Claims
- 1. An apparatus for removing an encrustation from a spent carbon anode having at least one carbon block stub, said apparatus comprising:
a drive motor; a shaft rotatably coupled to said drive motor; and an elongated flailing element attached to said shaft at a location remote from said drive motor, said elongated flailing element constructed and arranged to rotate in a direction substantially co-planer with a stub plane passing axially through the stub upon rotation of said shaft to abrade the encrustation from a surface of the spent carbon anode substantially orthogonal to the stub plane.
- 2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said elongated flailing element comprises a plurality of elongated flailing elements.
- 3. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein said plurality of elongated flailing elements are each connected to said shaft by only one end and extend radially from said shaft upon rotation.
- 4. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein said plurality of elongated flailing elements each include first and second ends, and wherein the first and second ends are each attached to said shaft such that said plurality of flailing elements travel in a curvilinear orbital path upon rotation of said shaft.
- 5. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein said plurality of elongated flailing elements are constructed and arranged to effect cleaning of the bottom surface and top surface of the spent carbon anode.
- 6. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein said plurality of elongated flailing elements are constructed and arranged to effect cleaning of the top surface and bottom surface of the spent carbon anode.
- 7. A method of cleaning a spent carbon anode, said method comprising the steps of:
positioning a spent carbon anode including at least one stub and a flailing assembly having a shaft and a flailing element with respect to one another such that the shaft extends in a shaft plane substantially orthogonal to a stub plane extending axially through the stub; and rotating said shaft such that the flailing element extends and rotates in a direction substantially co-planer with the stub plane to abrade the encrustation from a surface of the spent carbon anode that is substantially co-planer with the shaft plane.
- 8. The method of claim 7 wherein said flailing assembly comprises a plurality of flailing elements, and wherein said rotating step comprises the step of rotating said shaft such that the plurality of flailing elements extend radially from said shaft upon rotation.
- 9. The method of claim 7 wherein said flailing assembly comprises a plurality of flailing elements and wherein said rotating step further comprises the step of rotating said shaft such that the plurality of flailing elements travel in a curvilinear orbital path upon rotation of said shaft.
- 10. The method of claim 7 wherein said positioning step comprises the step of positioning the shaft and flailing element adjacent the top surface of the spent carbon anode.
- 11. The method of claim 7 wherein said positioning step comprises the step of positioning the said shaft and flailing element adjacent the bottom surface of the spent carbon anode.
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 09/408,254, filed Sep. 29, 1999, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,231,430.
Continuations (1)
|
Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
09408254 |
Sep 1999 |
US |
Child |
09855462 |
May 2001 |
US |