Patents by Inventor Lothar Formanek

Lothar Formanek has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 10890379
    Abstract: A device for measuring the temperature in a rotary kiln through which solid material passes being heated to elevated temperatures. The device features a drive as well as an elongated hollow body with means to fix a thermocouple, whereby the drive and the elongated hollow body are mounted such that they rotate jointly with the rotary kiln. The drive can move the elongated hollow body together with thermocouple through an opening in and out of the rotary kiln interior for measuring the temperature inside the rotary kiln during operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 24, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 12, 2021
    Assignee: OUTOTEC (FINLAND) OY
    Inventors: Nils Oertel, Eugen Schmidt, Andrej Schulakow-Klass, Lothar Formanek
  • Publication number: 20200191483
    Abstract: A device for measuring the temperature in a rotary kiln through which solid material passes being heated to elevated temperatures. The device features a drive as well as an elongated hollow body with means to fix a thermocouple, whereby the drive and the elongated hollow body are mounted such that they rotate jointly with the rotary kiln. The drive can move the elongated hollow body together with thermocouple through an opening in and out of the rotary kiln interior for measuring the temperature inside the rotary kiln during operation.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 24, 2020
    Publication date: June 18, 2020
    Inventors: Nils Oertel, Eugen Schmidt, Andrej Schulakow-Klass, Lothar Formanek
  • Patent number: 8021601
    Abstract: A plant for the heat treatment of solids containing titanium includes a fluidized bed reactor. The reactor includes at least one gas supply tube being at least partly surrounded by an annular chamber in which a stationary annular fluidized bed is located, and a mixing chamber being located above the upper orifice region of the gas supply tube. The gas flowing through the gas supply tube entrains solids from the stationary annular fluidized bed into the mixing chamber when passing through the upper orifice region of the gas supply system. The plant further includes a solids separator downstream of the reactor. The solids separator includes a solids conduit leading to the annular fluidized bed of the reactor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 1, 2009
    Date of Patent: September 20, 2011
    Assignee: Outotec Oyj
    Inventors: Dirk Nuber, Michael Stroeder, Werner Stockhausen, Lothar Formanek, Martin Hirsch, Ali-Naghi Beyzavi
  • Publication number: 20100074805
    Abstract: A plant for the heat treatment of solids containing titanium includes a fluidized bed reactor. The reactor includes at least one gas supply tube being at least partly surrounded by an annular chamber in which a stationary annular fluidized bed is located, and a mixing chamber being located above the upper orifice region of the gas supply tube. The gas flowing through the gas supply tube entrains solids from the stationary annular fluidized bed into the mixing chamber when passing through the upper orifice region of the gas supply system. The plant further includes a solids separator downstream of the reactor. The solids separator includes a solids conduit leading to the annular fluidized bed of the reactor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 1, 2009
    Publication date: March 25, 2010
    Applicant: OUTOTEC OYJ
    Inventors: Dirk Nuber, Michael Stroeder, Werner Stockhausen, Ali-Naghi Beyzavi, Lothar Formanek, Martin Hirsch
  • Patent number: 7651547
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a method and a plant for the heat treatment of solids containing titanium and possibly further metal oxides, in which fine-grained solids are heated to a temperature of 700 to 950° C. in a fluidized bed reactor (1). To improve the energy utilization, it is proposed to introduce a first gas or gas mixture from below through a gas supply tube (3) into a mixing chamber (7) of the reactor (1), the gas supply tube (3) being at least partly surrounded by a stationary annular fluidized bed (10) which is fluidized by supplying fluidizing gas. The gas velocities of the first gas or gas mixture as well as of the fluidizing gas for the annular fluidized bed (10) are adjusted such that the particle Froude numbers in the gas supply tube (3) are between 1 and 100, in the annular fluidized bed (10) between 0.02 and 2 and in the mixing chamber (7) between 0.3 and 30.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 10, 2003
    Date of Patent: January 26, 2010
    Assignee: Outotec Oyj
    Inventors: Dirk Nuber, Michael Ströder, Werner Stockhausen, Ali-Naghi Beyzavi, Lothar Formanek, Martin Hirsch
  • Publication number: 20060162500
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a method and a plant for the heat treatment of solids containing titanium and possibly further metal oxides, in which fine-grained solids are heated to a temperature of 700 to 950° C. in a fluidized bed reactor (1). To improve the energy utilization, it is proposed to introduce a first gas or gas mixture from below through a gas supply tube (3) into a mixing chamber (7) of the reactor (1), the gas supply tube (3) being at least partly surrounded by a stationary annular fluidized bed (10) which is fluidized by supplying fluidizing gas. The gas velocities of the first gas or gas mixture as well as of the fluidizing gas for the annular fluidized bed (10) are adjusted such that the particle Froude numbers in the gas supply tube (3) are between 1 and 100, in the annular fluidized bed (10) between 0.02 and 2 and in the mixing chamber (7) between 0.3 and 30.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 10, 2003
    Publication date: July 27, 2006
    Inventors: Dirk Nuber, Michael Stroder, Werner Stockhausen, Ali-Naghi Beyzavi, Lothar Formanek, Martin Hirsch
  • Patent number: 6666629
    Abstract: A process of continuously conveying granular solids from a first zone with a pressure of 4 to 16 bar through a descending line and via an ascending line to a second zone with a pressure which is lower than in the first zone by 3 to 15 bar, by means of a gaseous medium. To ensure that the pressure between two regions can be reduced at low cost and with little maintenance effort when continuously conveying granular solids, a gaseous medium is injected into a tube through an upwardly directed nozzle at the point where the granular solids are conveyed through a descending line into an ascending line.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 2, 2002
    Date of Patent: December 23, 2003
    Assignee: Outokumpu Oyj
    Inventors: Martin Hirsch, Stuart Sneyd, Lothar Formanek
  • Publication number: 20020146291
    Abstract: A process of continuously conveying granular solids from a first zone with a pressure of 4 to 16 bar through a descending line and via an ascending line to a second zone with a pressure which is lower than in the first zone by 3 to 15 bar, by means of a gaseous medium. To ensure that the pressure between two regions can be reduced at low cost and with little maintenance effort when continuously conveying granular solids, a gaseous medium is injected into a tube through an upwardly directed nozzle at the point where the granular solids are conveyed through a descending line into an ascending line.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 2, 2002
    Publication date: October 10, 2002
    Applicant: OUTOKUMPU Oyj
    Inventors: Martin Hirsch, Stuart Sneyd, Lothar Formanek
  • Patent number: 4551172
    Abstract: Sponge iron is produced by a direct reduction with solid carbonaceous reducing agents. In order to permit a melting of the sponge iron, particularly of that part thereof which is inferior in metallurgical properties, in a process which is as simple and economical as possible, the exhaust gas from the direct reduction process is used to produce electrical energy, which is supplied to the electric reducing furnace, and sponge iron at a rate corresponding to the electrical energy that is produced is charged to the electrical reducing furnace and comprises at least part of the sponge iron which is inferior in metallurgical properties.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 8, 1984
    Date of Patent: November 5, 1985
    Assignees: Metallgesellschaft Aktiengesellschaft, Mannesmann Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Lothar Formanek, Martin Hirsch, Harry Serbent, Wolfram Schnabel, Klaus-Dietrich Fritzsche, Heribert Koenig, Gero Rath
  • Patent number: 4490168
    Abstract: Sponge iron produced by direct reduction is melted in an electric arc furnace, in which a pool of liquid metal is maintained. To ensure that liquid carbon-containing iron for forming the pool is available in adequate quantities and that the process can be carried out with the highest possible economy, the sponge iron is reacted in an electric arc furnace on a bath of liquid carbon-containing iron (hot metal), which has been produced from sponge iron or from partly reduced ore in an electric reducing furnace, and in dependence on the electric load changes which are due to the operation of the electric arc furnace the operation of the electric reducing furnace is so controlled that a virtually constant load on the electric power supply system is maintained.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 11, 1984
    Date of Patent: December 25, 1984
    Assignees: Metallgesellschaft AG, Mannesmann AG
    Inventors: Lothar Formanek, Martin Hirsch, Wolfram Schnabel, Harry Serbent, Klaus-Dietrich Fritzsche, Heribert Koenig, Detmar Arlt