Patent ID: 6572675
Filing Date: 2003-06-03
Classification: C22B,F27B,F27D,Y02P

Abstract:
A method of operating a furnace system for recovering non-ferrous metal from a charge of material containing the metal, the furnace system having a furnace chamber defining a refractory chamber and an inlet passage for providing access to the refractory chamber, comprising the steps of:charging the refractory chamber with at least one charge of material containing the metal; rotating the furnace chamber with a drive system about a longitudinal axis; heating the charge of material into a flowable mode; monitoring the viscosity of the charge of material by measuring torque to rotate the furnace chamber, the torque being a function of viscosity of the charge of material; and generating an indication that the charge of material has reached a sufficiently flowable mode for recovery using the measured torque.