Abstract: An apparatus, and method of operating the apparatus, wherein a feed material is converted into a glassified condition for subsequent use or disposal. The apparatus is particularly useful for disposal of hazardous or noxious waste materials which are otherwise either difficult or expensive to dispose of. The apparatus is preferably constructed by excavating a melt zone in a quantity of soil or rock, and lining the melt zone with a back fill material if refractory properties are needed. The feed material is fed into the melt zone and, preferably, combusted to an ash, whereupon the heat of combustion is used to melt the ash to a molten condition. Electrodes may be used to maintain the molten feed material in a molten condition, and to maintain homogeneity of the molten materials.

Abstract: An improved method and apparatus for forming metallized iron by direct reduction of particulate iron oxide is disclosed. Spent reducing gas is recycled from the reduction furnace through a cooler-scrubber and a catalyst-containing stoichiometric gas reformer. Upon removing the process gas from the cooler-scrubber, it is contacted with a chlorine dioxide spray, then compressed and cooled, the sulfur compound removed, and the process gas recycled either into the furnace cooling zone, or directly into the reformer, or divided and directed into both uses. Thus, most of the sulfur containing components of the spent reducing gas are removed, thereby reducing the sulfur contamination of the gas reformer catalyst. Reducing sulfur contamination of the gas reformer catalyst improves the overall efficiency of the direct reduction process.

Abstract: A method and apparatus is provided for temporarily retaining slag and nonmetallic particles in a tundish while molten metal is being transferred through the tundish to other desired vessels. In particular, a meltable dam is placed into an opening between the chambers in a tundish, and the meltable dam retains an accumulation of molten metal in the pour chamber of the tundish with the slag and nonmetallic particles floating on top of that level such that the slag and nonmetallic particles are above the opening between the chambers of the tundish. The dam then completely melts and allows the transfer of molten metal through the opening. The slag and nonmetallic particles are retained in the pour chamber, however, because the molten metal being transferred into the pour chamber maintains the level in that chamber above the opening until almost all of the metal has been transferred into and through the chamber.

Abstract: A method for treating gases and solids in a fluid bed, the fluid bed reactor substantially comprising, regarded downstream, a mixing chamber, a riser pipe and a cyclone with a solids return pipe to the mixing chamber, the gases being introduced into the mixing chamber at a gas rate immediately before the inlet port of the mixing chamber of more than 35 m/sec.

Abstract: An environmentally sound process is described for the remediation of waste materials and oxides of metals that allows the separation, recovery and decontamination of metals. The method includes chemically reducing essentially all of a reducible toxic and potentially hazardous metal oxide of a metal-containing composition. A metal-containing composition is directed into a molten bath, including a first reducing agent which, under the operating conditions of the molten bath, chemically reduces a first metal oxide of a metal in the metal-containing composition to form a bath-soluble transient second metal oxide. A second reducing agent is directed into the molten bath. The second reducing agent, under the operations of the molten-bath, chemically reduces the second metal oxide, provided that the second reducing agent has a Gibbs free energy lower than that of the second metal oxide.

Abstract: An environmentally sound process is described for the remediation of waste materials that allows the separation, recovery and decontamination of metals. The method includes chemically reducing essentially all of a reducible toxic and potentially hazardous metal-containing component of a waste composition. The waste is directed into a molten metal bath, including a first reducing agent which, under the operating conditions of the molten metal bath, chemically reduces a metal of the metal-containing component to form a dissolved intermediate. A reagent is directed into the molten metal bath for metal-ligand exchange with the dissolved intermediate to form a metal-ligand exchange product that includes the metal of the dissolved intermediate. A second reducing agent is directed into the molten metal bath. The second reducing agent, under the operations of the molten metal bath, chemically reduces the metal of the metal-ligand exchange product.

Abstract: A garbage incinerator is provided with a system for collecting the grate ash, the boiler ash and the fly ash resulting from the incineration and the collected residue is fed to a melting furnace from which the metal and metal compounds are recovered in the form of a metal-enriched melt and a slag which can be granulated and used in highway construction or the like since it is completely glassy. The metal-enriched melt can also be treated to recover metals therefrom.

Abstract: A plant for the production of molten metals, includes a melting vessel and a metallurgical vessel receiving the melt from the melting vessel for aftertreating the melt and closed by a lid. The melting vessel has a tap opening for the melt provided on the bottom level of the melting vessel and located on the periphery of the melting vessel. The tap opening is positioned above a pour-in opening of the metallurgical vessel. In order to ensure a continuous melting procedure, the pour-in opening of the metallurgical vessel following the melting vessel is provided above a melt guiding chute arranged within the metallurgical vessel.

Abstract: A method of simultaneous disposal of liquid and solid wastes comprises the steps of introducing liquid and solid wastes into a gasification reactor with a cooled reactor inner wall and liquid slag discharge and gasifying the liquid and solid wastes at a temperature which is at least 50.degree. C. higher than a melting temperature of mineral components of the solid wastes with a dwelling time of a produced gas in the gasification reactor more than 2 seconds.

Abstract: The specification discloses a process for pre-heating and pre-reducing metal oxide ores. The process comprises introducing particles of an oxide ore entrained in a gas through a port into a treatment chamber. Inside the treatment chamber teh stream of entrained particles combines with a stream of high temperature reducing gas in such a way that the particles are heated rapidly and enter into flow patterns whereby contact with other particles and the internal surface of the treatment chamber is minimized. The stream of entrained particles and the stream of high temperature reducing gas are substantially co-current. A treatment chamber elongated in the direction of co-current flow is described in the specification. The hot off-gases may be derived from a molten bath reactor and comprise a high concentration of carbon monoxide and hydrogen.

Abstract: For the metallurgical treatment of a molten metal bath (1) in a metallurgical smelting and refining vessel (3), additive substances (43) which are capable of flow, in particular lime, are supplied in a granular to dust state, at least during a part of the refining phase, to the upper region of the inward side (15') of the vessel wall (11), distributed around the periphery thereof. At the vessel wall (11) the additive substances (43) form a barrier or protective layer which reduces the energy losses and increases the service life of the vessel (3).

Abstract: Waste materials containing metal oxides and/or metals and their salts are converted to useful products. The waste materials are combined in such proportions that when heated, they form a composite that becomes molten and pourable at temperatures below about 1600.degree. C. Provision is also made for converting some of the metal oxides in the molten material to free metal which is then separated from the molten material. A modified cupola can be used to generate the temperature and reducing conditions suitable for carrying out the process.

Abstract: A thermite process for producing a pure metal or alloy by charging a reactor furnace with a mixture primarily containing a powdered metallic oxide and a reducing agent such as powdered aluminum, wherein a batch of the mixture of the starting materials is divided into a plurality of loading lots. The amount of heat generated by each of the loading lots of the starting materials is so regulated that the amount of heat generated by each loading lot differs from the amount of heat generated by other loading lots and the loading lots are sequentially arranged. The lots are loaded into a furnace to form layers for thermite reaction in an ascending order of heat generation.

Abstract: Process and apparatus for producing ferrous or non-ferrous metals from a charge formed by self-reducing agglomerates (comprising pulverized ores, carbonaceous material plus a binder) consisting the apparatus of a shaft furnace, comprising a cylindrical or conical shaft (3), having, at the top portion thereof, loading gates or devices (1) and an outlet for gases through a chimney (19) or a chamber leading the same to heat regenerators (9) to pre-heat blown-in air and also having one or more rows of tuyeres (15) for blowing air; and a cylindrical or conical hearth (5) having a diameter greater than that of shaft (3) by an amount sufficient for positioning fuel feeders (4) directly over a fuel bed; and on the lower part, one or more rows of tuyeres (13) distributed so as to blow air oxygen enriched or not and injecting or not liquid gaseous, or pulverized fuels, this same apparatus being capable of melting 100% metallic charges of any metal and alloys or different proportions of metallic forms and self-reducing

Abstract: A method and apparatus for producing molten metal from powder state ore through smelting process to be performed in a shaft furnace, utilized the reducing material having grain size greater than that n-times of the gas flow velocity corresponding grain size to charge from the top of a shaft furnace for forming fluidized bed at the upper section of the furnace and a reducing material filled section below the fluidized bed. The method and apparatus for smelting the powder state ore also takes the reducing material having smaller grain size to be blown into the furnace through tuyeres.

Abstract: The process for purifying a metal melt operates with an active gas introduced into the lower region thereof and consisting of an inert carrier gas and an active, gaseous halogen which are introduced under control into a vessel with the stagnant or flowing metal melt.The active, gaseous halogen is generated at a controlled rate in at least one gas evolution cell and introduced into the carrier gas. The active gas mixture is passed directly into the metal melt. The gas feed line of the halogen does not have any control element.The gas evolution cell for generating the halogen is preferably an exchangeable electrolysis cell, gas being produced only when the electrolysis current is switched on, which follows a nominal curve proportionally to the current intensity.

Abstract: The present invention relates to an overall direct smelting process which provides for separating the carburization function from the heating function to permit separate control of the individual functions. One embodiment of the smelting reactor is divided into a carburization/smelting section and a heating section with a substantial recirculation of the molten product from the heating section back to the carburization/smelting section. The heating section also serves as a slag/metal separation section. Carburization is achieved by injection of solids (fine coal mixed with slagging agents), where desired. Gas generating solids or inert gases are injected into a lift pipe to provide a motive force for circulation of the molten metal. The circulation rate through the system is a function of the injected solid composition, the mass flow rate of the solids injected into the lift pipe and the lift pipe geometry.

Abstract: The present invention relates to manufacturing a silver alloy which is blackened throughout its bulk and used, for example, in jewelry. The method of manufacturing this material comprises putting the silver alloy into contact with sulfur in the form of sulfur vapor. The thickness of the wires or foils used in the method lies between about 1/10th of a millimeter and a few millimeters, and the time during which the silver alloy is exposed in the atmosphere of sulfur vapor is calculated as a function of this thickness. The silver alloy blackens due to sulfur/silver diffusion, and according to the present invention the silver alloy is heated to a predetermined temperature in order to optimize this diffusion as well as the microstructure of the resulting material.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for production of metals and/or ferro alloys by prereduction of particulate metal oxide co-current with a reducing gas. Reducing gas having a temperature between 650.degree. and 1100.degree. C. and metal oxide particles are supplied at the lower end of a substantially vertical prereduction column which comprises at least two chamber having a substantially circular cross-section, said chambers in their upper and lower ends having a decreasing cross-section and where a ringshaped member for decreasing the cross-section is arranged in the intermediate zone between the chambers. The mixture of reducing gas and prereduced metal oxide particles is collected at the top of the prereduction column, whereafter the prereduced metal oxide particles are transported to a smelting furnace for smelting and final reduction to metallic state by addition of a reduction material.The present invention also relates to a column for treatment of particulate solid materials with a gas.

Abstract: For the introducing gases, wires and powders to metal melts, a multi-ducted refractory body is installed in the wall of a vessel for the melt. The body has passage closing elements preventing melt entering the passages (A, B, C). Two passages (A and C) serve respectively for introducing gas, and fluidized powders, to the melt; each has a movable pipe (for gas or fluidized powder). Upon moving the gas pipe towards the melt, it dislodges closing element whereby gas from the pipe can enter the melt via capillar bores. Wire is fed along passage (B) to the melt: when it reaches the closing element the wire can itself dislodge this element to gain access to the melt. A method of introducing substances to liquid related to use of this apparatus is disclosed, as well as metallurgical process involving the method.