Patents by Inventor Ivan P. Ratchev

Ivan P. Ratchev has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Production of ferro-nickel or nickel matte by a combined hydrometallurgical and pyrometallurgical process
    Patent number: 7597738
    Abstract: A process for the production of ferro-nickel or nickel matte from a product liquor solution containing at least nickel, cobalt, iron and acid soluble impurities, said process including the steps of: (a) contacting the product liquor solution (7) containing the nickel, cobalt, iron and acid soluble impurities with an ion exchange resin (8), wherein the resin selectively absorbs nickel and iron from the solution leaving the cobalt and the acid soluble impurities in the raffinate (9); (b) stripping the nickel and iron from the resin with a sulfuric acid solution to produce an eluate (11) containing nickel and iron; (c) neutralising the eluate to precipitate a mixed nickel iron hydroxide product (13); and (d) reducing and smelting the mixed nickel iron hydroxide product to produce ferro-nickel (29) or nickel matte (24).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 16, 2007
    Date of Patent: October 6, 2009
    Assignee: BHP Billiton SSM Technology Pty Ltd.
    Inventors: Houyuan Liu, Alexey Duarte, Wolf Meihack, Ivan P. Ratchev