With Means For Moving Solid Material To Or Through Heating Zone Patents (Class 266/176)
  • Patent number: 11788159
    Abstract: A direct reduction process comprises providing a shaft furnace of a direct reduction plant to reduce iron oxide with reducing gas; providing a direct reduced iron melting furnace; and coupling a discharge chute between a discharge exit of the direct reduced shaft furnace and an inlet of the direct reduced iron melting furnace; wherein direct reduced iron and the reducing gas from the shaft furnace flow through the discharge chute and the reducing gas controls the melting furnace atmosphere to reducing environment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 23, 2021
    Date of Patent: October 17, 2023
    Assignee: Midrex Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Todd Michael Astoria, Haruyasu Michishita
  • Patent number: 11692231
    Abstract: A method for producing a homogenous molten composition and a fluid product is disclosed. For example, the method includes producing a first molten metal composition in an enclosed volume, contacting a hydrocarbon reactant with the first molten metal composition, decomposing the hydrocarbon reactant into at least one fluid product and carbon, forming a metal alloy from a mixture of the carbon and the first molten metal composition, and separating a homogenous second molten composition from the metal alloy.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 12, 2022
    Date of Patent: July 4, 2023
    Assignee: Palo Alto Research Center Incorporated
    Inventors: Divyaraj Desai, Jessica Louis Baker Rivest, Dane Andrew Boysen, Rahul Pandey, Eugene Shin Ming Beh
  • Patent number: 10006718
    Abstract: An arrangement for feeding fine-grained matter to a concentrate or matte burner (1) of a suspension smelting furnace (2). The arrangement comprising a fluidization arrangement (3) for feeding fluidized fine-grained matter into a dosing bin (4), and a conveyor means (6) for feeding fluidized fine-grained matter from the dosing bin (4) to the concentrate or matte burner (1) of the suspension smelting furnace (2), and a loss-in-weight controller (5) between the dosing bin (4) and the conveyor means (6). The arrangement comprises an impact cone (8) arranged below a filling valve (7) between the fluidization arrangement (3) and the dosing bin (4) for distributing fluidized fine-grained matter flowing from the fluidization arrangement (3) within the dosing bin (4).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 19, 2013
    Date of Patent: June 26, 2018
    Assignee: Outotec (Finland) Oy
    Inventors: Markku Lahtinen, Tapio Ahokainen, Peter Björklund
  • Patent number: 9581387
    Abstract: A method of ironmaking using full-oxygen hydrogen-rich gas which includes hot transferring and hot charging the high-temperature coke, sinter and pellet into the ironmaking furnace through transferring and charging device, and injecting oxygen and hydrogen-rich combustible gas at a predetermined temperature into the ironmaking furnace through the oxygen tuyere and the gas tuyere disposed at the ironmaking furnace, respectively. It also provides an apparatus for ironmaking using full-oxygen hydrogen-rich gas which includes a raw material system, a furnace roof gas system, a coke oven gas injecting system, a dust injecting system, a slag dry-granulation and residual heat recovering system and an oxygen system. Additionally an apparatus and method for hot transferring and hot charging of ironmaking raw material is disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 13, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 28, 2017
    Assignees: CENTRAL IRON & STEEL RESEARCH INSTITUTE, SHANDONG TIEXIONG METALLURGICAL TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD., SHANDONG COKING GROUP CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Yuanhong Qi, Qingtao Wang, Dingliu Yan, Peimin Guo
  • Patent number: 9482471
    Abstract: A melt metallurgical installation has a melting furnace for melting scrap metal and a charging region for the melting furnace which is located above the melting furnace. The installation further has a charging element, which has been filled with scrap metal intended for the melting furnace and can be moved in a movement direction into the charging region where it can be emptied and then moved again, in the empty state, against the movement direction out of the charging region. The charging region is enclosed by a hood such that the charging region, including the charging element which has been placed in the charging region, is closed at the top and on the sides. The hood has at least one upper extraction opening through which the waste gases and dust developing in the hood can be extracted out of the hood.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 28, 2011
    Date of Patent: November 1, 2016
    Assignee: PRIMETALS TECHNOLOGIES AUSTRA GmbH
    Inventors: Markus Dorndorf, Hansjörg Huber
  • Patent number: 9470456
    Abstract: A melter gasifier of a smelting reduction installation is charged by bringing together coal -containing material in lump form and iron carrier material (which may be hot) before and/or while they enter the melter gasifier. The ratio of the combined amounts of iron carrier material and coal-containing material in lump form is variable. The combined amounts of iron carrier material and coal-containing material in lump form are distributed over the cross section of the melter gasifier by a dynamic distributing device, and the ratio of the combined amounts of the iron carrier material and coal-containing material in lump form is set depending on the position of the dynamic distributing device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 9, 2012
    Date of Patent: October 18, 2016
    Assignee: PRIMETALS TECHNOLOGIES AUSTRIA GmbH
    Inventors: Georg Aichinger, Franz Berner, Thomas Eder, Robert Millner, Jan-Friedemann Plaul, Norbert Rein, Andreas Scherney, Kurt Wieder, Johann Wurm
  • Patent number: 9188391
    Abstract: A vertical/horizontal convertible suspending reduction furnace, comprises: a metal furnace body (5) of the reduction furnace, a reduction tank (13), a burner (2) and a suspension device. The metal furnace body (5) of the reduction furnace, which is connected with a sealing head (3) at one end, and connected with a fixed flange (20) of the reduction tank at the other end, is distributed with reduction tanks (13) inside uniformly. Burners (2) are provided symmetrically at the circumference of the metal furnace body (5), and a universal hoisting ring (4) is provided at its central point or off-central point. A steel rope (12), both ends of which are obliquely pulled on the suspension device, is hanged on the universal hoisting ring (4).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 14, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 17, 2015
    Inventor: Hengjie Li
  • Patent number: 8617459
    Abstract: A method for manufacturing granular metallic iron by reducing a raw material mixture including an iron oxide-containing material and a carbonaceous reducing agent, comprises: a step of charging the raw material mixture onto a hearth of a moving hearth-type thermal reduction furnace; a step of reducing the iron oxide in the raw material mixture by the carbonaceous reducing agent through the application of heat, thereby forming metallic iron, subsequently melting the metallic iron, and coalescing the molten metallic iron to granular metallic iron while separating the molten metallic iron from subgenerated slag; and a step of cooling the metallic iron to solidify; wherein the heat-reducing step includes a step of controlling the flow velocity of atmospheric gas in a predetermined zone of the furnace within a predetermined range. This method makes it possible to manufacture the granular metallic iron of high quality.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 23, 2012
    Date of Patent: December 31, 2013
    Assignee: Kobe Steel, Ltd.
    Inventors: Koji Tokuda, Shuzo Ito, Shoichi Kikuchi
  • Publication number: 20130334743
    Abstract: A vertical/horizontal convertible suspending reduction furnace, comprises: a metal furnace body (5) of the reduction furnace, a reduction tank (13), a burner (2) and a suspension device. The metal furnace body (5) of the reduction furnace, which is connected with a sealing head (3) at one end, and connected with a fixed flange (20) of the reduction tank at the other end, is distributed with reduction tanks (13) inside uniformly. Burners (2) are provided symmetrically at the circumference of the metal furnace body (5), and a universal hoisting ring (4) is provided at its central point or off-central point. A steel rope (12), both ends of which are obliquely pulled on the suspension device, is hanged on the universal hoisting ring (4). Close to the sealing head (3), a turnover hoisting ring (52) is provided at the metal furnace body (5) of the reduction furnace, and is connected with an electric hoister (8) through a turnover steel rope (17).
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 14, 2012
    Publication date: December 19, 2013
    Applicant: ZHI LI DEVELOPMENT LIMITED
    Inventor: Hengjie Li
  • Publication number: 20130328250
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method for controlling the thermal balance of a suspension smelting and to a suspension smelting furnace. The suspension smelting furnace, comprising a reaction shaft (1), a lower furnace (2), and an uptake (3), wherein the reaction shaft (1) having a shaft structure (4) that is provided with a surrounding wall structure (5) and a roof structure (6) and that limits a reaction chamber (7), and wherein the reaction shaft (1) is provided with a concentrate burner (14) for feeding pulverous solid matter and reaction gas into the reaction chamber (7). The shaft structure (4) of the reaction shaft (1) is provided with cooling means (8) for feeding endothermic material into the reaction chamber (7) of the reaction shaft (1).
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 3, 2011
    Publication date: December 12, 2013
    Applicant: OUTOTEC OYJ
    Inventors: Jorma Myyri, Tapio Ahokainen, Lauri P. Pesonen, Peter Björklund
  • Patent number: 8562903
    Abstract: A direct smelting plant for producing molten metal from a metalliferous feed material using a molten bath based direct smelting process is disclosed. The plant includes a gas delivery duct assembly extending from a gas supply location away from the vessel to deliver oxygen-containing gas to gas injection lances extending into a direct smelting vessel. The gas delivery duct assembly includes a single gas delivery main connected to the gas injection lances to supply oxygen-containing gas to the gas injection lances. The gas delivery main is located at a height above a lower half of the vessel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 1, 2007
    Date of Patent: October 22, 2013
    Assignee: Technological Resources Pty Limited
    Inventors: Mark Hayton, Neil John Goodman
  • Patent number: 8540930
    Abstract: An apparatus for manufacturing molten iron includes a reduction furnace having a charging device that is capable of preventing segregation. The reduction furnace for reducing an iron-containing material used for manufacturing molten iron may include a charging hole where the iron-containing material is charged, a first guide plate sloped toward a first direction in the reduction furnace to guide the iron-containing material to the inside of the reduction furnace, and a second guide plate fixed and sloped toward a second direction intersecting the first direction in the reduction furnace to guide the iron-containing material dropped and guided by the first guide plate. A dropping direction of the iron-containing material dropped and guided by the first guide plate is changed when the iron-containing material is guided by the second guide plate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 2008
    Date of Patent: September 24, 2013
    Assignee: POSCO
    Inventors: Ki-Woong Kwon, Suk-Kwang Jung, Young-Gil Choi, Do-Seung Kim, Sung-Hee Chae
  • Publication number: 20130099431
    Abstract: The invention relates to a suspension smelting furnace comprising a reaction shaft (1), an uptake shaft (2), and a lower furnace (3), as well as a concentrate burner (4) for feeding reaction gas and fine solids into the reaction shaft (1) of the suspension smelting furnace. The concentrate burner (4) comprises a fine solids discharge channel (5) that is radially limited by the wall (6) of the solids discharge channel, a fine solids dispersion device (7) in the fine solids discharge channel (5), an annular reaction gas channel (8) that surrounds the fine solids discharge channel (5) and is radially limited by the wall (9) of the annular reaction gas channel (8), and a cooling block (10) that surrounds the annular reaction gas channel (8). The cooling block (10) is a component that is manufactured by a continuous casting method.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 28, 2011
    Publication date: April 25, 2013
    Applicant: OUTOTEC OYJ
    Inventors: Peter Björklund, Kaarle Peltoniemi, Mikael Jåfs, Tapio Ahokainen, Kari Pienimäki, Lauri P. Pesonen
  • Patent number: 8287802
    Abstract: There is provided a method and an apparatus for treating return ores using plasma, capable of treating sintered return ores generated in a sintering process in a steel maker or return ores (iron ores) employed in other ironmaking process such as FINEX. The method of treating return ores using plasma includes: providing return ores sorted out by a sorting process; and bonding the return ores by fusing and agglomerating the return ores using plasma. Also, an apparatus for treating return ores using plasma includes a plasma heating device used to fuse and agglomerate sorted return ores. The return ores of a predetermined grain size are fusion-bonded and agglomerated using a flame of a plasma heating device. Particularly, the return ores can be treated in a massive amount to enhance productivity of a fusion-bonding process of the return ores. Furthermore, a great amount of sintered return ores generated in the sintering process can be subjected to a fewer number of re-treatment processes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2007
    Date of Patent: October 16, 2012
    Assignee: Posco
    Inventors: Shin Il Kim, Joo Kang, Jong Nam Lee, Won Hee Lee
  • Publication number: 20120228811
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method of feeding a fuel gas into the reaction shaft of a suspension smelting furnace and to a concentrate burner for feeding a reaction gas and fine solid matter into the reaction shaft of the suspension smelting furnace. In the method, fuel gas (16) is fed by the concentrate burner (4) to constitute part of the mixture formed by the pulverous solid matter (6) and the reaction gas (5), so that a mixture containing the pulverous solid matter (6), reaction gas (5) and fuel gas (6) is formed in the reaction shaft (2). The concentrate burner (4) comprises fuel gas feeding equipment (15) for adding the fuel gas (16) to constitute part of the mixture that is formed by fine solid matter (6) and reaction gas (5).
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 19, 2010
    Publication date: September 13, 2012
    Applicant: OUTOTEC OYJ
    Inventor: Jussi Sipilä
  • Publication number: 20120205840
    Abstract: A method for manufacturing granular metallic iron by reducing a raw material mixture including an iron oxide-containing material and a carbonaceous reducing agent, comprises: a step of charging the raw material mixture onto a hearth of a moving hearth-type thermal reduction furnace; a step of reducing the iron oxide in the raw material mixture by the carbonaceous reducing agent through the application of heat, thereby forming metallic iron, subsequently melting the metallic iron, and coalescing the molten metallic iron to granular metallic iron while separating the molten metallic iron from subgenerated slag; and a step of cooling the metallic iron to solidify; wherein the heat-reducing step includes a step of controlling the flow velocity of atmospheric gas in a predetermined zone of the furnace within a predetermined range. This method makes it possible to manufacture the granular metallic iron of high quality.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 23, 2012
    Publication date: August 16, 2012
    Applicant: Kabushiki Kaisha Kobe Seiko Sho (Kobe Steel, Ltd.)
    Inventors: Koji TOKUDA, Shuzo ITO, Shoichi KIKUCHI
  • Patent number: 8163230
    Abstract: A rotary hearth furnace for treating metal oxide materials comprises a hearth mounted for rotary movement within an enclosure. One or more fuel burners are positioned above the hearth. The burners are operably fired to heat the furnace so that heat radiates toward the hearth. One or more oxygen nozzles are positioned between the hearth and the burners in a manner that avoids substantial contact between the oxygen and the briquettes, thereby creating a quiescent zone immediately above the briquettes, with the quiescent zone being sufficient to minimize reoxidation of the reduced briquettes, and minimize entrainment of particulate matter from the briquettes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 29, 2008
    Date of Patent: April 24, 2012
    Assignee: Global Research and Engineering, LLC
    Inventors: Franklin G. Rinker, Daniel A. Molnar
  • Patent number: 8147797
    Abstract: A system for cooling and recuperative heating of a slurry in a metallurgical process which includes heat exchangers, pumps and autoclaves is described herein. The heat exchangers use a non-scaling common liquid heat transfer medium. Preferably, the heat exchangers are tube-in-tube heat exchangers with 3 to 7 slurry tubes in each heat exchanger. An advantage of this system is that it does not use flash tanks. To minimize abrasive wear on impinged surfaces, the velocity of the slurry is not more than 5 meters per second. The slurry comprises a solids concentration of 25% to 50%. Preferably, the pumps in the system are float-type pumps in which the driven liquid from the discharge pumps is also used as the drive liquid for the feed pumps.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 13, 2004
    Date of Patent: April 3, 2012
    Inventor: Donald J. Donaldson
  • Publication number: 20120013054
    Abstract: A battery of stationary hearth furnaces, and method for using, for producing metallic iron nodules having a furnace having a stationary hearth, an inlet and an outlet; a heating chamber beneath the stationary hearth having heated fluids circulated thereto and heating reducible material on the stationary hearth; passageways circulating fluids, through ports from the furnace housing above the reducible material to the heating chamber beneath; burners and air inlets in the furnace and optionally in at least one passageway and a heating chamber for drying and heating the reducible material, driving off and burning volatile material, and forming metallic iron nodules; a loading device for loading reducible material and optionally hearth material onto the stationary hearth through the inlet; and a discharging device capable of discharging metallic iron nodules and optionally related material from the stationary hearth through the outlet.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 26, 2011
    Publication date: January 19, 2012
    Applicant: NU-IRON TECHNOLOGY, LLC
    Inventor: Narayan GOVINDASWAMI
  • Patent number: 8052922
    Abstract: The invention relates to the iron and steel industry, in particular to batch charging into shaft, mainly blast furnaces. The inventive rotary batch distributor for shaft furnaces comprises an axle platform (1) and blades (2) which are equally spaced around the platform and are fixed thereto by means of brackets (3). The surface of each blade is embodied in the form of an involute of a truncated cone and consists of trapezoidal sections (4). The tilting angles of the trapezoidal sections with respect to the rotary batch distributor axis and to a horizontal plane are defined by the involutes (5) of truncated cone which are focused at the same point of the rotary batch distributor axis. The surface area of each blade is defined by the sector angle value ranging from 90 to 120° and by the radius of the describe circle of the rotary batch distributor. The end part (6) of the blade whose surface area is equal to 0.05-0.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 26, 2006
    Date of Patent: November 8, 2011
    Assignee: Zakrytoe Aktsionernoe Obschestvo “Nauchno-Proizvodstvenny I Kommerchesky Tsentr ″Totem”
    Inventors: Bekmurat Meketaevich Boranbaev, German Vasilievich Abramin, Yury Alexandrovich Smirnov, Andrey Mikhailovich Dyatlov, Alexander Yurievich Glazer
  • Patent number: 7968045
    Abstract: An installation for production of the secondary steel based on scrap in which the scrap (10) is fed in a scrap preheater (2) through a charging device (1), is preheated there and, finally, is brought into a smelting unit (3) and is melted there with primary energy only, the process gases (19), which leave the smelting unit (3), are not used for directly preheating the scrap (10) but are rather used indirectly by heating a gaseous preheatable medium, e.g., air (18) or inert gas, whereby energetic, fluidic, and spatial decoupling of preheating and melting and of post-combustion and preheating is achieved.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 1, 2010
    Date of Patent: June 28, 2011
    Assignee: SMS Siemag Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventor: Matthias Meyn
  • Publication number: 20110023660
    Abstract: Disclosed is a method for recovering a rare earth element from a rare earth alloy, which has improved extraction efficiency of the rare earth element from the rare earth alloy, and is applicable to the extraction of various rare earth elements. The method is characterized by comprising a step of immersing the rare earth alloy in a molten salt of a halide salt to cause the elution of a halide of the rare earth element into the molten salt, or a step of reacting a rare earth alloy scrap which coexists with at least one of Fe and Cu with a metal chloride gas at a temperature of 1300 to 1800K to selectively extract the rare earth element contained in the rare earth alloy scrap as a vapor of a chloride of the rare earth element.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 26, 2009
    Publication date: February 3, 2011
    Inventors: Toru H. Okabe, Sakae Shirayama
  • Publication number: 20110001279
    Abstract: A method for recovering platinum group elements comprises charging into a closed electric furnace and melting, together with flux components and a reducing agent, a platinum group element-containing substance to be processed and a copper source material containing copper oxide, sinking molten metal of primarily metallic copper below a molten slag layer of primarily oxides, and enriching the platinum group elements in the molten metal sunk below, and is characterized in that molten slag whose copper content has decreased to 3.0 wt % or less is discharged from the electric furnace and that the copper source material charged into the electric furnace is a granular copper source material of a grain diameter of not less than 0.1 mm and not greater than 10 mm.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 16, 2010
    Publication date: January 6, 2011
    Applicants: DOWA METALS & MINING CO., LTD., TANAKA KINKINZOKU KOGYO K.K., KOSAKA SMELTING & REFINING CO., LTD., NIPPON PGM CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Koji Yamada, Masahiko OGINO, Nobuyasu EZAWA, Hiroshi INOUE
  • Patent number: 7854786
    Abstract: Reduction process and relative plant for the production of metallic iron by means of the direct reduction of iron ore, in which a reduction shaft is connected to a source of reducing gas obtained from the gasification of coal. The process advantageously comprises a step in which a portion or all of the synthesis gas entering the plant circuit is processed to separate the methane from the rest of the components of said synthesis gas. The advantageous management of the extracted methane enables the entire reduction process to be optimized, making the efficiency of the process independent of the methane content in the original synthesis gas and making it possible to control the carbon content of the product more accurately and more easily.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 30, 2007
    Date of Patent: December 21, 2010
    Assignee: Danieli & C. Officine Meccaniche S.p.A.
    Inventors: Alessandro Martinis, Andrea Tavano, Barbara Franco
  • Publication number: 20100313710
    Abstract: A method for manufacturing granular metallic iron by reducing a raw material mixture including an iron oxide-containing material and a carbonaceous reducing agent, comprises: a step of charging the raw material mixture onto a hearth of a moving hearth-type thermal reduction furnace; a step of reducing the iron oxide in the raw material mixture by the carbonaceous reducing agent through the application of heat, thereby forming metallic iron, subsequently melting the metallic iron, and coalescing the molten metallic iron to granular metallic iron while separating the molten metallic iron from subgenerated slag; and a step of cooling the metallic iron to solidify; wherein the heat-reducing step includes a step of controlling the flow velocity of atmospheric gas in a predetermined zone of the furnace within a predetermined range. This method makes it possible to manufacture the granular metallic iron of high quality.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 18, 2007
    Publication date: December 16, 2010
    Applicant: Kabushiki Kaisha Kobe Seiko Sho(Kobe Steel, Ltd.)
    Inventors: Koji Tokuda, Shuzo Ito, Shoichi Kikuchi
  • Patent number: 7842228
    Abstract: Disclosed is a continuous refractory ore bioprocessing apparatus for the digestion of metal ore with bacteria. It includes a long trough tank fitted with a screw conveyer that extends along the length of the tank. A shell, having a number of feed ports, covers the screw conveyer. Granules of ore to be bioprocessed pass through the feed ports toward the screw conveyer portion of the reactor wherein the ore is ground by the screw conveyer and is bioprocessed as the screw conveyer rotates to push the ore along the reactor. Gas distribution manifolds are attached to the tank and are configured so that gas may be injected into the tank and onto the surface of the shell so as to encourage agitation of the materials in the tank and in the screw conveyer portion of the bioreactor while discouraging fouling of the shell and clogging of the feed ports.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 12, 2008
    Date of Patent: November 30, 2010
    Assignee: Western American Mining Company
    Inventor: Bart Levine
  • Publication number: 20100283192
    Abstract: An apparatus for manufacturing molten iron includes a reduction furnace having a charging device that is capable of preventing segregation. The reduction furnace for reducing an iron-containing material used for manufacturing molten iron may include a charging hole where the iron-containing material is charged, a first guide plate sloped toward a first direction in the reduction furnace to guide the iron-containing material to the inside of the reduction furnace, and a second guide plate fixed and sloped toward a second direction intersecting the first direction in the reduction furnace to guide the iron-containing material dropped and guided by the first guide plate. A dropping direction of the iron-containing material dropped and guided by the first guide plate is changed when the iron-containing material is guided by the second guide plate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 18, 2008
    Publication date: November 11, 2010
    Applicant: POSCO
    Inventors: Ki-Woong Kwon, Suk-Kwang Jung, Young-Gil Choi, Do-Seung Kim, Sung-Hee Chae
  • Patent number: 7780921
    Abstract: An apparatus for the removal of uranium from a body of material is provided. The apparatus has at least one ultrasonic extractor, having a bottom and a top. The at least one ultrasonic extractor is configured to accept solids at the bottom and acid at the top, and has a mixing screw and at least one source of ultrasonic energy. The mixing screw is configured to transport the solids in a direction countercurrent to the acid in the at least one ultrasonic extractor; and the source of ultrasonic energy is configured to impart ultrasonic energy into the solids and the acid, as the solids and the acid traverse the at least one ultrasonic extractor countercurrently.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 2009
    Date of Patent: August 24, 2010
    Assignee: Areva NP Inc.
    Inventor: Richard Thaddeus Kimura
  • Publication number: 20100139456
    Abstract: A reduction treatment apparatus can include a reduction furnace configured to reduce zinc and/or iron oxide thorough heat treatment of zinc-containing iron oxide or zinc oxide or iron oxide, with a reducing material. The reduction treatment apparatus also has an oxide inlet configured to supply to the reduction furnace the zinc-containing iron oxide or zinc oxide or iron oxide. The reduction treatment apparatus further has a reducing material inlet configured to supply to the reduction furnace the reducing material. The reducing material can comprise at least one of ASR, shredder dust of home electric appliances, waste plastics, PDF, RPF, sludge, oil mud, chips of wood, thread debris, rubber debris, and animal and plant residues. The reduction furnace can be configured to use the reducing material as a heating material and reduce the zinc-containing iron oxide or zinc-oxide or iron oxide without auxiliary fuel.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 3, 2009
    Publication date: June 10, 2010
    Applicants: SUMITOMO HEAVY INDUSTRIES, LTD., OSAKA STEEL CO., LTD
    Inventors: Nobuo EHARA, Isshu TETSUYAMA, Shigeki KASHIO, Yuzuru SATOU
  • Publication number: 20100024595
    Abstract: There is provided a method and an apparatus for treating return ores using plasma, capable of treating sintered return ores generated in a sintering process in a steel maker or return ores (iron ores) employed in other ironmaking process such as FINEX. The method of treating return ores using plasma includes: providing return ores sorted out by a sorting process; and bonding the return ores by fusing and agglomerating the return ores using plasma. Also, an apparatus for treating return ores using plasma includes a plasma heating device used to fuse and agglomerate sorted return ores. The return ores of a predetermined grain size are fusion-bonded and agglomerated using a flame of a plasma heating device. Particularly, the return ores can be treated in a massive amount to enhance productivity of a fusion-bonding process of the return ores. Furthermore, a great amount of sintered return ores generated in the sintering process can be subjected to a fewer number of re-treatment processes.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 21, 2007
    Publication date: February 4, 2010
    Applicant: POSCO
    Inventors: Shin Il Kim, Joo Kang, Jong Nam Lee, Won Hee Lee
  • Patent number: 7655181
    Abstract: A reduced iron discharging screw conveyer is provided in a rotary hearth furnace and discharges reduced iron out of the rotary hearth furnace. The rotary hearth furnace produces the reduced iron by charging and heating a pellet including metallic oxide and coal material onto a rotary hearth rotating in a horizontal plane. The reduced iron discharging screw conveyer has a rotary shaft and a screw blade which is spirally formed on an outer surface of the rotary shaft. A lead angle ? of the screw blade 5a satisfies a condition of “0.46 rad ???0.79 rad”. A ratio (h/D) between height h of the screw blade and an outer diameter D of the screw conveyer is smaller than 0.2, and a ratio (t/h) between thickness t and height h of the screw blade is larger than or equal to 0.12.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 3, 2007
    Date of Patent: February 2, 2010
    Assignees: Nippon Steel Engineering Co., Ltd., Nittetsu Plant Designing Corporation
    Inventors: Shinji Shima, Toshitaka Nakayama, Masahide Nagatomi
  • Patent number: 7638088
    Abstract: Apparatus and process for producing metal products, in which a metal-containing charge material is melted in a melting unit, and a working gas, in particular an at least partially reducing working gas, is additionally produced in the melting unit. The working gas produced is extracted and if appropriate after cleaning, is used as a carrier gas, at least in part for—preferably pneumatic—transport of an at least partially reduced metal-containing material in the form of fine particles.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 31, 2008
    Date of Patent: December 29, 2009
    Assignees: Voest-Alpine Industrieanlagenbau GmbH & Co, Pohang Iron & Steel Co. Ltd., Research Institute of Industrial Science & Technology Incorporated Foundation
    Inventor: Michael Nagl
  • Patent number: 7622071
    Abstract: The present invention relates to an apparatus for manufacturing compacted irons of the reduced materials containing fine reduce irons and an apparatus for manufacturing molten irons provided with the same. The apparatus for manufacturing compacted irons according to the present invention includes a couple of rollers for compacting reduced materials containing fine reduced irons and manufacturing compacted irons, a guide chute for guiding compacted irons which are discharged from the couple of rollers; and crushers for crushing compacted irons which are guided into the guide chute. A guiding surface of the guide chute, which guides the compacted irons, includes a straight slanted surface and a curved slanted surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 18, 2005
    Date of Patent: November 24, 2009
    Assignee: Posco
    Inventors: Kwang-Hee Lee, Sung-Kee Shin, Min-Chul Park, Sang-Hoon Joo, Deuk-Chae Kim, Soo-Young Bang, Kwang-Soo Choi, Il-Hyun Cho, Seung-Ho Choi, Myung-Sik Kim, Chong-Won Choi
  • Patent number: 7588717
    Abstract: The present invention relates to an apparatus for manufacturing compacted irons and an apparatus for manufacturing molten irons using the same. The apparatus for manufacturing compacted irons according to the present invention includes a charging hopper into which reduced materials containing fine reduced irons are charged, screw feeders installed inside the charging hopper to make an acute angle with a vertical direction and discharging the reduced materials containing fine reduced irons which enter into the charging hopper, and a couple of rolls separated from each other to form a gap between the rolls. The couple of rolls compact the reduced materials containing fine reduced irons discharged from the charging hopper by the screw feeders and manufacture compacted irons. Each screw feeders is arranged side by side along an axis direction of the couple of rolls and an extension of the center axis of each screw feeder passes through the gap.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 12, 2005
    Date of Patent: September 15, 2009
    Assignee: POSCO
    Inventors: Kwang-Hee Lee, Sung-Kee Shin, Il-Hyun Cho, Do-Seung Kim, Hyun-Uck Sung, Deuk-Chae Kim, Byung-Sik Ahn, Kyu-Cheol Ahn, Myung-Ho Cho, Myung-Chan Shin
  • Publication number: 20090139371
    Abstract: Apparatus, systems and methods for carbothermically producing aluminum are disclosed. The systems may include a reactor and an electrical supply. The reactor may include a plurality of side-entering electrodes and a top-entering electrode. The electrical supply may be operable to supply multiphase current to the side-entering electrodes and/or the top-entering electrodes. The electrodes may be in communication with a molten bath of the reactor, and the multiphase current supplied thereto may be passed through the bath to heat the reactor. The amount of current supplied to various electrode sets may be adjusted to facilitate tailored heating of the molten bath.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 4, 2007
    Publication date: June 4, 2009
    Applicant: Alcoa Inc.
    Inventors: Joseph A. Lepish, Gerald E. Carkin
  • Patent number: 7497985
    Abstract: To facilitate a trouble-free charging of scrap metal having differing constitutions, such as light and heavy scrap metal, from a lower discharge opening of a shaft-shaped charging device or a charging stock preheater (1) into a melting vessel by a pusher (13), the lateral surfaces of the pusher (13) are formed so as to converge from the upper side to the lower side and the actuating device (2) of the pusher (13) is pivotably supported in a frame structure (3) about a horizontal axis. In addition, the upper boundary of the discharge opening for the charging stock from the shaft (2) is preferably formed by a horizontal, rotatably supported roller (26), more preferably with engaging elements (30) distributed around the circumferential surface. Sections of the charging device that are severely mechanically stressed are preferably formed by steel billet sections connected to form a structural unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 25, 2004
    Date of Patent: March 3, 2009
    Assignee: Fuchs Technology AG
    Inventor: Gerhard Fuchs
  • Publication number: 20090051083
    Abstract: A vertical reduction furnace for the production of metallic iron by means of the direct reduction of iron ore (DRI), comprising an iron ore feed zone, an iron ore reduction zone, a metallic iron discharge zone (3), accumulation means (6) communicating at an inlet end with the metallic iron discharge zone (3) and at an outlet end with gas sealing means (7). The accumulation means may accumulate the metallic iron along with the off-gases from the reduction process.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 21, 2006
    Publication date: February 26, 2009
    Inventors: Arbeno Vrech, Ilie-Florian Mitoi, Gianfranco Marconi
  • Publication number: 20090049955
    Abstract: A method for the recovery of the secondary metallurgy (LF) slag from a plant for the production of steel comprises a cooling step of the slag, by means of the passage of air and/or other gas, a breakdown step, i.e. transformation of several phases present in the mass into powder and a step of drawing the powder.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 28, 2006
    Publication date: February 26, 2009
    Inventors: Francesco Memoli, Osvaldo Brioni, Mauro Bianchi Ferri
  • Publication number: 20080290567
    Abstract: A rotary charging device for a shaft furnace, in particular a blast furnace, is disclosed. The charging device is equipped with a cooling system. The rotary charging device includes a rotatable support for rotary distribution means as well as a stationary housing for the rotatable support. The cooling system includes a rotary cooling circuit fixed in rotation with the rotatable support as well as a stationary cooling circuit on the stationary housing. A heat transfer device is provided which includes a stationary heat transfer element configured to be cooled by a cooling fluid flowing through the stationary cooling circuit and which includes a rotary heat transfer element configured to be heated by a separate cooling fluid circulated in the rotary cooling circuit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 3, 2006
    Publication date: November 27, 2008
    Applicant: PAUL WURTH S.A.
    Inventors: Guy Thillen, Jeannot Loutsch, Patrick Hutmacher, Emile Lonardi, Paul Tockert
  • Patent number: 7311519
    Abstract: The invention provides a raw materials feeding apparatus capable of uniformly dispersing and feeding into a furnace agglomerated raw materials that are likely to undergo dusting, deformation and mutual adhesion. In a raw material feeding apparatus for a rotary hearth furnace, for feeding raw materials to a rotary hearth furnace by using a flat belt conveyor, the invention employs a construction in which a scraper for guiding the raw materials on the flat belt conveyor to a side surface of the flat belt conveyor is arranged obliquely to a traveling direction of the flat belt conveyor. Preferably, the scraper is arranged in such a manner as to guide the raw materials to both sides of the flat belt conveyor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 21, 2003
    Date of Patent: December 25, 2007
    Assignees: Nippon Steel Corporation, Nittetsu Plant Designing Corporation
    Inventors: Shinji Shima, Yuichi Sakurai, Masahide Nagatomi
  • Patent number: 6972108
    Abstract: Disclosed is a device for metallizing uranium oxide and recovering uranium, which reacts uranium oxide with a lithium metal to product uranium metal powder, and filters the resulting product using a porous filter to separate the uranium metal powder from lithium chloride molten liquid to recover the uranium metal powder. The device includes a heating furnace including at least one first heating unit, and a reactor includes a reaction vessel having a discharging valve hole located at the center of a bottom thereof and a conical bottom tapered to the discharging valve hole, a sealing lid for sealing the reaction vessel airtight, an argon gas inlet port for feeding argon gas into the reactor therethrough, and an argon gas outlet port for venting argon gas from the reactor therethrough. A valve assembly controls the discharging valve hole of the reaction vessel, and a plurality of agitators mix a mixture in the reactor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 30, 2003
    Date of Patent: December 6, 2005
    Assignees: Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Ik-Soo Kim, Chung-Seok Seo, Sun-Seok Hong, Won-Kyoung Lee, Dae-Seung Kang, Seong-Won Park
  • Publication number: 20040222575
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a device for feeding shredder dust to a furnace such as a reverberatory furnace. This device comprises a feeding chute that passes to the inside of the reverberatory furnace and is fitted to the ceiling of the reverberatory furnace. Shredder dust can be fed from this feeding chute which also allows oxygen enriched air to be supplied to the feeding chute and fed to the inside of the reverberatory furnace. Further, the present invention relates to a reverberatory furnace in which a burner is able to be installed in a wall portion of one end side thereof. A plurality of feeding ports to which are connected the feeding chutes of the shredder dust feeding devices are provided at the one end side in the ceiling portion thereof forming a plurality of staggered rows facing the other end side.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 16, 2004
    Publication date: November 11, 2004
    Applicant: Onahama Smelting and Refining Co., LTD.
    Inventors: Michio Nishiwaki, Kiyomi Tobe, Takayuki Sato, Kaoru Suzuki, Shigeru Ishikawa
  • Patent number: 6811743
    Abstract: A method for supplying a granular raw material for reduced iron in which when the granular raw material is fed into a hopper and from there supplied onto a hearth of a movable hearth furnace through a material supplying device, the material supplying device is moved vertically to thereby adjust the gap between the lower end of the material supplying device and the hearth. Thus, the amount of granular raw material supplied onto the hearth of the movable hearth furnace is adjustable. Further, granular raw material is dispersed in the hearth width direction over the entire surface of the hearth of the movable hearth furnace with minimal breakage or pulverization of the granular raw material for reduced iron and leveled by a spiral vane rotated on the downstream side, with respect to a hearth moving direction, of a material discharge outlet of the material supplying device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 4, 2002
    Date of Patent: November 2, 2004
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Kobe Seiko Sho
    Inventor: Takao Harada
  • Patent number: 6805723
    Abstract: A hollow partition wall is employed to feed carbon material to an underflow of a carbothermic reduction furnace used to make aluminum. The partition wall divides a low temperature reaction zone where aluminum oxide is reacted with carbon to form aluminum carbide and a high temperature reaction zone where the aluminum carbide and remaining aluminum oxide are reacted to form aluminum and carbon monoxide.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 6, 2003
    Date of Patent: October 19, 2004
    Assignees: Alcoa Inc., Elkem ASA
    Inventors: Jan Arthur Aune, Kai Johansen
  • Patent number: 6800113
    Abstract: The present invention refers to an equipment for feeding and distributing charge and fuel in furnaces of rectangular cross section, comprising movable feeding tubes to distribute along the longitudinal section and the cross section of the furnace, both a charge comprised of self-reducing agglomerates, ore, scrap or any other metallic material, and solid fuels of any kind.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 28, 2001
    Date of Patent: October 5, 2004
    Assignee: Startec Iron LLC
    Inventors: Marcos de Albuquerque Contrucci, Pedro Henrique Carpinetti Costa
  • Publication number: 20040099094
    Abstract: Apparatus and process for producing a fixed bed in a metallurgical unit, preferably for producing pig iron or primary steel products from iron-containing charge materials, in particular in a melted gasifier, in which a lumpy bulk material, which contains ore-containing and carbon-containing constituents, prereduced iron ore, preferably sponge iron, and preferably lumpy, coal, is charged onto a surface. Through mixing of the ore-containing constituent with the carbon-containing constituent of the bulk material takes place. The entire ore-containing constituent is charged onto an active circumferential or peripheral region of the fixed bed, at which the thorough, preferably uniform mixing of the ore-containing constituent with the carbon-containing constituent of the bulk material takes place preferably outward of the center. A device scatters the stream of bulk material aver the surface and less of the material is scattered at the center, so that heavier grain lumps segregate themselves toward the center.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 23, 2003
    Publication date: May 27, 2004
    Inventors: Rainer Walter Kastner, Reinhard Pum, Kurt Wieder, Johann Wurm, Hado Heckmann
  • Patent number: 6652802
    Abstract: Solid state iron oxide reduction in a gas-solid reduction zone is combined with continuous melting of the hot solid reduced iron in a fuel-fired gas-solid-liquid melting zone within a rotary furnace. The process includes direct pneumatic transfer of the hot reduced iron by carrier gases through a transfer duct incorporating an injection lance nozzle projecting a jet of hot reduced iron downwards into the metal bath within the melting zone. Oxygen is also introduced into the hot gas stream at selected locations in the melting zone for post-combustion with carbon monoxide generated by a carbon boil and combustion with other combustible gases prior to exit from the rotary furnace, thereby furnishing heat for melting. The hot gas stream is then utilized to provide a significant part of the heat requirement for reduction, prior to exhausting into the atmosphere.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 21, 2002
    Date of Patent: November 25, 2003
    Inventor: William Lyon Sherwood
  • Patent number: 6623269
    Abstract: A thermal treatment apparatus has a plurality of thermal treatment chambers in which an object to be treated is thermally treated while being transported, and at least one pair of two adjacent thermal treatment chambers of which inside temperatures are different from each other. The thermal treatment chambers are connected through a thermal insulating structural member, whereby thermal conduction between the chambers, such as muffles, is prevented to reduce a heat loss caused in the thermal treatment apparatus. Therefore, input thermal energy which is necessary to carry out a predetermined thermal treatment is significantly reduced without affecting quality and yield of the object.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 29, 2002
    Date of Patent: September 23, 2003
    Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yuji Tsutsui, Hiroyuki Naka
  • Publication number: 20030102610
    Abstract: Disclosed is a method for supplying a granular raw material for reduced iron in which when the granular raw material for reduced iron is fed into a hopper and from there supplied onto a hearth of a movable hearth furnace through a material supplying device, the material supplying device is moved vertically to thereby adjust the gap between the lower end of the material supplying device and the hearth, whereby it is possible to adjust with high accuracy the amount of granular raw material for reduced iron supplied onto the hearth of the movable hearth furnace.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 4, 2002
    Publication date: June 5, 2003
    Applicant: Kabushiki Kaisha Kobe Seiko Sho (Kobe Steel, Ltd.)
    Inventor: Takao Harada
  • Patent number: RE39536
    Abstract: In a method for the production of liquid metal, in particular liquid pig iron (9) or liquid steel pre-products, from metal carriers, in particular partially reduced or reduced sponge iron (3), in a melter gasifier (1) in which with supply of a carbon-containing material at least partially formed of fine coal (16) and coal dust (13) and with supply of oxygen or oxygen-containing gas the metal carriers are melted in a bed (4) of the carbon-containing material at the simultaneous formation of a reducing gas, optionally upon previous final reduction, fine coal (16) and coal dust (13) which are being charged, are mixed with bitumen (20) in the hot state, after undergoing a drying operation, and subsequently are cold-briquetted, and the briquettes (25) thus formed are charged to the melter gasifier (1) in the cold state and in the melter gasifier (1) are subjected to shock-heating.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 30, 2002
    Date of Patent: April 3, 2007
    Assignee: Deutsche Voest-Alpine Industrieanlagenbau GmbH
    Inventors: Günter Schrey, Parviz Zahedi