Patent ID: 9417321
Filing Date: 2016-08-16
CPC Classification: B22D,F27B,F27D,G01B,G01F,G01S

Claim Text:
1. A system for monitoring a level of a feed material layer contained in a metallurgical furnace, the metallurgical furnace being an electric furnace, the system comprising: at least one non-contact sensor to sense a distance between an upper surface of the feed material layer and a reference position, the at least one sensor positioned above the feed material layer; a process controller communicably linked to the at least one non-contact sensor to output a control signal based on the sensed distance; a protective housing to protect each non-contact sensor; a thermal radiation shield positioned between each non-contact sensor and the feed material layer; a gas supply system to flush each protective housing with cooling gas; and at least one electrode in the metallurgical furnace having one or more operating parameters controllable based on the control signal, the at least one electrode being communicably linked to the process controller, wherein the non-contact sensor is electromagnetically insulated from electromagnetic interference present in the metallurgical furnace, and wherein the non-contact sensor is selected to penetrate the electromagnetic interference.