which contains molten material during operation of the process, and at least one access opening in the side wall in the hearth region.
26. The vessel defined in claim 25 includes 2 access openings in the side wall in the hearth region.
27. The vessel defined in claim 25 or claim 26 includes an access opening in the vessel floor.
28. The vessel defined in claim 27 wherein the floor access opening is a removable plug.
29. The vessel defined in any one of claims 25 to 28 includes one or more courses of precast refractory blocks which form a sub-floor and a top course of refractory bricks laid on the sub-floor.
30. The vessel defined in any one of claims 25 to 29 includes a forehearth for discharging molten metal from the vessel.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
We claim:
1. A computer-readable medium storage medium containing computer executable code for instructing a computer, which is coupled to a test stand that is configured to test fluid flow distribution through a turbine engine fuel manifold and one or more fuel nozzles, and that includes a plurality of fluid measurement vessels each operable to receive a test fluid discharged from one of the fuel nozzles, to perform the steps of:
periodically determining and displaying a volume of test fluid discharged from each of the fuel nozzles until each of the measurement vessels have collected a predetermined volume of the test fluid; and
periodically calculating and displaying test fluid flow rate through each of the fuel nozzles based on the periodically determined test fluid discharge volume.