DISTRIBUTION DEVICE FOR USE IN A CHARGING INSTALLATION OF A METALLURGICAL REACTOR

The present invention proposes a distribution device for a changing installation that has, a rotating and pivoting distribution chute. The device has a casing that rotatably supports a rotatable structure (hereinafter: rotor) to which the chute is mounted. The casing has a stationary heat protection shield at its lower end. The shield has a central opening delimited by an inner border. The shield extends radially outward and protects the inside of the casing against heat. The rotor, on the other hand, has a generally tube-shaped support coaxial on its rotation axis with tilting shafts for pivoting the chute. According to the invention, the tubular support reaches with its lower edge to the border of the opening in the shield. Furthermore, the chute is mounted with its upper portion inside the tubular support with its inlet above the lower edge of the support. In order to enable such mounting of the chute inlet directly inside the rotor without reducing the radial charging range, the chute is provided with a bent shape. Accordingly, the chute body has an upper portion, in which material flows along a first direction, and a lower portion, in which material flows along a diverted second direction. The upper portion of the chute body comprises an annular closed mounting head that forms the inlet and has two diametrically opposite mounting members. The tilting shafts each have a respective mount cooperating with one of the mounting members. The annular closed mounting head has a first longitudinal axis and forms the inlet. The lower portion comprises a circumferentially closed jacket having a second longitudinal axis and terminating at the outlet, the longitudinal axes being arranged at an angle that corresponds approximately to the angle between the first and second directions. A recess is provided in the chute body that permits tilting the chute to a raised position, in which the lower edge of the tubular support enters the recess.