INSTALLATION FOR HEATING MULTICOMPONENT MATERIAL ELECTRICALLY CONDUCTING IN MOLTEN STATE, AND METHOD OF STARTING UP THIS INSTALLATION Russian patent published in 1997 - IPC

FIELD: heat treatment of materials. SUBSTANCE: installation containing lined container with electrodes and start heater is provided with, located over heater, gauze of refractory metal and, disposed on it, screen of most refractory component of multicomponent material, whereas start heater is located over lined container and is made in the form of flat perforated body shaped in zigzag mode with inter-branch distance exceeding cell size of gauze. Start heater, gauze, and screen are all installed to be moved in vertical direction. Curvilinear electrodes are arranged opposite to each other along side walls of lined container following its profile while their free ends are disposed along bottom region and have variable cross-section decreasing in bottom region. Electrodes on the side of their ends are made in the form of a fork with at least two divergent teeth. Lined container is made in the form of hemisphere or cylinder symmetrically truncated by two vertical plates of refractory metal inert to multicomponent material. Electrodes are disposed along spherical or cylindrical surfaces. When installation is to be started up, electrodes are installed into lined container with their free ends pointed toward bottom region, multicomponent material is charged and heated by start heater to form conducting zone in the bottom region and activate electrode heating caused by bringing in contact free ends of electrodes through mentioned zone. According to invention, multicomponent material is charged portionwise. The first portion is charged in such a manner as to form central well in lined container, well bottom being coupled with free ends of electrodes. The first portion is heated until walls and bottom of the well are fused, whereupon well is filled with the second portion of multicomponent material separately molten by start heater. This portion is positioned over lined container on the screen of most refractory component of multicomponent material. Second portion is heated simultaneously with the first one through the screen and then, when walls and bottom of well are fused, screen is melted and second portion of multicomponent material fills the well. EFFECT: improved heating procedure.