Patents Assigned to Vale S.A.
  • Patent number: 8714105
    Abstract: A process for application of alcoholic derivative on heat treated pellets for inhibition of particulate emission is provided, and the process includes weighing the amount of heat treated pellets discharged from furnaces, measuring the temperature of the heat treated pellets discharged from furnaces, applying cooling fluid on the heat treated pellets until they reach temperatures below 140° C., and spraying the alcoholic derivative on the heat treated pellets. Also provided is a first device for applying cooling fluid that is capable of calculating a dosage of cooling fluid to be applied to the heat treated pellets, a second device for applying alcoholic derivative that is capable of calculating a dosage of alcoholic derivative to be applied to the heat treated pellets already cooled, and a carrier device that continuously communicates with the first device for applying cooling fluid and with the second device for applying alcoholic derivative.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 15, 2011
    Date of Patent: May 6, 2014
    Assignee: Vale S.A.
    Inventors: Jose Antonio Alves E. Silva Reis, Leonidio Stegmiller, Aldo Gamberini
  • Publication number: 20140117125
    Abstract: The present invention discloses an advantageous and effective process for the concentration of iron ores, which can be fully dry or mixed, part of the process being dry, part wet. The invention thereby improves process efficiency as a whole by increasing recovery of concentrators and increasing the useful life of the mines.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 25, 2013
    Publication date: May 1, 2014
    Applicant: VALE S.A.
    Inventor: Joaquim Donizetti DONDA
  • Publication number: 20140093136
    Abstract: An automatic method or the classification of the Degrees of Maturation (DM) for fired iron ore pellets, independent of human intervention, based on the digital acquisition of microscopy images of polished cross sections, and their processing, analysis and classification by a suitable software procedure.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 26, 2013
    Publication date: April 3, 2014
    Applicants: FACULDADES CATOLICAS, VALE S.A.
    Inventors: Maria Beatriz Vieira, Sidnei Paciornik, Otavio da Fonseca Martins Gomes, Karen Soares Augusto, Aloísio Antônio Melo Borges
  • Publication number: 20140027692
    Abstract: There is described a device for removing a drawer-type hopper of a railroad car, the device comprising: a first support base positioned on a platform and a second support base supported on the railroad car; and a tackle fastened on the first support base; the tackle comprising a first hook associated to the drawer-type hopper, the first hook and the drawer-type hopper being moved linearly by the tackle in the opposite direction of the railroad car.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 25, 2013
    Publication date: January 30, 2014
    Applicant: VALE S/A
    Inventor: Célio Antonio GUIMARÃES
  • Publication number: 20140027249
    Abstract: The present invention refers to a belt guide device for use in conveyor belts and, more specifically, to a guide roller device that decreases the need to replace the rollers and prevents the formation of rubber strips by contact between the belt of the conveyor and the roller. Thus, the device of the present invention comprises: the guide roller, a sliding board whereon the guide roller is mounted, a support track that receives the sliding board, and an adjustment mechanism connected to the sliding board to trigger, selectively, the sliding thereof in relation to the support track. The support track is fastened to the structure in a position such that the guide roller is situated closely adjacent to the edge of the belt.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 25, 2013
    Publication date: January 30, 2014
    Applicant: VALE S.A.
    Inventors: Antonio Marcos Torres CRUZ, Bruno Freitas Hortencio, Glausco Santana, José da Paz Correa, JR., Patrick Farias Rissi, Sérgio Gonçalves De Azevedo, Ulisses Chaves Da Silva
  • Publication number: 20140020510
    Abstract: The present invention discloses a new recovery of base metals from sulphide ores and concentrates, which comprises mixing the base metal's ore with ferric salts, heating the said mixture; adding water to form a pulp, stirring and filtering the pulp.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 23, 2013
    Publication date: January 23, 2014
    Applicant: VALE S/A
    Inventors: Tiago Valentim BERNI, Antonio Clareti PEREIRA, Felipe Hilario GUIMARÃES
  • Publication number: 20140020511
    Abstract: The present invention describes an advantageous and effective streamlined process for the production of iron ore pellets, the green pellets replacing the burnt pellets for covering the metallic surface in “travelling grate” furnace during the burning step, the process comprising at least some or all of the steps of grinding the iron ore; filtering the crushed iron ore; mixing the filtered iron ore with at least one binder; pelletizing the mixture; drying the green pellets; transferring the pellets to the side and bottom grids of a “travelling grate” furnace equipment and screening the burnt iron ore pellets. An optimized process for the production of iron ore pellets is provided that is innovative, efficient and economical when compared to currently known processes.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 23, 2013
    Publication date: January 23, 2014
    Applicant: VALE S/A
    Inventors: Hamilton Porto PIMENTA, Marcus Eduardo Emrich BOTELHO
  • Publication number: 20130343972
    Abstract: A method for treating liquid effluents and recovering metals is described, which comprises the steps of: a) liquid effluent equalization; b) sulphide addition and precipitation of metals in the form of metal sulphides; c) solid/liquid separation of the metal sulphides produced in step (b) and formation of a metal-free liquid phase; d) addition of a 50 to 250 g/L amine solution to the liquid phase precipitating magnesium in the form of magnesium hydroxide (Mg(OH)2); and e) recovery of amine by stripping and rectification.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 9, 2011
    Publication date: December 26, 2013
    Applicant: VALE S.A.
    Inventors: Salomão Solino Evelin, Roberto Mattioli Silva, Geraldo Luiz Da Silva, Clauson De Souza
  • Patent number: 8597601
    Abstract: A process to use ferric sulphate equilibrium to reduce overall acid consumption and iron extraction, the process comprising the steps of: (i) sulphating; (ii) selective pyrolysis and (iii) selective dissolution.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 1, 2012
    Date of Patent: December 3, 2013
    Assignee: Vale S.A.
    Inventors: Tiago Valentim Berni, Antonio Clareti Pereira, Flavia Dutra Mendes
  • Patent number: 8574540
    Abstract: A method for producing prefluxed metal oxide from a metal salt selected from nickel hydroxide, cobalt hydroxide, mixed nickel-cobalt hydroxide, nickel carbonate, cobalt carbonate, mixed nickel-cobalt carbonate and combinations thereof includes providing a mixture of at least one slag making oxide and a metal salt selected from the group consisting of nickel hydroxide, cobalt hydroxide, mixed nickel-cobalt hydroxide, nickel carbonate, cobalt carbonate, mixed nickel-cobalt carbonate and combinations thereof, blending with a binder, blending in a flux additive to form a slag-making mixture, forming the slag-making mixture into prefluxed agglomerates, and calcining the prefluxed agglomerates to produce a prefluxed metal oxide. An agglomerate is provided which includes a metal salt selected from nickel hydroxide, cobalt hydroxide, mixed nickel-cobalt hydroxide, nickel carbonate, cobalt carbonate, mixed nickel-cobalt carbonate and combinations thereof, a slag making oxide, and a flux additive.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 6, 2009
    Date of Patent: November 5, 2013
    Assignee: Vale S.A.
    Inventors: Geoffrey Edwin Osborne, Ahmed Vahed, Samuel Walton Marcuson
  • Publication number: 20130243973
    Abstract: An application of carbon nanotubes on agglomerates of ore fines to increase the mechanical strength is provided. A process for the preparation of ore agglomerates having enhanced mechanical strength by the application of the carbon nanotubes is also provided.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 10, 2012
    Publication date: September 19, 2013
    Applicant: VALE S.A.
    Inventors: Flavio de Castro Dutra, Hamilton Ports Pimenta, Valdirene Gonzaga De Resende, Aloísio Antônio de Melo Borges
  • Publication number: 20130205521
    Abstract: The present invention is related to a device to clean blocks of magnetic separators, wherein the device comprises a main body provided with a pneumatic system and a spatula associated to this main body through a fastener element.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 17, 2012
    Publication date: August 15, 2013
    Applicant: VALE S.A.
    Inventor: Maderson Marcelo SANTOS
  • Publication number: 20130200248
    Abstract: A pneumatic vibration isolating suspension is disclosed for supporting a payload on a moving carrier while suppressing the transmission of vibrations in the 1 to 50 Hz band between the carrier and the payload. The disclosed invention can be deployed in the air in a towed carrier or sonde, and operated from aircraft power, making it a suitable platform for airborne geophysical instrumentation. It also has particular application to airborne electromagnetic surveying operating in the same frequency band because the sensor vibrations that result in noise created by the modulation of the sensor coupling with the earth's magnetic field are suppressed. Furthermore, the invention can be constructed from resistive composite materials and non-magnetic metals, so it can be operated without producing significant modification to the ambient electromagnetic field being measured.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 26, 2012
    Publication date: August 8, 2013
    Applicant: Vale S.A.
    Inventors: Benjamin David POLZER, Gordon Fox West, Peter White Walker
  • Publication number: 20130186718
    Abstract: A device for adjusting the stroke of a brake cylinder has an elongated body endowed with a first end associated to a gap adjuster and a second end endowed with a flat structure which has a plurality of regulators. The regulators are disposed such that distances between centers of these regulators correspond to pre-determined adjustments to the stroke of the brake cylinder.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 18, 2013
    Publication date: July 25, 2013
    Applicant: VALE S.A.
    Inventor: VALE S.A.
  • Patent number: 8470272
    Abstract: The present invention resides in a process of recovering nickel and cobalt, regenerating the main raw materials, said process including the steps of: granulometric separation; leaching; neutralization; MHP production in only one stage and the pressure crystallization of magnesium sulphite. The process proposes a way to recovery nickel and cobalt from laterite ores through the atmospheric and heap leaching with staged addition of ore—by size separation—and H2SO4, decreasing the nickel losses and simplifying the neutralization circuit and producing a more purified MHP. The present process route is employed for nickel extraction, including the one from high magnesium containing lateritic ores.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 1, 2009
    Date of Patent: June 25, 2013
    Assignee: Vale S.A.
    Inventors: Antonio Clareti Pereira, Felipe Hilario Guimaraes, Joao Alberto de Lessa Tude, Lino Rodrigues de Freitas, Tiago Valentim Berni
  • Publication number: 20130149231
    Abstract: Aspects of the present invention relate to a process to obtain potassium chloride that includes submitting brine to concentration, separating brine after concentration, resulting in a first solid content and a first liquid content, cooling the first liquid content, separating the first liquid content after cooling, thus resulting in a second solid content and a second liquid content, enriching the second solid content, and separating the second solid content after enrichment, thus resulting in a third solid content and a third liquid content. Aspects of this process are environmentally safe, as the process includes stages using solvents and equipment which does not harm the environment. Moreover, aspects of this process present a significant energy consumption reduction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 17, 2012
    Publication date: June 13, 2013
    Applicant: VALE S.A.
    Inventors: Flavio Marcio de Lima FARIA, Marcus de Castro Carvalho Simoes, Antonio Francisco Cisne Pessoa
  • Patent number: 8456159
    Abstract: A stabilized field sensor apparatus collects field data, in particular magnetic field data, with reduced motion noise. The apparatus includes a tear drop shaped housing, a tow frame in the housing, a plurality of vibration isolating dampers spaced around the frame, a base assembly mounted to the dampers, a support pedestal having a bottom end fixed to the base assembly and an upper free end, a single spherical air bearing connected to the upper free end of the pedestal, an instrument platform with a lower hollow funnel having an upper inside apex supported on the air bearing for a one point support, principal and secondary gyro stabilizers for maintaining pivotal and rotational stability, and at least one field sensor mounted to the instrument platform for collecting the field data while being stabilized against motion noise including vibration, pivoting and rotation from the base assembly, from the tow frame and from the housing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 15, 2010
    Date of Patent: June 4, 2013
    Assignee: Vale S.A.
    Inventors: Benjamin David Polzer, Gordon Fox West, Peter Whyte Walker, Peter Anthony Hurley, Robert Leslie Scott Hogg
  • Publication number: 20130120936
    Abstract: A scanner protection casing including an external cabinet, an internal cabinet within which a scanner is positioned, a thermal insulation material between the external cabinet and the internal cabinet that reduces the thermal conductivity between the external cabinet and the internal cabinet. Further, the internal cabinet has a first side wall and a second side wall and the space between the first side wall and a second side wall is filled with a cooling fluid.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 12, 2012
    Publication date: May 16, 2013
    Applicant: VALE S/A
    Inventor: VALE S/A
  • Patent number: 8435322
    Abstract: A simplified and enhanced process to produce thermofertiliser obtained from potassium and phosphorous-bearing minerals is provided, where these elements may or may not be in citric acid or insoluble in water. The process also includes the use of specific additives, at the beginning of the process or immediately before the beginning of the thermal treatment step, in order to increase the potassium and phosphorous contents in the product and the overall efficiency of the process and also to promote the production of a high quality thermofertiliser.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 29, 2010
    Date of Patent: May 7, 2013
    Assignee: Vale S.A.
    Inventors: Sebastião Ailton Rodrigues, Ruberlan Gomes Da Silva
  • Publication number: 20130028816
    Abstract: A process to use ferric sulphate equilibrium to reduce overall acid consumption and iron extraction, the process comprising the steps of: (i) sulphating; (ii) selective pyrolysis and (iii) selective dissolution.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 1, 2012
    Publication date: January 31, 2013
    Applicant: Vale S/A
    Inventors: Tiago Valentim BERNI, Antonio Clareti Pereira, Flavia Dutra Mendes