Patents Examined by Tima M McGurthry Banks
  • Patent number: 10801081
    Abstract: A classified reduction gasification iron smelting process of iron ore powder and coal powder in a Y-type entrained flow bed. The process comprises the following steps: uniformly mixing the pre-reduced hot iron ore powder with the coal powder, and introducing the mixture, a gasification agent and water vapor into a Y-type entrained flow bed for performing combustion, gasification and reduction reaction to obtain crude syngas and molten iron; the crude syngas is used for sucking iron ore powder to enter a riser to perform preheating and partial reduction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 1, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 13, 2020
    Assignee: CHINA UNIVERSITY OF PETROLEUM (EAST CHINA)
    Inventors: Yuanyu Tian, Yingyun Qiao, Kechang Xie, Jie Li, Meng Yuan, Jun Li
  • Patent number: 9896742
    Abstract: A method for processing vanadium-titanium magnetite finished ores by using a wet process. The method comprises the steps: extracting vanadium from vanadium-titanium magnetite finished ores and processing, by using the vanadium extraction method, obtained leaching residue by using a wet process, so as to obtain titanium; and calcining the remaining liquid extracted during the vanadium extraction, so as to prepare ferric oxide. The flow of the method is short, and the energy consumption is low, thereby avoiding waste of a titanium resource.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 10, 2014
    Date of Patent: February 20, 2018
    Assignee: INSTITUTE OF PROCESS ENGINEERING, CHINESE ACADEMY OF SCIENCES
    Inventors: Tao Qi, Lina Wang, Desheng Chen, Hongxin Zhao, Yahui Liu, Tianyan Xue, Jingkui Qu
  • Patent number: 9752210
    Abstract: A method for smelting a nickel oxide ore, wherein the reduction step progresses effectively while maintaining the strength of the pellets, comprises: a pellet production step S1 for producing pellets from a nickel oxide ore; and a reduction step S2 for reducing and heating the obtained pellets in a smelting furnace at a predetermined reduction temperature. In the pellet production step S1, a mixture is formed by mixing materials including said nickel oxide ore without mixing a carbonaceous reducing agent, and the pellets are formed by agglomerating said mixture. In the reduction step S2, in charging the obtained pellets into the smelting furnace, a carbonaceous reducing agent is spread in advance over the furnace floor of the smelting furnace and the pellets are placed on the carbonaceous reducing agent, and the pellets are reduced and heated in a state where the pellets are covered by the carbonaceous reducing agent.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2015
    Date of Patent: September 5, 2017
    Assignee: SUMITOMO METAL MINING CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Junichi Takahashi, Taku Inoue, Shuuji Okada
  • Patent number: 9567654
    Abstract: A binder for making metallurgical coke and a process for making the binder. The binder is thermally hydrocracked pitch which has been de-ashed. The binder may be mixed with low rank bituminous coal, heated to make coke which is acceptable as a metallurgical coke. The thermally hydrocracked pitch may be de-ashed by mixing with a solvent, and separating the insoluble portions from the soluble portions using a centrifuge. The soluble portions may be separated from the solvent, for example, in a fractionating section, and used as the binder with poor coking coal to make metallurgical coke.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 24, 2014
    Date of Patent: February 14, 2017
    Assignee: UOP LLC
    Inventor: Jagannathan Govindhakannan
  • Patent number: 9458522
    Abstract: Digestion of a laterite ore with sulfuric acid dissolves all constituents except silica. The resulting sulfates—aluminum sulfate, ferric sulfate, titanyl sulfate, and magnesium sulfate—remain in solution at approximately 90° C. Hot filtration separates silica. Solution flow over metallic iron reduces ferric sulfate to ferrous sulfate. Controlled ammonia addition promotes hydrolysis and precipitation of hydrated titania from titanyl sulfate that is removed by filtration. Continued addition of ammonia forms ferrous ammonium sulfate and ammonium aluminum sulfate solutions. Alum is preferentially separated by crystallization. Ammonia addition to ammonium alum solution precipitates aluminum hydroxide, leaving ammonium sulfate in solution. The remaining iron rich liquor also contains magnesium sulfate. The addition of oxalic acid generates insoluble ferrous oxalate which is thermally decomposed to ferrous oxide and carbon monoxide which is used to reduce the ferrous oxide to metallic iron.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 17, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 4, 2016
    Assignee: AluChem, Inc.
    Inventor: Ian Manson
  • Patent number: 9200339
    Abstract: An aspect provides a method of treating direct reduced iron (DRI) pellets, by applying a foam to the DRI pellets. The foam may include a foam having an expansion ratio of about 20-40 and a bubble size of about 200 microns or less. The foam may include one or more additives, such as anti-corrosion agent(s), oxidizing agents, and dust reducing binder(s). The foam(s) may be applied in a single stage or in multiple stages and may be applied to hot or cold DRI pellets. Other aspects are described and claimed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 25, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 1, 2015
    Assignee: CHEMTREAT, INC.
    Inventors: Donald C. Roe, Joseph Hamnik, James Wilkins
  • Patent number: 8808421
    Abstract: A method of making steel in a vessel comprising providing a lance for blowing oxygen on the surface of the steel in the vessel, the lance joined to a lance carriage and in communication with an accelerometer, the accelerometer in signal communication with a data acquisition module and a computer; charging the vessel with materials for steel making; lowering the lance into the vessel and injecting oxygen into the materials; acquiring a signal from the accelerometer indicative of lance vibration; processing the vibration signal to determine component frequencies of lance vibration; comparing the levels of the component frequencies to desired operating values; and adjusting at least one steel making process parameter based on the level of at least one of the component frequencies. The steel making process parameter to be adjusted may be oxygen flow rate through the lance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 2010
    Date of Patent: August 19, 2014
    Assignee: Tenova Goodfellow Inc.
    Inventors: Frank L. Kemeny, David I. Walker
  • Patent number: 8747519
    Abstract: A method selectively recovers a useful substance from waste including a chlorine-containing synthetic resin and metal copper in a mixed state. Metal copper is recovered from coated copper-wire waste. The method includes the steps of heat-treating the waste in form of coated copper wires, each having a coating material made of a chlorine-containing synthetic resin, in oil or under a non-oxygen condition. Here, the coating material is carbonized and a chlorine content of the coating material is reduced. Then the coating material and the copper wire are separated from each other the copper wire is recovered. The chlorine-containing synthetic resin can be treated without generating dioxin.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 21, 2012
    Date of Patent: June 10, 2014
    Assignees: Institute of National Colleges of Technology, Japan, Polytech Kagawa, Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hiroshi Okano, Gou Sajiki, Mitsunori Deguchi, Sadao Tanimoto
  • Patent number: 8709131
    Abstract: Methods and systems for the production of direct reduced iron, including: removing a top gas from a direct reduction furnace; carbon monoxide shifting the top gas using a carbon monoxide shift reactor to form a carbon monoxide shifted top gas having a reduced carbon monoxide content; adding one of a coal gas, a synthesis gas, and an export gas to at least a portion of the carbon monoxide shifted top gas to form a combined gas; removing carbon dioxide from the combined gas using a carbon dioxide removal unit to form a carbon dioxide lean combined gas; and providing the carbon dioxide lean combined gas to the direct reduction furnace as a reducing gas for producing direct reduced iron after heating to reduction temperature. Optionally, the method includes removing carbon dioxide from the top gas using a carbon dioxide removal unit prior to carbon monoxide shifting the top gas.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 15, 2012
    Date of Patent: April 29, 2014
    Assignee: Midrex Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: David C. Meissner, Gary E. Metius, Gregory D. Hughes
  • Patent number: 8679223
    Abstract: The present invention provides a high efficiency method for scooping-up slag from liquid iron in a ladle. The two wings of slag rake mounted to the front end of cantilever descend side by side until beneath the surface of the liquid iron at a certain depth. The two rakes make swinging movements, respectively, along the surface of liquid iron. When gradually moving close to each other during the swinging movement, the slag rakes push together and clamp the solid slag. While clamping the slag, the two slag rakes are driven upwardly by the cantilever until they are above the surface by a certain height. Finally, the slag rakes leave the space over the ladle, and discharge the slag. The de-slagging rate can reach over 90%, and the process takes less than 3 minutes. Additionally, the iron carried away while scooping-up the slag can be strictly controlled within 0.1%.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 2, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 25, 2014
    Inventor: Fuchun Sheng
  • Patent number: 8545594
    Abstract: A method of enriching the iron content of low grade iron ore bearing materials has been developed which produces a high iron ore concentrate suitable for processing into pig iron and steel. The process includes reducing the low grade iron ore bearing materials to a fine particulate form and treating a water slurry of this material by applying a combination of ultrasonic treatments in a plurality of high and low intensity magnetic separation operations to remove interfering materials and concentrate magnetic and paramagnetic iron bearing materials into a high grade ore stock.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 1, 2011
    Date of Patent: October 1, 2013
    Assignee: Superior Mineral Resources LLC
    Inventors: Howard W. Hilshorst, Gregory D. Lindahl, James A. Hecimovich
  • Patent number: 8206486
    Abstract: Embodiments of an aluminum dross cooling head are disclosed. The cooling cooperates with a material container encapsulate dross and reduce thermiting of the dross. In one embodiment, the cooling head also serves as a compression head when forced into the dross by a cooperating dross press assembly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 21, 2010
    Date of Patent: June 26, 2012
    Assignee: Altek, L.L.C
    Inventors: James Herbert, Jorge Fernandez, Andy Gibbs
  • Patent number: 8052774
    Abstract: Disclosed herein is a method for concentrating gold contained in a leach residue obtained in a copper hydrometallurgical process for recovering copper from a copper sulfide mineral to efficiently separate and recover gold from the leach residue: a gold-bearing copper sulfide mineral is subjected to pressure leaching with sulfuric acid at a temperature higher than 102° C. and 112° C. or lower to obtain a leach residue, and the leach residue is subjected to flotation to separate it into a float fraction and a sink fraction; the float fraction obtained by flotation is desulfurized to obtain a desulfurized product; the desulfurized product is subjected to oxidative roasting to obtain an oxidatively-roasted product; the oxidatively-roasted product is dissolved in a sulfuric acid solution to obtain a copper solution, and a gold-bearing residue is separated and recovered from the copper solution.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 23, 2010
    Date of Patent: November 8, 2011
    Assignee: Sumitomo Metal Mining Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Noriyuki Nagase, Satoshi Asano, Masatoshi Takano, Kenji Takeda, Shinichi Heguri, Atsushi Idegami
  • Patent number: 8043408
    Abstract: A process and apparatus for producing lead and zinc from concentrates of zinc and lead sulfides or oxides includes the steps of: (a) mixing lead ore and/or zinc ore concentrates, iron bearing and carbon containing materials, metallic iron fines and iron oxide fines, carbonaceous reductant, fluxing agent, and a binder to form a mixture; (b) forming agglomerates from the mixture (c) introducing the agglomerates to a melting furnace; (d) maintaining a reducing atmosphere within the melting furnace; (e) vaporizing lead and zinc in the melting furnace at a temperature of 1000 to 1650 C, and removing the lead and zinc from the melting furnace in vaporized form; (f) cooling and condensing the metal vapors to liquid metal; and (g) separating the zinc and lead; and (h) recovering the lead and zinc metal separately.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 12, 2008
    Date of Patent: October 25, 2011
    Assignee: Cardero Resource Corporation
    Inventor: Glenn E. Hoffman