Bustle pipe arrangement

1. Bustle pipe arrangement of a shaft furnace for feeding pressurized hot gas into said shaft furnace, said bustle pipe arrangement comprising:

a circumferential bustle pipe arranged along the outer casing of said shaft furnace, at a certain distance therefrom;

a plurality of first support arms connecting said bustle pipe to said outer casing of said shaft furnace on a first level;

a plurality of first blow channels arranged through said plurality of first support arms for fluidly connecting said bustle pipe to the interior of said shaft furnace;

a plurality of second support arms connecting said bustle pipe to said outer casing of said shaft furnace on a second level;

a plurality of second blow channels arranged through said plurality of second support arms for fluidly connecting said bustle pipe to the interior of said shaft furnace; and

a plurality of access ports located in wall portions of the bustle pipe, wherein each one of the plurality of access ports is located opposite to one first blow channel from the plurality of first blow channels or one second blow channel from the plurality of second blow channels, and each one of the plurality of the access ports is in linear alignment with one first blow channel from the plurality of first blow channels or one second blow channel from the plurality of second blow channels corresponding to the access port;

wherein said pluralities of first and second support arms are configured to support said circumferential bustle pipe, said bustle pipe being solely supported by said plurality of first support arms and plurality of second support arms, said first level being different from said second level.

2. Bustle pipe arrangement according to claim 1 , wherein said bustle pipe comprises a refractory lining on its inner wall and wherein said pluralities of first and/or second blow channels extend through said refractory lining of said bustle pipe.

3. Bustle pipe arrangement according to claim 1 , wherein a plunger is associated with at least one access port from said plurality of access ports for at least partially plugging at least one first blow channel from said plurality of first blow channels corresponding to the at least one access port.

4. Bustle pipe arrangement according to claim 3 , wherein said plunger has a conical nose for allowing regulation of gas flow through at least one of the first or at least one of the second blow channel from said plurality of first or second blow channels corresponding to the at least one access port.

5. Bustle pipe arrangement according to claim 3 , wherein said plunger comprises an oxide-ceramic material or a silicon infiltrated silicon carbide material.

6. Bustle pipe arrangement according to claim 1 , wherein an injection nozzle and/or an injection nozzle insert is removably arranged in at least one first blow channel of the plurality of first blow channels, or at least one second blow channel of the plurality of second blow channels.

7. Bustle pipe arrangement according to claim 6 , wherein said second support arms are arranged so as to be, on a vertical projection, arranged half-way between two neighboring first support arms.

8. Bustle pipe arrangement according to claim 1 , wherein each of said plurality of first support arms and/or each of said plurality of second support arms are formed by a piece of piping, lined internally with refractory material and having at least one first blow channel of the plurality of first blow channels and/or at least one second blow channel of the plurality of second blow channels passing there through respectively.

9. Bustle pipe arrangement according to claim 1 , wherein at least one of the first support arm of the plurality of first support arms is essentially horizontal and wherein at least one of the second support arm of the plurality of second support arms is inclined with respect to the horizontal.

10. Bustle pipe arrangement according to claim 1 , wherein at least one of the second support arm of the plurality of second support arms is arranged at an angle chosen such that the access port from the plurality of access ports associated with the second blow channel from the plurality of second blow channels arranged through the at least one second support arm is essentially on the same level as at least one access port from the plurality of the access ports associated with at least one first blow channel from the plurality of first blow channels.

11. Bustle pipe arrangement according to claim 1 , wherein at least one of the first support arms of the plurality of first support arms and at least one of the second support arms of the plurality of second support arms are both inclined at an angle of between 0 and 40° with respect to the horizontal.

12. Bustle pipe arrangement according to claim 11 , wherein said bustle pipe has an essentially round or oval cross-section.

13. The bustle pipe arrangement according to claim 1 , wherein the shaft furnace is a blast furnace.

14. The bustle pipe arrangement according to claim 8 , wherein the piece of piping is a straight piece of piping.

15. The bustle pipe arrangement according to claim 9 , wherein the at least one of second support arm is inclined at an angle between 10 and 60° with respect to the horizontal.

16. Bustle pipe arrangement according to claim 1 , wherein a plunger is associated with at least one access port from said plurality of access ports for at least partially plugging at least one second blow channel from said plurality of second blow channels corresponding to the at least one access port.