Patent ID: 7141205

Claim:
A discharging device for discharging a reduced product produced on a movable hearth of a movable-hearth furnace, comprising: means for removing the reduced product from the movable hearth; means for separating the reduced product from a solid reductant layer located on the movable hearth; means for either leaving substances other than the reduced product on the solid reductant layer or returning the substances onto the solid reductant layer; and means for discharging the reduced product outwardly of the movable-hearth furnace, wherein the means for removing, the means for separating and the means for discharging comprise a screw feeder which substantially spans the movable hearth in the widthwise direction thereof and extends outwardly from the movable-hearth furnace, and a casing disposed at a downstream side of the screw feeder in the direction of movement of the movable hearth, the casing being formed with a sidewall extending along a rotational axis of the screw feeder and a bottom plate at least a portion of which is located below the rotational axis of the screw feeder and extending from the sidewall substantially parallel to the movable hearth.