Abstract: A method and an apparatus for making a mineral melt having a cyclone furnace and a separating cyclone, the apparatus having a device for supplying pre-heated particulate mineral material from a bottom of the separating cyclone to an inlet of the cyclone furnace. A material receiving conduit adapted for receiving the pre-heated particulate mineral material from the bottom outlet of the separating cyclone, in which the material receiving conduit has a first pressure. An outlet conduit supplying the particulate mineral material to the inlet of the cyclone furnace having a second pressure, wherein the second pressure is higher than the first pressure, and the particulate mineral material is fluidised and flows from the material receiving conduit to the outlet conduit. A gas-lock valve is provided between the material receiving conduit and the outlet conduit.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method of preparing a mineral melt in a cupola furnace that uses at least one plasma torch to provide heat energy to the furnace. The plasma torch uses nitrogen, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, or a mixture thereof as the carrier gas. The invention also relates to a cupola furnace for the preparation of the mineral melt, and the use of a plasma torch in a cupola furnace to reduce the amount of NOx and/or hydrogen in the furnace off-gas.

Abstract: The invention provides a method to form a melt for making man-made vitreous fibres, in which mineral raw material is melted in a gas-fired cyclone furnace and the mineral charge comprises a material that comprises metallic aluminium.

Abstract: The invention provides methods of making man-made vitreous fibres (MMVF), comprising incorporating metallic aluminium into the mineral charge, with the benefit of reduced shrinkage of consolidated MMVF products.

Abstract: The invention provides methods of making man-made vitreous fibres (MMVF), comprising providing an electric furnace having molybdenum electrodes, providing mineral raw material, wherein the mineral raw material comprises (a) particulate material that comprises metallic aluminium and (b) other mineral component, introducing the mineral raw material into the furnace, melting the mineral raw material to form a mineral melt, and forming MMVF from the mineral melt, with the benefit of reduced shrinkage of consolidated MMVF products.

Abstract: A method for supplying pre-heated particulate mineral material from a separating cyclone to a cyclone furnace inlet includes receiving the mineral material in a material receiving conduit from a bottom outlet of the separating cyclone. There is a first pressure in the receiving conduit. The mineral material is fluidised in the receiving conduit and flows upwards in an inclined elongated gas-lock valve from a lowermost section of the receiving conduit to an uppermost section of an outlet conduit. The mineral material is supplied from the outlet conduit to the inlet of the cyclone furnace, wherein there is a second pressure that is higher than the first pressure. A fluidisation unit in the gas-lock valve maintains the particulate mineral material in a fluidised state, such that the fluidised particulate mineral material flows due to gravity from the material receiving conduit, upwards through the gas-lock valve and to the outlet conduit.

Abstract: An apparatus for the production of a mineral melt burns combustible material in the presence of inorganic material to form a melt. The apparatus includes a circulating combustion chamber which receives a fuel, pre-heated mineral material and a combustion gas so as to melt the mineral material and generate exhaust gases which are separated from the melt. The gases pass through an exhaust pipe to a conduit of a heat exchange system. The apparatus includes a quenching hood for quenching the exhaust gases by drafting a cooling fluid, such as ambient air, into the flow of exhaust gases around the exhaust pipe, and wherein the exhaust gases exit the exhaust pipe inside the hood.

Abstract: The present invention concerns a method and an apparatus for gravimetric metering of a powdery bulk material, said system comprising a storage container accommodating the bulk material, a feeding pipe for feeding bulk material from the storage container to a dosing container, a dosing discharge device for continuously discharging bulk material from the dosing container to a discharge pipe and on to a discharge line, wherein said dosing container is mounted on at least one weighing cell, and wherein the feeding pipe is provided with a first flexible tube member and the discharge pipe is provided with a second flexible tube member, and wherein the first flexible tube member comprises a first compensator and a second compensator with a tubular member there between.

Abstract: A method and an apparatus for making a mineral melt having a cyclone furnace and a separating cyclone, said apparatus further having a device for supplying pre-heated particulate mineral material from a bottom of the separating cyclone to an inlet of the cyclone furnace. A material receiving conduit adapted for receiving the pre-heated particulate mineral material from the bottom outlet of the separating cyclone, in which the material receiving conduit has a first pressure. An outlet conduit supplying the particulate mineral material to the inlet of the cyclone furnace having a second pressure, wherein said second pressure is higher than said first pressure, and the particulate mineral material is fluidised and flows from the material receiving conduit to the outlet conduit. A gas-lock valve is provided between said material receiving conduit and said outlet conduit.

Abstract: The present invention relates to an apparatus and a method of making a mineral melt, the method comprising the steps of providing a circulating combustion chamber (1); injecting fuel, preheated mineral material and combustion gas into the circulating combustion chamber (1); combusting the fuel in the circulating combustion chamber (1) thereby melting the mineral material to form a mineral melt and generating exhaust gases; separating the exhaust gases from the mineral melt, collecting the mineral melt (9) and passing the exhaust gases (10) to a heat exchange system, the method being characterised in that the mineral material comprises a first mineral material and a second mineral material wherein the first mineral material has a higher sintering temperature than the second mineral material and the first and second mineral materials are provided separately to the heat exchange system, wherein the first mineral material is preheated through contact with the exhaust gases and subsequently the second mineral mate

Abstract: The present invention concerns a method and an apparatus for gravimetric metering of a powdery bulk material, said system comprising a storage container accommodating the bulk material, a feeding pipe for feeding bulk material from the storage container to a dosing container, a dosing discharge device for continuously discharging bulk material from the dosing container to a discharge pipe and on to a discharge line, wherein said dosing container is mounted on at least one weighing cell, and wherein the feeding pipe is provided with a first flexible tube member and the discharge pipe is provided with a second flexible tube member, and wherein the first flexible tube member comprises a first compensator and a second compensator with a tubular member there between.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method of making a mineral melt, the method comprising providing a circulating combustion chamber which comprises an upper zone, a lower zone and a base zone, injecting primary particulate fuel and particulate mineral material and primary combustion gas into the upper zone of the circulating combustion chamber, thereby at least partially combusting the primary particulate fuel and thereby melting the particulate mineral material to form a mineral melt and generating exhaust gases, injecting into the lower zone of the circulating combustion chamber, through at least one first burner, secondary combustion gas and gaseous fuel and secondary particulate fuel, wherein the secondary combustion gas and gaseous fuel and secondary particulate fuel are injected via a single first burner, wherein the amount of secondary combustion gas injected via each first burner is insufficient for stoichiometric combustion of the total amount of gaseous fuel and secondary particulate fuel injected via that

Abstract: The invention relates to a method of making a mineral melt comprising providing a circulating combustion chamber (1) which comprises an upper zone (2), a lower zone (3) and a base zone (4), injecting particulate fuel, particulate mineral material and primary combustion gas which has optionally an oxygen level of at least 25% by volume into the upper zone of the circulating combustion chamber so that the fuel undergoes pyrolysis in the upper zone to produce char, thereby melting the particulate mineral materials to form a mineral melt and generating exhaust gases, injecting secondary combustion gas which has optionally an Oxygen level of at least 25% by volume into the lower zone of the circulating combustion chamber so that the char combusts, thereby completing combustion of the fuel, and separating the mineral melt from the hot exhaust gases so that the hot exhaust gases pass though an outlet in the circulating combustion chamber and the mineral melt collects in the base zone.

Abstract: An apparatus for the production of a mineral melt burns combustible material in the presence of inorganic material to form a melt. The apparatus includes a circulating combustion chamber which receives a fuel, pre-heated mineral material and a combustion gas so as to melt the mineral material and generate exhaust gases which are separated from the melt. The gases pass through an exhaust pipe to a conduit of a heat exchange system. The apparatus includes a quenching hood for quenching the exhaust gases by drafting a cooling fluid, such as ambient air, into the flow of exhaust gases around the exhaust pipe, and wherein the exhaust gases exit the exhaust pipe inside the hood.

Abstract: The present invention concerns a trickle valve assembly for supplying particulate material exiting the bottom of a separating cyclone, comprising a separating cyclone outlet conduit having a bottom end with an inclined valve seat and a pivotable valve plate assembly with a valve plate pivoting about a valve hinge and a counter-weight on the opposite side of valve hinge, wherein the outlet conduit is provided with at least one gas inlet above the inclined valve seat which is in fluid communication with a supply of pressurised gas, such as a pressurised air supply.

Abstract: The present invention concerns a method of making a mineral melt by burning combustible material in the presence of inorganic particulate material and thereby forming a melt, comprising injecting fuel, particulate mineral material and combustion gas into a circulating combustion chamber (1) through an inlet conduit (4) and combusting the fuel in the circulating combustion chamber (1) thereby melting the mineral material to form a mineral melt and generating exhaust gases; separating the exhaust gases from the mineral melt, collecting the mineral melt (9) and passing the exhaust gases upwards through an exhaust pipe (10) to a conduit (11) of a heat exchange system; and supplying particulate mineral material and a first portion of waste mineral wool into the conduit (11) and pre-heating the supplied material in the heat exchange system, and supplying a second portion of waste mineral wool with a water content between 5 and 25% by weight directly to the inlet conduit (4).

Abstract: A melt for use in the production of man-made vitreous fibres may be formed in a circulating combustion chamber (20) by melting particulate material. The material is collected in a base region (26) of the combustion chamber, where it can be heated using submerged heating means (40). The submerged heating increases the homogeneity of the melt within the melt pool (30), the increase in homogeneity being encouraged by a relatively long average residence time for mineral material in the chamber (20) of at least 15 minutes.

Abstract: A melt for use in the production of man-made vitreous fibres may be formed in a circulating combustion chamber (20) by melting particulate material. The material is collected in a base region of the combustion chamber (26), where it can be heated using submerged combustion apparatus (40). The submerged combustion process is controlled to ensure that the proportion of Fe(2+) based on total Fe within the melt extracted from an outlet of the chamber is greater than 80%.

Abstract: A melt for use in the production of man-made vitreous fibres may be formed in a circulating combustion chamber (20) by melting particulate material. The material is collected in a base region of the combustion chamber (26), where it can be heated using submerged heating means (40). The submerged heating increases the homogeneity of the melt within the melt pool (30), the coherence of which is maintained by the use of a siphon (50) to extract melt from the combustion chamber.

Abstract: The present invention concerns a trickle valve assembly for supplying particulate material exiting the bottom of a separating cyclone, comprising a separating cyclone outlet conduit having a bottom end with an inclined valve seat and a pivotable valve plate assembly with a valve plate pivoting about a valve hinge and a counter-weight on the opposite side of said valve hinge, wherein the outlet conduit is provided with at least one gas inlet above the inclined valve seat which is in fluid communication with a supply of pressurised gas, such as a pressurised air supply.