Patents Examined by Tima M McGurthy-Banks
  • Patent number: 10526685
    Abstract: A method of leaching chalcopyrite ores includes the steps of forming agglomerates of fragments of chalcopyrite ores and silver and leaching the agglomerates with suitable leach liquor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 8, 2018
    Date of Patent: January 7, 2020
    Assignee: Technological Resources Pty. Limited
    Inventors: Paul Leslie Brown, Ralph Peter Hackl, Stephen Charles Grocott
  • Patent number: 10125413
    Abstract: To produce manganese containing ferroalloy for steel production, an agglomeration mixture is produced which comprises chromite ore concentrate and manganese ore fines with a grain size smaller than 6-9 mm. The mixture is agglomerated to produce green agglomeration products, such as pellets or other types of agglomerates. The green agglomeration products are sintered in a steel belt sintering furnace to produce either sinter or sintered pellets. The sinter or sintered pellets are smelted in a submerged arc furnace to produce manganese and chromium containing ferroalloy. The ferroalloy produced by the method comprises 6.0-35 w-% manganese and 31-54 w-% chromium.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 16, 2014
    Date of Patent: November 13, 2018
    Assignee: OUTOTEC (FINLAND) OY
    Inventors: Helge Krogerus, Pasi Mäkelä, Visa Kivinen
  • Patent number: 10046388
    Abstract: Methods for manufacturing a metal foam and a metal foam reinforced back plate may be used to provide high-strength and low weight structural elements in portable information handling systems. A method for manufacturing a metal foam may include selectively adding iridium oxide and ceramic particulate to a light-metal allow to create desired mechanical properties of the metal foam.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 23, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 14, 2018
    Assignee: Dell Products L.P.
    Inventor: Deeder Mohammad Aurongzeb
  • Patent number: 10041142
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method for concentrating metals, in particular silver and/or tin and/or lead from scrap containing metal, by treating the material/scrap containing silver and/or tin and/or lead with a sulfonic acid of the formula R—SO2—OH in the presence of an oxidizing agent, wherein R can be an organic group or ammonia.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 10, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 7, 2018
    Inventors: Ulrich Loser, Wolfram Palitzsch
  • Patent number: 9822426
    Abstract: A process for bio-oxidation of sulfides in mineral ore having a metal such as gold occluded or dispersed within the ore as a sulfide is disclosed. The first step comminutes the ore into particles with a size distribution having a P80 of less than 0.25 inch with minus 106 micron particles in the range of 15% to 40% by weight. Agglomerates are formed by adding to the comminuted ore particles an acidic inoculate solution including water, with the solution further including microorganisms capable of bio-oxidizing the sulfides. The agglomerates are then placed in at least one bio-reactor containment vessel to form an ore bed. The process continues by bio-oxidizing the sulfides in the ore bed; then re-circulating the solution through the ore bed, and continuing the bio-oxidation until a desired bio-oxidation level is achieved. Thereafter, the metal is recovered from the ore.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 30, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 21, 2017
    Inventor: Jody Kelso
  • Patent number: 9739535
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method for smelting non-ferrous metal sulfides (13) in a suspension smelting furnace and to a suspension smelting furnace. The suspension smelting furnace comprises at least one injection means (18) for injecting at least one of fluid (19) and pulverous matter (20) into a settler (2) of the suspension smelting furnace from at least one of a first side wall structure (8) and a second side wall structure (9) of the settler (2) so that fluid (19) and/or pulverous matter (20) is injected into the settler (2) above a top surface (16) of a layer of melt (15) in the settler (2).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 12, 2013
    Date of Patent: August 22, 2017
    Assignee: Outotec (Finland) Oy
    Inventors: Lauri Pesonen, Peter Björklund
  • Patent number: 9637806
    Abstract: Described herein are methods of recovering silver from solution to produce metallic (i.e., elemental) silver. These methods generally include a step of providing a silver-containing aqueous solution that includes cationic silver species, followed by a step of forming a reaction solution that includes an organic acid, a buffering agent, and the cationic silver species, and a step of generating a reaction product that includes metallic silver by reducing the concentration of the cationic silver species in the reaction solution. Also described herein are metallic or elemental silver produced by these methods.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 29, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 2, 2017
    Assignee: Corning Incorporated
    Inventors: Benedict Yorke Johnson, Samuel Odei Owusu
  • Patent number: 9163297
    Abstract: Method of combining industrial processes having inherent carbon capture and conversion capabilities offering maximum flexibility, efficiency, and economics while enabling environmentally and sustainably sound practices. Maximum chemical energy is retained throughout feedstock processing. A hybrid thermochemical cycle couples staged reforming with hydrogen production and chlorination. Hydrogen generated is used to upgrade feedstocks including bitumen, shale, coal, and biomass. Residues of upgrading are chlorinated, metals of interest are removed, and the remainder is reacted with ammonia solution and carbon dioxide to form carbonate minerals. The combination provides emissions free production of synthetic crude oil and derivatives, as well as various metals and fertilizers. Sand and carbonate minerals are potentially the only waste streams. Through this novel processing, major carbon dioxide reduction is afforded byminimizing direct oxidation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 7, 2013
    Date of Patent: October 20, 2015
    Inventor: Justin Langley
  • Patent number: 9011574
    Abstract: A method for leaching copper and molybdenum from an ore, residue and/or concentrate containing such, in which more than 1% w/w of the total molybdenum is present as a sulfide and in which more than 1% w/w of the total copper is present as an oxide, the method comprising the steps of: exposing the ore, residue and/or concentrate to an aqueous solution of chlorine (I)-based oxidizing species of a pH of at least 3.0; oxidizing the molybdenum by the chlorine-based oxidizing species thereby providing a treated ore, residue and/or concentrate and a reduced aqueous solution of chlorine-based oxidizing species; leaching the treated ore, residue and/or concentrate by exposing the treated ore, residue and/or concentrate to an aqueous ammoniacal ammonium carbonate solution to form a pregnant leach solution containing both copper and molybdenum; and passing the pregnant leach solution containing both copper and molybdenum to a means for metal recovery.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 29, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 21, 2015
    Assignee: MetaLeach Limited
    Inventors: Nicholas James Welham, Garry Mervyn Johnston, Matthew Leslie Sutcliffe
  • Patent number: 8728194
    Abstract: A method for controlling foamed slag in a stainless melt in an electric arc furnace. Slag level in the electric arc furnace is continuously detected thermographically as a function of time and slag level, and an addition of foaming material is controlled depending on the temperature and temperature gradient.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 7, 2009
    Date of Patent: May 20, 2014
    Assignee: SMS Siemag AG
    Inventor: Johann Reichel
  • Patent number: 8728384
    Abstract: A process and a device for charging a primary product for pig iron into a smelting unit are provided. According to the process and device, some of the primary product that has been formed by reducing oxidic iron carriers is stored in the hot state in a reservoir tank before being supplied into the storage device or charging device that is directly connected to the smelting unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 6, 2010
    Date of Patent: May 20, 2014
    Assignee: Siemens Vai Metals Technologies GmbH
    Inventors: Thomas Eder, Robert Millner, Jan-Freidemann Plaul, Norbert Rein, Andreas Scherney, Karl Zehetbauer
  • Patent number: 8287618
    Abstract: A process for the selective recovery of Mo, V, Ni, Co and Al from spent hydroprocessing catalysts includes the steps of treating the spent catalysts to recovery metals, support as well as chemicals. The process steps include deoiling, decoking, washing, dissolving, complexing agent treatment, acid treatment and solvent extraction. This process uses limited steps than conventional processes by the use of ultrasonic agitation for metal extraction and the presence of a chelating agent particularly Ethylene Diamine Tetra-Acetic Acid (EDTA). The process also discloses the compete recovery of the extracting agent EDTA with high purity for reuse.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 10, 2010
    Date of Patent: October 16, 2012
    Assignee: Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research
    Inventor: Meena Marafi
  • Patent number: 8182575
    Abstract: A producing method of direct reduced iron includes the steps of: drying an oxidized iron raw material selected from a group including iron ore and iron-making dust generated in an iron-making process to have a predetermined moisture content; mixing the oxidized iron raw material subjected to the drying step and a reducing material having a predetermined moisture content to obtain a mixture; pulverizing the mixture obtained in the mixing step for 80% minus-sieve to have a particle diameter of 70 ?m to 500 ?m; kneading the mixture after the moisture content of the mixture subjected to the pulverizing step is adjusted; agglomerating the mixture subjected to the kneading step to be agglomerate; and reducing the agglomerate obtained in the agglomerating step by a rotary hearth furnace to generate direct reduced iron.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 16, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 22, 2012
    Assignee: Nippon Steel Corporation
    Inventors: Hiroki Gofuku, Yuki Kuwauchi, Wataru Nagai, Kazuhisa Fukuda, Takashi Sawai
  • Patent number: 8057570
    Abstract: Efficient coordination of processing (by desulphurizing) and moving hot metal from a direct smelter, producing hot metal on a continuous basis, to an electric arc furnace or furnaces, operating on a batch basis, is disclosed. The invention includes the use of hot metal storage devices, such as ladles, that are large enough to supply hot metal for a small number, preferably two or three, of electric arc furnace batch operations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 10, 2005
    Date of Patent: November 15, 2011
    Assignee: Technological Resources Pty. Limited
    Inventors: Christopher Martin Hayman, Stephan Heinz Josef Victor Weber
  • Patent number: 7968044
    Abstract: An apparatus and method for processing iron sinter is provided. A cooling system is arranged downstream of a furnace for cooling the iron sinter. The cooling system includes a convective cooling system for forcing air into the iron sinter and an evaporative cooling system for directing fluid into the hot sinter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 29, 2008
    Date of Patent: June 28, 2011
    Assignee: Spraying Systems Co.
    Inventors: Edson Rocha, Marcos Torres
  • Patent number: 7682474
    Abstract: A cutter is composed of a Ni—Cr—Al alloy containing from 32 to 44 mass percent of Cr, from 2.3 to 6.0 mass percent of Al, the balance being Ni, impurities, and additional trace elements and having a Rockwell C hardness of 52 or more. This Ni—Cr—Al alloy provides a cutter produced with a superior workability and by a significantly simplified process, having a low deterioration in the hardness even when heated in use, having excellent corrosion resistance and low-temperature embrittlement resistance, and satisfactorily maintaining the cutting performance for a long time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 4, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 23, 2010
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventors: Tomohisa Arai, Takashi Rokutanda, Tadaharu Kido
  • Patent number: 7425273
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method and apparatus for processing a suspension. According to the invention, a suspension is led into a washing column in which at least one filter element is present, so that near the filtering element, a packed bed of particles forms. The bed is disintegrated under the influence of the impulse of a washing liquid, while particles from the bed are incorporated in the washing liquid.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 30, 2003
    Date of Patent: September 16, 2008
    Assignee: Nederlandse Organisatie voor toegepast-natuurwetenschappelijk Onderzoek TNO
    Inventors: Piet Huisjes, Johannes van der Meer, Michiel Nienoord, Dirk Verdoes
  • Patent number: 7416712
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method for obtaining metals from a cobalt and/or nickel arsenic sulfide ore or ore concentrate and/or a cobalt and/or nickel sulfide ore or ore concentrate, according to which the cobalt and/or nickel arsenic sulfide ore or ore concentrate and/or the cobalt and/or nickel sulfide ore or ore concentrate is reacted with sulfur or sulfur arsenic compounds to a reaction product, and dissolving and removing soluble metals and rare-earth metals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 14, 2002
    Date of Patent: August 26, 2008
    Inventor: Alexander Beckmann