Patent Publication Number: US-2019170439-A1

Title: Plate cooler stave apparatus and methods for ferrous or non-ferrous metal making furnace

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     The present application claims benefit and priority from U.S. provisional application Ser. No. 61/319,089 entitled “Panel For Ferrous Or Non-Ferrous Metal Making Furnace,” filed on Mar. 30, 2010, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety for all purposes; this application is also a continuation-in-part of international patent application Ser. No. PCT/US2010/041414, filed Jul. 8, 2010, entitled “Apparatus And Method For Frame And Brick Constructions,” which claims priority to (1) U.S. provisional patent application Ser. No. 61/223,745 entitled “Furnace Stave Brick” filed Jul. 8, 2009, and (2) U.S. provisional patent application U.S. Ser. No. 61/231,477 entitled “Furnace Stave Brick” filed Aug. 5, 2009, the disclosures of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entireties for all purposes. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates to apparatus and methods for cooling the furnace shell of blast furnaces and other metallurgical furnaces. Related fields include cooling staves. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Over the past half century two principal types of cooling systems have been employed in the bosh, belly and stack of blast furnaces. These two cooling systems have been cooling plates and cooling staves, each with their own advantages and disadvantages. 
     Conventional cooling plates are tongue shaped coolers which protrude through a single hole in the steel furnace shell and stick into the vessel on average approximately 24 inches and are approximately 24 inches wide. Such plates are securely fastened to the steel shell and the plates are connected to an external cooling source. These cooling plates are often positioned in staggered rows around the furnace so that the distance from the center of one plate cooler to the center of the next plate cooler would be 15 to 48 inches horizontally and 15 to 36 inches vertically. The spaces between these plate coolers on the inside of the furnace are typically filled with a brick material to form a solid refractory system against the cooling plates and inside furnace wall. Cooling systems using these plates have the disadvantage that close bricks are more effectively cooled, while those located at some distance are subject to greater corrosion. Due to the non-uniform cooling, these plates do not offer as much shell protection as a cooling stave design. 
     Staves are elements placed between the inner side of the steel shell of a furnace and the refractory lining. The staves are typically formed with a series of tubes to carry a heat transfer fluid, such as water. The staves can cool a furnace uniformly as they may be installed to have almost complete steel shell coverage. Typical stave coolers are approximately 30″ to 50″ wide by 48″ to 144″ tall. These staves are typically bolted to the furnace wall and may have small gaps between them to allow for installation. 
     A major disadvantage of such a stave/brick construction is that due to the closeness to each other when installed in a furnace, such staves must be removed from the furnace to allow the bricks to be slid out of the stave channels whenever the stave/brick construction needs to be rebuilt or repaired, either in-whole or in-part. Removing such staves from the furnace is necessitated because bricks cannot be removed or inserted into stave channels through the front face of stave. Additionally, pins to support the stave, separate thermocouple shell protrusions, water pipe protrusions, and flexible compensators are typically required. 
     In order to overcome the disadvantages associated with typical furnace cooling plates and cooling staves, it would be desirable to provide a cooling plate or stave that combines the advantages of conventional cooling plates and cooling staves while eliminating most or all of the disadvantages of conventional cooling plates and conventional cooling staves. 
     It would also be desirable to provide a cooling plate that may be inserted and installed from the outside of the furnace through a single opening in the steel shell of the furnace, and supported by a secure fastening on the outside of the furnace shell while on the inside of the furnace shell, the cooling plate is disposed as a stave between the inner side of the shell and the refractory lining. It would also be desirable to provide a cooling plate where the lower end of one plate is supported by the top of a lower plate and/or one or more sides of the one plate are supported additionally by one or more sides of one or more adjacent plates. It would be desirable further to provide a cooling plate wherein an associated thermocouple may be installed within the plate cooler stave. Further, it would be desirable to provide a cooling plate that can be installed from outside the furnace yet provide for uniform cooling of the furnace like a stave while eliminating the numerous pins, thermocouple shell protrusions, water pipe protrusions and flexible compensators typically required for the installation and operation of conventional staves and/or cooling plates. 
     These and other advantages of the invention will be appreciated by reference to the detailed description of the preferred embodiment(s) that follow. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In a first aspect, the present invention comprises a plate cooler stave for use in a furnace having a shell wall, comprising: a top portion housing at least one cooling fluid inlet and at least one cooling fluid outlet for the flow of cooling fluid to and from the plate cooler stave from outside the furnace; and a main body disposed at an angle relative to the top portion so that the main body may be inserted into the furnace through an opening defined by the shell wall, wherein upon installation, at least a part of the top portion is disposed in the opening. 
     In accordance with yet another aspect of the plate cooler stave, the main body is disposed along the shell wall. 
     In yet a further aspect of the plate cooler stave, the main body is disposed substantially parallel to the shell wall. 
     In yet another aspect of the plate cooler stave, the main body is disposed between the shell wall and a refractory lining in the furnace. 
     In a further aspect, the plate cooler stave further comprises a refractory lining disposed at least in part in or on the main body. 
     In yet a further aspect of the plate cooler stave, the top portion is attached to a cover plate and the cover plate is secured to the shell wall. 
     In yet a further aspect of the plate cooler stave, the cover plate is secured to the outside of the shell wall. 
     In another aspect of the plate cooler stave, the main body has one or more curved profiles. 
     In a further aspect of the plate cooler stave, the main body has at least one curved profile substantially complementary with a curvature of the shell wall. 
     In yet a further aspect of the plate cooler stave, the main body defines grooves or channels for holding refractory bricks. 
     In an additional aspect of the plate cooler stave, the angle between the top portion and the main body is greater than 90 degrees. 
     In yet a further aspect of the plate cooler stave, the angle between the top portion and the main body is substantially 90 degrees. 
     In an additional aspect of the plate cooler stave, upon installation of the plate cooler stave, the main body is disposed up, down or sideways with respect to the top portion. 
     In yet a further aspect of the plate cooler stave, the plate cooler stave comprises a construction selected from the group consisting of cast copper with cast in pipe, cast copper with cored water passages, cast iron with cast in pipe, cast iron with water passages, drilled copper and extruded copper. 
     In a further aspect, the plate cooler stave further comprises a thermocouple, wherein the thermocouple extends through the top portion and into the main body. 
     In another aspect, the plate cooler stave further comprises one or more surfaces defined by the top portion and/or the main body for supporting one or more adjacent plate cooler staves. 
     In a further aspect, the plate cooler stave further comprises a spacer support. 
     In an additional aspect of the plate cooler stave, the spacer support contacts the shell wall upon installation of the plate cooler stave in the furnace. 
     In another aspect of the plate cooler stave, the main body and the shell wall are separated by a spacer support attached to the shell wall. 
     In a further aspect, the plate cooler stave further comprises a steel band disposed around at least a part of the top portion, and a cover plate attached to the steel band. 
     In another aspect of the plate cooler stave, the main body defines a plurality of ribs and a plurality of channels, wherein a front face of the main body defines a first opening into each of the channels; and wherein the plate cooler stave further comprises a plurality of bricks wherein each brick is insertable into one of the plurality of channels via its first opening to a position, upon rotation of the brick, partially disposed in the one channel such that one or more portions of the brick at least partially engage one or more surfaces of the one channel and/or of a first rib of the plurality of ribs whereby the brick is locked against removal from the one channel through its first opening via linear movement without first being rotated. 
     In an additional aspect of the plate cooler stave, the main body defines one or more side openings into each of the channels. 
     In another aspect of the plate cooler stave, the rotation of the brick comprises a bottom of the brick moving in a direction towards the main body. 
     In yet an additional aspect of the plate cooler stave, a first rib surface of the first rib is complementary to a groove defined by a top of the brick and wherein the first rib surface is at least partially disposed in the groove. 
     In another aspect of the plate cooler stave, the main body is substantially flat. 
     In a further aspect of the plate cooler stave, the main body is curved with respect to one or both of a horizontal axis and a vertical axis. 
     In yet an additional aspect of the plate cooler stave, the main body houses a plurality of pipes. 
     In another aspect of the plate cooler stave, the plurality of bricks at least partially disposed in the plurality of channels form a plurality of stacked, substantially horizontal rows of bricks protruding from the front face of the main body. 
     In yet a further aspect of the plate cooler stave, one of the bricks cannot be pulled and/or rotated out of the first opening of its respective channel when another brick is disposed in the row above and partially or completely covers the one brick. 
     In another aspect of the plate cooler stave, the plurality of bricks comprise exposed faces that define a flat or uneven surface. 
     In a further aspect, the present invention comprises a method for cooling a furnace having a shell wall, comprising: providing a plate cooler stave having a top portion housing at least one cooling fluid inlet and at least one cooling fluid outlet for the flow of cooling fluid to and from the plate cooler stave from outside the furnace; and a main body disposed at an angle relative to the top portion; inserting the main body into the furnace through an opening defined by the shell wall; installing at least a part of the top portion in the opening; and covering the opening in the shell wall. 
     In another aspect, the method for cooling a furnace further comprises: covering the opening in the shell wall with a plate disposed on the top portion of the plate cooler stave. 
     In a further aspect, the method for cooling a furnace further comprises: locating the main body along the shell wall. 
     In an additional aspect, the method for cooling a furnace further comprises: locating the main body substantially parallel to the shell wall. 
     In another aspect, the method for cooling a furnace further comprises: installing a refractory material in or on the main body. 
     In an additional aspect of the method for cooling a furnace, the refractory material comprises refractory bricks disposed, at least in part, in grooves or channels defined by the main body. 
     In a further aspect, the method for cooling a furnace further comprises: orienting the plate cooler stave within the furnace so that one or more surfaces defined by the top portion and/or the main body provide support for one or more adjacent plate cooler staves. 
     In yet another aspect, the method for cooling a furnace further comprises: installing a plurality of the plate cooler staves in the furnace; wherein the plurality of plate cooler staves are disposed side-by-side with gaps between adjacent main bodies of adjacent plate cooler staves; wherein the main body of each of the plurality of plate cooler staves defines a plurality of ribs and a plurality of channels and has a front face defining a first opening into each of the channels; inserting a plurality of bricks into each of the channels via its first opening to a position, upon rotation of the brick, partially disposed in the one channel such that one or more portions of the brick at least partially engage one or more surfaces of the one channel and/or of a first rib of the plurality of ribs whereby the brick is locked against removal from the one channel through its first opening via linear movement without first being rotated; wherein each main body comprises a plurality of substantially horizontal rows of bricks disposed in the plurality of channels; and wherein the plurality of substantially horizontal rows of bricks disposed in the plurality of channels covers, in-whole or in-part, the gaps between adjacent main bodies of adjacent plate cooler staves. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING 
       For the present disclosure to be easily understood and readily practiced, the present disclosure will now be described for purposes of illustration and not limitation in connection with the following figures, wherein: 
         FIG. 1  is a top cross-sectional view of a conventional cooling plate; 
         FIG. 2  is a side cross-sectional view of a conventional cooling plate with cover plate attached to a blast furnace shell; 
         FIG. 3  is a cross-sectional view of a conventional drilled and plugged copper stave in a blast furnace application; 
         FIG. 4  is a cross-sectional view of a plate cooler stave according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention in a blast furnace application; 
         FIG. 5  is a top perspective view of a plate cooler stave according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 6  is a cross-sectional view of a plate cooler stave according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention in a blast furnace application; 
         FIG. 7  is a cross-sectional view of a plate cooler stave according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention showing installation of the plate cooler stave in a blast furnace application; 
         FIG. 8  is a side perspective view of a brick according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 9  is a top perspective view of a preferred embodiment of a furnace lining of the present invention comprising a preferred embodiment of a stave/brick construction of the present invention employing the brick of  FIG. 8 ; 
         FIG. 10  is a side perspective view of a preferred embodiment of a furnace lining of the present invention comprising a preferred embodiment of a stave/brick construction of the present invention employing the brick of  FIG. 8 ; 
         FIG. 11  is a cross-sectional view of a preferred embodiment of a stave/brick construction of the present invention employing the brick of  FIG. 8 ; 
         FIG. 12  is a cross-sectional view of a preferred embodiment of a stave/brick construction of the present invention showing the brick of  FIG. 8  as it is being inserted or removed from a front face of a preferred embodiment of a stave of the present invention; 
         FIG. 13  is a cross-sectional view of a preferred embodiment of an alternative stave/brick construction of the present invention employing at least two different sizes of the bricks of  FIG. 8 . 
         FIG. 14  is a top plan view of a conventional furnace lining employing conventional stave/brick constructions; and 
         FIG. 15  is a top plan view of a preferred embodiment of a furnace lining of the present invention comprising a preferred embodiment of a stave/brick construction of the present invention employing the brick of  FIG. 8 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     In the following detailed description, reference is made to the accompanying examples and figures that form a part hereof, and in which is shown, by way of illustration, specific embodiments in which the inventive subject matter may be practiced. These embodiments are described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice them, and it is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized and that structural or logical changes may be made without departing from the scope of the inventive subject matter. Such embodiments of the inventive subject matter may be referred to, individually and/or collectively, herein by the term “invention” merely for convenience and without intending to voluntarily limit the scope of this application to any single invention or inventive concept if more than one is in fact disclosed. 
     The following description is, therefore, not to be taken in a limited sense, and the scope of the inventive subject matter is defined by the appended claims and their equivalents. 
       FIG. 1  illustrates a plate cooler  10  of known construction of generally rectangular cross-section having a continuous plate channel  12  for carrying cooling fluid. Cooling plates of known design are fixedly secured to the furnace shell wall  14  as shown in  FIG. 2  using a steel band  52  and a cover plate  46  welded at  60  to the furnace shell  14  and at  62  to the steel band  52 . 
     A typical drilled and plugged copper stave cooler  16  is shown in  FIG. 3 . The stave  16  is supported on the furnace shell  14  by a support pin shell protrusion  18  and bolt hole shell protrusions  20  and bolts  23 . The stave  16  is cooled by a continuous stave pipe  22  or a plurality of stave pipes disposed inside the stave  16  for carrying cooling fluid. The stave pipes  22  may be connected to one or more external pipes  24  that extend from the side of the stave  16  closest to the shell  14  and penetrate the shell  14  so that coolant, such as, for example, water at an elevated pressure is pumped through the pipes  22  in order to cool the stave  16  and any refractory bricks disposed within or mechanically attached to or within stave channels  26  when assembled and installed in a furnace. The furnace shell  14  is also penetrated by a thermocouple shell protrusion  28 . 
     A preferred embodiment of a plate cooler stave  30  according to the present invention is shown in  FIGS. 4-7 . The plate cooler stave  30  has a top portion  32  extending through a plate hole  34  in the wall of the furnace shell  14  providing an exposed portion  36  outside the furnace shell  14  and an internal portion  38  inside the furnace shell  14 . The top portion  32  of plate cooler stave  30  is secured to the furnace shell  14 . The main body  40  of the plate cooler stave  30  is upon installation disposed vertically (either up or down with respect to the top portion  32 ) as shown in  FIG. 4  between the shell  14  of the blast-furnace and the refractory lining (not shown).  FIG. 5  provides a top view of the plate cooler stave  30  and shows the top portion  32  to be broad or broader than a conventional plate cooler  10 . The side views of  FIGS. 4 and 7  show that the main body  40  of plate cooler stave  30  forms a panel having a large surface area similar to a conventional stave cooler  16  as shown in  FIG. 3 . 
     Preferably, cooling fluid circulating tubes or passages  42  extend throughout the plate cooler stave  30 . The circulating tubes  42  issue from the plate cooler stave  30  through the exposed portion  36 . A thermocouple (not shown) may enter the plate cooler stave  30  through the exposed portion  36  into an embedded thermocouple pipe  44 . Preferably, a cover plate  46  is attached, as by welds  62 , to a steel band  52  that has been installed around part of the top portion  32  including the exposed portion  36 . The cover plate  46  is preferably attached to furnace shell wall  14  by welds  60 . The cover plates  46  can be attached to the steel bands  52  on plate cooler staves  30  before or after installation of plate cooler stave  30  inside furnace shell  14 . 
     The plate cooler staves  30  can be retrofit to existing plate holes  34  on furnace relines or designed in such a manner to overlap existing plate holes  34 . As necessary, the plate cooler stave  30  may be inserted through the existing plate hole  34  in the furnace from the outside furnace shell  14  as shown in  FIG. 4 . If a furnace reline was being performed, the plate cooler staves  30  would likely be installed from inside the furnace shell  14  and therefore the cover plate  46  would be attached to the steel band  52  on the top portion  32  after the plate cooler staves  30  have been installed in the furnace. 
     In a preferred embodiment, the lower end of the main body  40  may bear against furnace shell wall  14  by a spacer support  48  as shown in  FIGS. 4 and 7 . The spacer support  48  may be attached to the plate cooler stave  30  or to the shell wall  14 . Preferably, an overlap joint  50  comprising a shoulder  56  disposed on the internal portion  38  of a lower plate cooler stave  30  mating with a channel  55  defined by the bottom of an upper, adjacent plate cooler stave  30  as shown in  FIG. 6  may also be utilized to support the ends or sides of adjacent plate cooler staves  30 . This overlap joint  50  may be disposed on the top and/or bottom of the plate cooler staves  30  panels only and/or on the sides of the plate cooler staves  30  as well. 
     As shown herein, integrating the support mechanisms into the plate cooler staves  30  of the preferred embodiments of the present invention with or without the cover plate  46  allows each plate cooler stave  30  to be secured to furnace wall  14  at one location and eliminates the need for expansion allowances for stave pipes and other components,  18 - 24 , required for installation and/or operation of conventional staves  16  and/or conventional cooling plates  10 . Therefore, flexible compensators (not shown) generally are not required for the installation and/or operation of the stave cooling plates  30  according to preferred embodiments of the present invention. 
     Preferably, the stave cooling plates  30  can be used in any type of metal making furnace that requires vessel wall cooling/protection from the internal furnace environment. The materials of construction for the stave cooling plates  30  may be of any type of material suitable for metallurgical furnace environments including but not limited to the following; cast copper staves with cast in pipe, cast copper staves with cored water passages, cast iron staves with cast in pipe or cooled water passages, drilled or extruded hole copper plates or billets subsequently bent or formed to develop the turn in the water passages. In preferred embodiments, thermocouple shell protrusions  28  are being eliminated by either pre-drilling/extruding holes before forming the bent shape or by casting an embedded thermocouple pipe  44  inside the stave  30 . 
     A steel band  52  or cover plate  46  may be pre-welded to the portion  36  of plate cooler stave  30  to simplify the installation of the same in the field. The cover plate  46  may be designed with the panel or plate cooler stave  30  and steel band  52  protruding through cover plate  46  or the plate cooler stave  30  may be contained inside the cover plate  46  with only the water and thermocouple connections sealed and protruding through the cover plate  46 . The plate cooler stave  30  may be attached to the shell wall  14  by welding, bolting or any other suitable method to attach the cover plate  46 . Preferably, the cover plate  46  used to install the plate cooler stave  30  would prevent gas leakage from within furnace shell  14  by covering opening  34  after installation of plate cooler stave  30 . 
     Preferably, the plate cooler stave  30  may be utilized with a bent down, bent up or alternating shapes within the same furnace. The face  54  of the main body  40  of the plate cooler stave  30  nearest the refractory could be designed flat or curved depending on the desired shape of the furnace. Preferably, the main body  40  of the plate cooler staves  30  may define grooves  26  for installing and holding refractory bricks. 
       FIG. 8  illustrates a preferred embodiment of a refractory brick  118  according to a preferred embodiment of a stave/brick construction  128  of the present invention. Brick  118  has an exposed face  126  and oblique or slanted top and bottom sections  119  and  120 , respectively. Brick  118  also comprises or defines a locking side  129  comprising concave groove  122 , a generally arcuate nose  123 , a generally arcuate seat  125 , a generally arcuate concave section  124 , a lower face  127  and a generally planar front face  131 . Brick  118  also has a neck  121 , the vertical thickness (“ab”) of which is increased with respect to the vertical neck  115  of known bricks  114 . Preferably, the length “ab” of vertical neck  121  is equal to or greater than about two (2) times the length “cd” of the depth of brick  118  that is disposed in stave channel  137  when the brick  118  is installed therein. The shapes, geometries and/or cross-sections of brick  118  and/or any part thereof, including, without limitation, one or more of exposed face  126 , lower face  127 , front face  131 , oblique/slanted top section  119 , oblique/slanted bottom section  120 , groove  122 , nose  123 , seat  125 , concave section  124  and front locking side  129  may be modified or take other forms such as being angular, rectilinear, polygonal, geared, toothed, symmetrical, asymmetrical or irregular instead the shapes of the preferred embodiments thereof as shown in the drawings hereof without departing from the scope of the invention hereof. The refractory bricks  118  of the present invention preferably may be constructed from many of the refractory materials currently available including, but not limited to, silicon carbide (such as Sicanit AL3 available from Saint-Gobain Ceramics), MgO—C(magnesia carbon), alumina, insulating fire brick (IFB), graphite refractory brick and carbon. In addition, bricks  118  may be constructed from alternating or different materials depending upon their location in a stave  130  or within the furnace. Also, as set forth above, the shape of bricks  118  may also be modified or altered to meet various stave and/or furnace spaces and/or geometries. 
     Preferred embodiments of a stave/refractory brick construction  128  of the present invention is shown in  FIGS. 8-13 and 15 , including a preferred embodiment of a main body  40  and/or stave  130  of the present invention. Stave  130  may comprise a plurality of pipes (not shown) which may be attached to one or more external pipes that extend from the furnace shell side of the stave  130  and penetrate the metal shell of the furnace so that coolant, such as, for example, water at an elevated pressure is pumped through such pipes (not shown) in order to cool the stave  130  and any refractory bricks  118  disposed within stave channels  137  thereof when assembled and installed in a furnace. Preferably, the stave  130  is constructed of copper, cast iron or other metal of high thermal conductivity, while any pipes disposed with stave  130  are preferably made from steel. 
     Each stave  130  preferably may be curved about its horizontal axis and/or about its vertical axis to match the internal profile of the furnace or area in which they will be used. Each stave  130  may preferably comprises a plurality of stave ribs  132  and a stave socle  133  to support stave  130  in a standing position which may be a fully upright 90 degrees as shown, or a tilted or slanted position (not shown). Each stave rib  132  preferably defines a generally arcuate top rib section  134  and a generally arcuate bottom rib section  135 . Stave  130  preferably defines a plurality stave channels  137  between each successive pair of stave ribs  132 . Preferably, each stave channel  137  is generally “C-shaped” or “U-shaped” and includes a generally planar stave channel wall  138 , although stave channel wall  138  may also be curved or contoured along its vertical and/or horizontal axes, toothed, etc., to be complementary with the front face  131  of brick  118  if such front face  131  has a shape other than the planar shape depicted herein, which may depend upon the application. Each stave channel  137  also preferably includes a generally arcuate upper channel section  139  and a generally arcuate lower channel section  140 , all as defined by stave  130  and a successive pair of stave ribs  132 . The shapes, geometries and/or cross-sections of one or more of the stave ribs  132 , top rib sections  134 , bottom rib sections  135 , stave channels  137 , stave channel walls  138 , upper channel sections  139  and lower channel sections  140 , preferably may be modified or take other forms such as being contoured, angular, rectilinear, polygonal, geared, toothed, symmetrical, asymmetrical or irregular instead the shapes of the preferred embodiments thereof as shown in the drawings hereof without departing from the scope of the invention hereof. 
     As shown in  FIGS. 11 and 12 , while the stave bricks  118  of the present invention may be slid into stave channels  137  from the sides  145  of stave  130  when space permits, stave bricks  118  may also preferably and advantageously be inserted into the front face  147  of staves  130 . Beginning at the bottom of each main body  40  and/or stave  130 , each stave channel  137  may be filled with stave bricks  118  by rotating or tilting each brick  18  in a first direction  146  where the bottom portion of brick  118  moves away from stave  130  preferably (1) about an axis substantially parallel a plane of the stave or (2) to allow nose  123  to be inserted into stave channel  137  and into concave, arcuate upper channel section  139 , after which brick  118  is rotated in a second direction  148  generally such that the bottom of brick  118  moves toward stave  130  until (i) nose  123  is disposed in-whole or in-part within concave, arcuate upper channel section  139  with or without the perimeter of nose  123  being in partial or complete contact with upper channel section  139 , (ii) front face  131  of brick  118  is disposed substantially near and/or adjacent to channel wall  138  with or without the front face  131  being in partial or complete contact with channel wall  138 , (iii) arcuate seat  125  is disposed in-whole or in-part within arcuate lower channel section  140  with or without the perimeter of seat  125  being in partial or complete contact with lower channel section  140 , (iv) arcuate concave section  124  is disposed in-whole or in-part over the arcuate top rib section  134  of the lower stave rib  132  of the successive pair of stave ribs  132  defining the stave channel  137  into which the brick  118  is being inserted with or without the inside surface of concave section  124  being in partial or complete contact with the arcuate top rib section  134  of such lower stave rib  132 , (v) lower face  127  of brick  118  is disposed substantially near and/or adjacent to rib face  136  with or without the lower face  127  being in partial or complete contact with rib face  136 , and/or (vi) slanted bottom section  120  of the brick  118  being installed is disposed substantially near and/or adjacent to slanted top section  119  of the brick  118  immediately below the brick  118  being installed with or without such slanted bottom section  120  being in partial or complete contact with such slanted top section  119 , in the case where the brick  118  is being installed in any of the stave channels  137  except the lowest stave channel  137  of stave  130 . As illustrated in  FIGS. 10-12 , when the nose  123  is disposed in-whole or in-part within concave, arcuate upper channel section  139  with or without the perimeter of nose  123  being in partial or complete contact with concave, upper channel section  139 , and/or arcuate seat  125  is disposed in-whole or in-part within concave, arcuate lower channel section  140  with or without the perimeter of seat  125  being in partial or complete contact with concave, lower channel section  140 , each of the bricks  118  is prevented from being moved linearly out of stave channel  137  through the opening in the front face  147  of stave  130  without each brick  118  being rotated such that the bottom thereof is rotated away from the front face  147  of stave  130 . 
     As also shown in  FIGS. 10-13 , once a row of bricks  118  is installed in a stave channel  137  above a row of previously installed bricks  118 , the bricks  118  in such immediately lower row are locked into place and cannot be rotated in the first direction  146  away from stave  130  to be removed from stave channel  137 . The stave/refractory brick construction  128  of the present invention as shown in  FIGS. 8-12 and 15  may be employed with or without mortar between adjacent stave bricks  118 . 
       FIG. 13  illustrates another preferred embodiment of a stave/brick construction  190  of the present invention which is the same as stave/brick construction  128  of  FIGS. 9-12  except that it employs at least two different sizes of stave bricks  192  and  194 , respectively, to form an uneven front face  196 . As shown, bricks  192  of the stave/brick construction  190  have a greater overall depth “ce1” than the depth “ce2” of bricks  194 . This staggered construction resulting from the different depths of stave bricks  192  and  194 , respectively, may preferably be used in accretion zones or other desirable zones of the furnace where the uneven front face  196  would be more effective at holding an accretion or buildup of material to further protect the bricks  192  and  194  from thermal and/or mechanical damage. 
       FIG. 14  illustrates the use of conventional stave/brick constructions  158  within a furnace  149 . When using flat or curved staves/coolers, such as the flat/planar upper and lower staves  152  and  153 , respectively, with pre-installed bricks  154  arranged within furnace shell  151 , such staves  152  and  153  are installed in the furnace  149  such that ram gaps  156  exist in between adjacent pairs of upper staves  152  and such that ram gaps  157  exist in between adjacent pairs of lower staves  153 , both to allow for construction allowance. These ram gaps  156  and  157  must be used to allow for construction deviation. Such ram gaps  156  and  157  are typically rammed with refractory material (not shown) to close such gaps  156  and  157  between the adjacent stave/brick constructions  158 . Such material filled gaps  156  and  157  typically are weak points in such conventional furnace linings using stave/brick constructions  158 . During operation of furnace  149 , the rammed gaps  156  and  157  erode prematurely and furnace gases track between the stave/brick constructions  158 . With the preferably curved stave/brick constructions  128  of the present invention, the furnace can be bricked continuously around its circumference to eliminate conventional rammed gaps with bricks  118 . As shown in  FIG. 15 , the gaps  142  between staves  130  are covered by one or more of bricks  118  of the present invention, eliminating the need for ramming filling material into such gaps  142 . By eliminating the conventional rammed gaps  156  and  157  between the furnace bricks of adjacent main bodies  40  or staves  130 , the integrity and life of the furnace and/or furnace lining is increased. 
     Another problem associated with the conventional stave/brick constructions  158  having pre-installed bricks  154 , as shown in  FIG. 14 , is that because such conventional stave/brick constructions  158  are not continuously bricked around the circumference of furnace  149 , edges  155  of numerous of the bricks  154  protrude into the interior of furnace  149  and are thus exposed to any matter falling through the furnace  149 . Such protruding edges  155  tend to wear faster and/or are susceptible to being hit by falling matter, causing such bricks  154  with protruding edges  155  to break off into the furnace  149  and expose the staves  152  and  153 . Again, the stave/brick constructions  128  of the present invention allow the furnace to be bricked continuously around its circumference thereby eliminating any such protruding brick edges  155 , as shown in  FIG. 15 . Thus, the occurrences of (i) bricks  118  being pulled or knocked out of staves  130  and (ii) of staves  130  being directly exposed to the intense heat of the furnace are both significantly reduced by the stave/brick construction  128  of the present invention. Such characteristics make the stave/brick construction  128  of the present invention well-suited for use in the stack of blast furnaces. 
     While the preferred embodiment of a stave/refractory brick construction  128  of the present invention shown in  FIGS. 8-13 and 15 , includes a preferred embodiment of a furnace cooler or stave  130 , the teachings of the present invention are also applicable to a frame/brick construction where such frame (not shown) is not limited to a furnace cooler or stave  130 , but is a frame for providing a standing or other supported vertical or slanted wall of bricks, such as main bodies  40  whether or not refractory bricks, for applications including, but not limited to, furnace applications. 
     The stave/brick constructions of the present invention preferably also may be assembled initially by setting the bricks in a form and casting the stave around the bricks. 
     In the foregoing Detailed Description, various features are grouped together in a single embodiment to streamline the disclosure. This method of disclosure is not to be interpreted as reflecting an intention that the claimed embodiments of the invention require more features than are expressly recited in each claim. Rather, as the following claims reflect, inventive subject matter lies in less than all features of a single disclosed embodiment. Thus, the following claims are hereby incorporated into the Detailed Description, with each claim standing on its own as a separate embodiment.