Claims
- 1. A reactor for simultaneously separating volatile metals, including zinc and lead, and non-volatile metals, including copper, from material containing such metals or metal oxides comprising:
- an open-ended, generally vertical shaft having its lower end opening into the top of an enlarged reaction chamber having a floor, and its upper end opening into the bottom of an enlarged, closed upper chamber;
- a transferred arc plasma generator arranged within the reaction chamber to produce a plasma arc and a heat producing electron flow;
- means for feeding a finely pulverized mixture of metals, which may be in the form of metallic oxides, containing zinc, lead and copper, and carbonaceous material, into the plasma generator heated reaction chamber along with oxygen containing gas for producing a reduction reaction, and wherein the non-volatile metal melts and forms a molten puddle upon the floor and a molten layer of slag is formed upon the puddle, and the volatile metal vaporizes and the vapors flow upwardly through the shaft and into the upper chamber;
- means for substantially filling the shaft with a mixture of pieces of metallic bearing materials and of carbonaceous material so that the vapors rise upwardly through the filling;
- the upper chamber being heated by the heat energy rising from the reaction chamber and being maintained at a temperature and pressure range sufficient to cause condensation of the lead vapors, but insufficient to condense the zinc vapors, wherein molten lead is condensed in the upper chamber and gravity feeds back down through the shaft and shaft filling to the puddle;
- and a duct connected to the upper chamber and to a condenser located outside of the reactor for receiving uncondensed vapors from the upper chamber and condensing such vapors into molten metal;
- and the lower chamber having taps for periodically removing metal from the puddle and slag from the slag layer.
- 2. A reactor as defined in claim 1, and said means for filling the shaft comprising a hopper located above an opening into the top of the upper chamber and a closure normally closing said opening, but being selectively openable to drop filling material from the hopper into the top of the chamber and therefore, into the open upper end of the shaft, with said closure being formed to prevent any substantial loss of pressure from or influx of air into the upper chamber when the closure is opened to drop filling into the upper chamber.
- 3. A reactor as defined in claim 2, and said closure being formed in the shape of a downwardly and inwardly tapering plug and being closely fitted in a correspondingly shaped annular seat formed in the hopper to define the hopper opening for sealing the opening and for permitting an annular shaped charge of filling to flow into the upper chamber when the plug is raised into open position, and to thereby block the escape of pressurized vapor from the upper chamber or the influx of air into the upper chamber.
- 4. A reactor as defined in claim 1, and said plasma generator including at least one plasma torch entering into a side portion of the reaction chamber, and an anode located remotely from the torch and within the floor of the reactor chamber for providing a heat producing electron flow through the molten puddle located on the floor.
- 5. A reactor for simultaneously separating volatile metals, including zinc and lead, and non-volatile metals, including copper, from material containing such metals comprising:
- an open-ended, generally vertical shaft having its lower end opening into the top of an enlarged reaction chamber having a floor, and its upper end opening into the bottom of an enlarged, closed upper chamber, said upper chamber having a cross-sectional area greater than that of the shaft and having a height sufficient to produce reflux action of vapors flowing upwardly through the shaft and into the upper chamber;
- a transferred arc plasma generator arranged within the reaction chamber to produce a plasma arc and a heat producing electron flow;
- means for feeding a finely pulverized mixture of metals, which may be in the form of metallic oxides, containing zinc, lead and copper, and carbonaceous material into the plasma generator heated reaction chamber along with oxygen containing gas for producing a reduction reaction, and wherein the non-volatile metal melts and forms a molten puddle upon the floor and a molten layer of slag is formed upon the puddle, and the volatile metal vaporizes and the vapors flow upwardly through the shaft and into the upper chamber;
- means for substantially filling the shaft with a mixture of pieces of metallic bearing materials and of carbonaceous material so that the vapors rise upwardly through the filling;
- the upper chamber being heated by the heat energy rising from the reaction chamber and being maintained at a temperature and pressure range sufficient to cause condensation of the lead vapors, but insufficient to condense the zinc vapors, wherein molten lead is condensed in the upper chamber and gravity feeds back down through the shaft and shaft filling to the puddle;
- and a duct connected to the upper chamber and to a condenser located outside of the reactor for receiving uncondensed vapors from the upper chamber and condensing such vapors into molten metal;
- and the lower chamber having taps for periodically removing metal from the puddle and slag from the slag layer.
- 6. A reactor for simultaneously separating volatile metals and nonvolatile metals, from material containing such metals comprising:
- an open-ended, generally vertical shaft having its lower end opening into the top of an enlarged reaction chamber having a floor, and its upper end opening into the bottom of an enlarged, closed upper chamber, said upper chamber having a cross-sectional area greater than that of the shaft and having a height sufficient to produce reflux action of vapors flowing upwardly through the shaft and into the upper chamber;
- an anode disposed in the floor of the reaction chamber;
- a transferred arc plasma generator arranged within the reaction chamber to produce a plasma arc and a heat producing electron flow between said arc plasma generator and said anode;
- means for feeding a finely pulverized mixture of volatile metals and non-volatile metals and carbonaceous material into the plasma generator heated reaction chamber along with oxygen containing gas for producing a reduction reaction, and wherein the non-volatile metal melts and forms a molten puddle upon the floor and a molten layer of slag is formed upon the puddle, and the volatile metal vaporizes and the vapors flow upwardly through the shaft and into the upper chamber;
- means for substantially filling the shaft with carbonaceous material forming a reduction zone with the shaft so that the vapors rise upwardly through the filling without oxidation thereof;
- the upper chamber being heated by the heat energy rising from the reaction chamber and being maintained at a temperature and pressure range sufficient to cause condensation of a first portion of said vapors, but insufficient to condense a second portion of said vapors, wherein said first portion is condensed in the upper chamber and gravity feeds back down through the shaft and filling to the puddle;
- and a duct connected to the upper chamber and to a condenser located outside of the reactor for receiving said second portion of said vapors from the upper chamber and condensing said second portion of said vapors into molten metal;
- and the lower chamber having taps for periodically removing metal from the puddle and slag from the slag layer.
- 7. A reactor as defined in claim 6, and said means for feeding a finely pulverized mixture comprising a feed tube opening into said reaction chamber adjacent said transferred arc plasma generator whereby said finely divided mixture of metals and carbonaceous material is subjected to the intense heat of said transferred arc plasma generator.
- 8. A reactor as defined in claim 6, and said plasma generator including at least one plasma torch disposed in a side portion of the reaction chamber for providing a plasma arc in the reaction chamber and a heat producing electron flow through the molten puddle.
Parent Case Info
This is a divisional of my co-pending application, Ser. No. 729,994, filed May 3, 1985.
US Referenced Citations (3)
Divisions (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
729994 |
May 1985 |
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