Patents Assigned to Asturiana de Zinc S.A.
  • Publication number: 20050000797
    Abstract: A mobile zinc stripping device for stripping zinc from cathodes comprising a moveable base frame, a cathode support frame to support the cathodes during stripping, a stripping assembly for stripping the zinc sheets from the cathodes and at least one power source for powering the stripping assembly. The stripping assembly includes a lateral stripper for separating an upper edge of a zinc sheet from each of the cathodes, the lateral stripper being adapted to bias away from the cathode immediately upon entering between the zinc sheet and the cathode, and a scraping device for completing removal of the sheet from each said cathode. The device also includes a cathode cleaner and a bottom up stacker assembly for stacking zinc sheets.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 30, 2004
    Publication date: January 6, 2005
    Applicants: Asturiana de Zinc, S.A., Outokumpu Technology Ltd.
    Inventors: Barry Smith, Leopoldo Asensio, Jan Bosscher
  • Patent number: 5921311
    Abstract: An installation for eliminating impurities during casting of metals, comprising at least one casting ladle (2) which forms an outlet siphon (3) and can tilt around a transverse axis (14). Starting from the siphon (3), the casting ladle (2) is prolonged by a conduit (4) which ends at a scum-retaining pan (5), wherein the conduit forms a single piece with the ladle and the pan. The pan (5) has outlet orifices (7) at the bottom and is externally lined with a ceramic cloth (10) which acts as a filter for retention of impurities.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 26, 1996
    Date of Patent: July 13, 1999
    Assignee: Asturiana De Zinc, S.A.
    Inventors: Fernando Sitges Menendez, Francisco Alvarez Tamargo, Francisco Tamargo Garcia, Jose M. Matinez Valdes
  • Patent number: 5744109
    Abstract: Procedure for the simultaneous collection and precipitation of mercury in gases containing it. It consists on passing the mercury gas through a washing tower where hydrogen sulfide (gas) is continuously and intermittently injected at the same time that it is watered with a solution containing a mercury complex (II) stable in semi acid, such as ?I.sub.2 Hg!.sup.2- or ?(SCN).sub.4 Hg!.sup.2-, without requiring the use of an additional oxidant. Both the collection and precipitation of the mercury and the regeneration of the solution containing the mercury complex (II) take place simultaneously in just one stage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 13, 1996
    Date of Patent: April 28, 1998
    Assignee: Asturiana de Zinc, S.A.
    Inventors: Fernando Sitges Menendez, Francisco Alvarez Tamargo, Francisco Tamargo Garcia, Matias Rodriguez Valcarcel, Cavodonga Muruzabal Sitges
  • Patent number: 5567285
    Abstract: A facility for removing electro-deposited layers from cathodes, including a cathode reception area, a cathode treatment area with a cathode washing apparatus and an extraction apparatus, and a storage area to store cathodes which have had electro-deposited layers removed. The extraction apparatus includes vertical claws and two parallel rollers mounted so that they are capable of turning freely upon two horizontal parallel bars. The bars are fixed between pairs of arms that are mounted so that they may tilt on a bracket. The bracket also carries upper separating rollers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 31, 1995
    Date of Patent: October 22, 1996
    Assignee: Asturiana De Zinc, S.A.
    Inventors: Francisco J. Sitges Menendez, Fernando Sitges Menendez, Francisco Alvarez Tamargo, Francisco Tamargo Garcia, Jose M. Quiroga Alvarez, Ives Lefevre, Carlos Gonzalez Gonzalez
  • Patent number: 5543020
    Abstract: A cleaning system for electrolytic tanks consisting of a cell with a preferably rectangular layout, very long relative to its width, and which is provided with at least one conduit with perforated walls, and preferably two, which run over the bottom of the cell, along its length, and ascend alongside the shorter walls until they reach, approximately, the level of liquid of the tank, said cell being provided below with surfaces which are inclined towards the perforated conduits, said conduits having sufficient cross-sectional area to act as guides through which are inserted a suction head and pipe for sludge extraction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 17, 1994
    Date of Patent: August 6, 1996
    Assignee: Asturiana De Zinc., S.A.
    Inventors: Francisco J. Sitges Menendez, Fernando Sitges Menendez, Francisco Alvarez Tamargo, Ives Lefevre
  • Patent number: 5540822
    Abstract: A procedure and machine for cleaning the anodes of electrolytic tanks, said procedure comprising the operations of mechanically breaking the deposits on the surfaces of the anodes, detaching and separating the deposits, once broken, and then subjecting the plate of the anodes to a flattening operation. The procedure is carried out with a machine which includes at least one pair of cutting rollers (1), nozzles for supplying jets of water under pressure (2) situated above said rollers (1), two flattening plates (3) with flat opposing surfaces, and means of suspending and raising the anodes (13) between the rollers (1), nozzles (2) and plates (3). The plates (3) may be provided on their opposing surfaces with cutting grooves.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 17, 1994
    Date of Patent: July 30, 1996
    Assignee: Asturiana De Zinc, S.A.
    Inventors: Francisco J. Sitges Menendez, Fernando Sitges Menendez, Francisco Alvarez Tamargo, Jose M. Martinez Valdes
  • Patent number: 5531882
    Abstract: A procedure and machine for cleaning the anodes of electrolytic tanks, said procedure comprising the operations of mechanically breaking the deposits on the surfaces of the anodes, detaching and separating the deposits, once broken, and then subjecting the plate of the anodes to a flattening operation. The procedure is carried out with a machine which includes at least one pair of cutting rollers (1), nozzles for supplying jets of water under pressure (2) situated above said rollers (1), two flattening plates (3) with flat opposing surfaces, and means of suspending and raising the anodes (13) between the rollers (1), nozzles (2) and plates (3). The plates (3) may be provided on their opposing surfaces with cutting grooves.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 1995
    Date of Patent: July 2, 1996
    Assignee: Asturiana De Zinc, S.A.
    Inventors: Francisco Javier Sitges Menendez, Fernando Sitges Menendez, Francisco Alvarez Tamargo, Jose Maria Martinez Valdes
  • Patent number: 5269897
    Abstract: Installation for removing zinc deposited by electrolysis aluminum plates. The installation includes a storage zone for zinc cathode (1), a zinc scraping zone (2) and a storage zone (3) for zinc-free cathodes, the cathodes being displaced consecutively from one zone to another. The scraping zone (2) has a horizontally acting lateral piercer (22) that separates the upper edge of the sheets of deposited zinc from the cathodes, and a vertically acting scraping device (23) for removing all the zinc sheets.On one of their vertical sides, the cathodes have an upper zone of lesser thickness to which is fixed coatings (76) of dielectric material, whose surface is coplanar with that of the cathode plate (70).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 30, 1991
    Date of Patent: December 14, 1993
    Assignee: Asturiana De Zinc, S.A.
    Inventors: Franciso J. S. Menendez, Vicente A. Fernandez, Francisco A. Tamargo, Fernando M. S. Menendez, Manuel P. Lopez, Jose M. M. Valdes
  • Patent number: 4886648
    Abstract: Process for the recovery of germanium from solutions that contain it, in particular from solutions diluted by the addition of tartaric acid and extraction with an organic solution of a tertiary amine. In the reextraction with sodium hydroxide there is obtained a concentrate of germanium.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 1988
    Date of Patent: December 12, 1989
    Assignee: Asturiana De Zinc, S.A.
    Inventors: Francisco J. S. Menendez, Fernando M. S. Menendez, Antonio De La Cuadra Herrera, Francisco A. Tamargo, Luis P. Lorenzo, Matias R. Valcarcel, Vicente A. Fernandez
  • Patent number: 3985857
    Abstract: The improvement in the process for recovering zinc from ferrites which includes treating electrolytic zinc plants residues with a sulfuric acid solution to dissolve the zinc and metals, a solution resulting which contains sulphates of zinc and the other dissolved metals. The undissolved residue is separated in a certain manner from the solution. The solids-free solution is neutralized in a second step with calcine or another neutralizing agent containing zinc until a certain acidity is reached so that the iron remaining in solution separates therefrom in the form of its complex basic sulfate. The solids are settled out and then sent to a neutralization step, which is part of the residue separation scheme, where they are used as seeds of crystals of complex basic sulfate of iron which helps to remove iron in the first neutralization step. This final solution is added to the normal circuit or process flow path of electrolytic zinc plants. Any Fe.sup.+.sup.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 9, 1973
    Date of Patent: October 12, 1976
    Assignee: Asturiana de Zinc, S.A.
    Inventors: Francisco Javier Sitges Menendez, Vicente Arregui Fernandez
  • Patent number: 3968032
    Abstract: A flotation process for recovering lead and silver values from electrolytic zinc residues is disclosed.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONThe present invention relates to a process for reclaiming silver and lead by flotation in products containing oxidized lead such as lead sulfate. More particularly, the present flotation process is for recovering silver and lead contained in the residue from electrolytic zinc production using either zinc concentrates or complex concentrates as the raw material.By zinc concentrates we consider those commonly accepted as such, that is, those in which the zinc concentration is sufficiently high to allow their reclaiming by electrolysis.Complex concentrates are those obtained by bulk flotation of complex sulphide ores, those commonly called "middlings" in a selective flotation of same or other similar ones. Analysis of these concentrates gives values which usually vary according to the following figures : 10-45% Zn; 3-40% Pb; 0-25% Cu; 0-5,000 gr/m.t. Ag; 5-30% Fe.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 22, 1974
    Date of Patent: July 6, 1976
    Assignee: Asturiana de Zinc S.A.
    Inventors: Francisco Javier Sitges Menendez, Vicente Arregui Fernandez, Macario Quesada Quintana