Reduction Patents (Class 75/673)
  • Publication number: 20140260805
    Abstract: A method of reducing entrained aluminum oxides in aluminum castings. The method comprises preheating a furnace charge to remove moisture and contaminants. The furnace charge is then coated on all free surfaces with a layer of flux. Subsequently the furnace charge is melted in a furnace to form a melt bath of liquid aluminum suitable for casting. The flux layer removes the naturally occurring oxide film from the furnace charge surface as well as provides a cover flux to protect the melt bath from oxidation.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 6, 2014
    Publication date: September 18, 2014
    Applicant: GM Global Technology Operations LLC
    Inventors: Qigui Wang, Dale A. Gerard
  • Publication number: 20130036869
    Abstract: Here, a method has been offered of aluminum reception by means of metallothermal magnesium recovery of aluminum trichloride in the flow of inactive gas at the temperature of 900-1150° C. and the total pressure of 0.01-5 atm., the mass correlation of aluminii chloride and magnesium in the parent mix being 3.69:1.00. The process is realized in a cylinder-shaped reactor with thin-walled attachments (6) made of ceramics and located inside the reactor. The latter is supplied with a cone-like bottom part. A cauldron-evaporator of magnesium into the flow of inactive gas is mounted in front of the reactor, while behind it there is a unit for separating liquid magnesium from the residual mix of magnesium and aluminii chloride, all the components of the device having been lined inside with fireproof materials. The technical result is growth of efficiency at the expense of guaranteed uninterrupted process of recovery and the best of ecological specifications.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 6, 2011
    Publication date: February 14, 2013
    Inventor: Albert Ivanovich Begunov
  • Publication number: 20120031237
    Abstract: A tilting rotary furnace with a door assembly that seals against a furnace vessel. The seal between the door and the furnace vessel allows for regulation of the internal environment of the furnace and control over thermitting of the aluminum. As a result, aluminum recovery may be carried out without the use of salt. A portion of the door may rotate with the furnace vessel and a portion of the door may remain rotationally stationary with respect to the furnace vessel and the rotating portion of the door.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 5, 2010
    Publication date: February 9, 2012
    Inventor: Erik D. Grimm
  • Publication number: 20110154950
    Abstract: Burner assembly for use in industrial heating and melting applications of material susceptible to oxidation at elevated temperatures is comprised of a flow passage of oxidant surrounded by an annular flow passage of fuel whereby the oxidant is substantially contained inside the fuel layer up to at least 5 oxidant nozzle diameters downstream of the burner outlet in order to minimize contact between the oxidant and the furnace load.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 1, 2010
    Publication date: June 30, 2011
    Applicant: Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.
    Inventors: Jin Cao, Russell James Hewertson, Xiaoyi He
  • Patent number: 7829460
    Abstract: By forming an aluminum nitride layer by a self-limiting process sequence, the interface characteristics of a copper-based metallization layer may be significantly enhanced while nevertheless maintaining the overall permittivity of the layer stack at a lower level.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 2007
    Date of Patent: November 9, 2010
    Assignee: GLOBALFOUNDRIES, Inc.
    Inventors: Christof Streck, Volker Kahlert
  • Patent number: 7824468
    Abstract: A carbothermic process for producing an aluminium carbide containing mass by injecting carbon and alumina into molten aluminium superheated above 1400° C. The carbon reacts with molten aluminium to produce an aluminium carbide and alumina mass. The mass can be heated in the range of 1700° C. to 2000° C. to produce aluminium metal and carbon monoxide.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 27, 2006
    Date of Patent: November 2, 2010
    Assignee: Thermical IP Pty Ltd.
    Inventor: Yaghoub Sayad-Yaghoubi
  • Publication number: 20080257111
    Abstract: A method is described for smelting fragmentized aluminum scrap, with the aluminum scrap to be smelted being molten in a furnace after thermal pre-treatment in a hot-gas stream. In order to provide advantageous process conditions it is proposed that the aluminum scrap is subjected at first in a continuous flow of material to the thermal treatment and is smelted thereafter, and that from the hot gas stream guided in a circulation for the thermal treatment of the aluminum scrap a partial stream is branched off and is guided into the furnace.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 24, 2006
    Publication date: October 23, 2008
    Inventors: Hubert Mayringer, Gunther Hertwich, Franz Niedermair
  • Patent number: 6565733
    Abstract: Method for the production of primary aluminium from alumina comprising the step of converting alumina into aluminium sulfide (Al2S3) and subsequently the separation of aluminium from aluminium sulfide wherein the conversion of alumina into aluminium sulfide is performed by reacting alumina with CS2 containing gas at a temperature Tal whereby the alumina is mainly &ggr;-alumina.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 17, 1999
    Date of Patent: May 20, 2003
    Assignee: Corus Aluminium Walzprodukte GmbH
    Inventors: Heiko Sportel, Cornelis Wilhelmus Franciscus Verstraten
  • Patent number: 6361580
    Abstract: A continuous process for the production of elemental aluminum is described. Aluminum is made from aluminum oxide and a reducing gas such as a light hydrocarbon gas or other reducing gas, for example hydrogen. In the process, a feed stream of the aluminum oxide and the reducing gas is continuously fed into a reaction zone. There the aluminum oxide and reducing gas are reacted at a temperature of about 1500° C. or greater in the reaction zone to provide a continuous product stream of reaction products, which include elemental aluminum. The product stream is continuously quenching after leaving the reaction zone, and the elemental aluminum is separated from the other reaction products.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 21, 2000
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2002
    Assignee: Massachuetts Institute of Technology
    Inventors: Sven Plahte, Bjorn Lillebuen, Alexander F. Diaz, Jack B. Howard, Anthony J. Modestino, William A. Peters
  • Patent number: 6086655
    Abstract: A thermo-mechanical process for producing aluminum or other metals from aluminium or metal compounds, is described, whereby aluminum oxide or similar aluminium compounds or similar other metal compounds, are heated by friction generated by mechanical forces from a rotating and/or agitating means within a process chamber together with either free water or waterforming constituents in the aluminium-or-metal compounds and a hydrogen- and carbon delivering material such as oil or natural gas, such as methane, and carbon in such a manner that material in the reactor chamber behaves like a hot mechanical fluidized bed whereby the water can be split into hydroxyl and hydrogen radicals making hydrogen radicals react, with the oxygen in the hot and now unstable aluminum or metal compound and thus releasing aluminum or metal atoms, and the hydroxyl radical reacting back to water and if carbon is used, the surplus of oxygen reacting with carbon to CO or CO.sub.2.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 22, 1998
    Date of Patent: July 11, 2000
    Assignee: Industrikontakt, Ing. O Ellingsen & Co.
    Inventors: Olav Ellingsen, Liv S.o slashed.reb.o slashed. Ellingsen, Bjarte S.o slashed.reb.o slashed. Ellingsen
  • Patent number: 6010749
    Abstract: A metal volatilization process is described in which metal oxide pieces in a reaction chamber are reduced to form reduced metal and at least a portion of that metal is volatilized and used for coating a variety of substrates, including those which are susceptible to heat damage. The metal oxides formed must have curved surfaces which maintain a non-zero contact angle with their support during reduction. Preferably the reduction phase is preceded by an oxidation phase which is conducted in the same chamber, and uses as the starting materials oxidizable metal pieces which also are curved to maintain a non-zero contact angle with the support, so that general curved shapes will be maintained throughout the oxidation and reduction phases of the process. Vacuum is unnecessary, and the process can be operated at ambient pressures.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 28, 1998
    Date of Patent: January 4, 2000
    Inventor: Mark A. Goldman
  • Patent number: 5723097
    Abstract: A method of treating spent potliner material from aluminum reduction cells is disclosed. The spent potliner material is introduced into a sulfuric acid digester to produce a gas component including hydrogen fluoride and hydrogen cyanide and a slurry component including carbon, silica, alumina, sodium sulfate, iron, calcium and magnesium. The gas component is recovered and heated an effective amount to eliminate hydrogen cyanide and produce a remaining gas component including CO.sub.2, H.sub.2 O, nitrogen oxides and HF. The remaining gas component is directed through a water scrubber to form hydrofluoric acid, and the hydrofluoric acid is admixed with aluminum hydroxide to create aluminum fluoride. The slurry component is rinsed with water to separate a first solid fraction containing carbon, alumina and silica from a second liquid faction. The pH of the liquid fraction is adjusted to first create and separate aluminum hydroxide and then to separate sodium sulfate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 8, 1995
    Date of Patent: March 3, 1998
    Assignee: Goldendale Aluminum Company
    Inventors: Robert J. Barnett, Michael B. Mezner
  • Patent number: 5332421
    Abstract: A method of smelting aluminum from aluminum ore wherein the powdered ore is mixed with a flux containing substantial amounts of borax, sodium bicarbonate and a copper compound, preferably copper sulphate. The mixture is placed in a suitable vessel, preferably with a rounded bottom, that can withstand high temperatures and that has an outlet hole in the bottom. The mixture of powdered ore and flux is heated to a temperature sufficient to melt the mixture and thereby produce a molten material containing aluminum. The molten material is allowed to flow out of the outlet hole and to cool outside by means of air cooling which results in the aluminum separating out. Preferably, the flux comprises about one third borax, one third sodium bicarbonate and about one third copper sulphate. A suitable ore for this method is nepheline syenite.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 10, 1993
    Date of Patent: July 26, 1994
    Assignee: Clifford J. Stoughton
    Inventor: William J Stoughton, deceased
  • Patent number: 5279645
    Abstract: An improved process for the removal of organic matter from bauxite ore containing gibbsite comprises heating the ore under roasting conditions including a roasting temperature of from about 400.degree. C. to about 600.degree. C. with oxygen-containing roasting gas having a moisture content of less than 1% by volume water until the water of crystallization of the alumina present in the treated product is less than 0.5 mole per mole of alumina.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 8, 1992
    Date of Patent: January 18, 1994
    Assignee: Shell Research Limited
    Inventor: Albert Rijkeboer