Method and Apparatus for the Production of Metals and other Fusible Materials in Pulverulent Form.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 13th Dec., 1894-Accepted, 23rd Feb., 1895
[Communicated from abroad by ELECTRICITÄTS-GESELLSCHAFT GELNHAUSEN
MIT-BESCHRANKTER HAFTUNG, of Gelnhausen, Prussia, Manufacturers.]
Method and Apparatus for the Production of Metals and other
Fusible Materials in Pulverulent Form.
I, CHARLES DENTON ABEL, of No. 28 Southampton Buildings, Chancery
Lane, in the County of London, Consulting Engineer and Chartered Patent Agent,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be
performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:-
This invention relates to an improved process or method and apparatus for
producing a metal or other fusible material in the form of powder or dust by
means of a jet or jets of steam, compressed air or other gases under pressure.
The said process consists in causing a small quantity of the metal or other
fusible material in a molten condition to be acted upon by an annular jet of steam
or air or other gas under pressure, whereby it is propelled out of a nozzle in such
manner that on issuing from the nozzle the metal or other material is converted by
the annular jet of steam &c. penetrating into it, into powder or dust, the particles
of which after issuing from the nozzle are carried forward a certain distance and
are then allowed to fall in a cooled condition, or are caught up in suitable
receptacles.
The pulverising medium is advantageously used in a heated or superheated
condition, as in this case a stoppage of the supply of the molten material to the
point of discharge cannot occur, as any cooling of the material in transit, or of
the conduit tube, is not only prevented, but the heat of the pulverising medium
which surrounds such tube tends to maintain the molten material in the fluid
condition necessary for its perfect pulverisation. The material to be pulverised is
melted in a receptacle and conveyed by a pipe dipping into the molten material
to the pulverising nozzle.
The said pipe is advantageously made to penetrate into the molten material near
to the bottom of the melting, vessel so as to be pressed by the column of liquid
material itself through the pipe to the pulverising nozzle, so that only the last
portions of the material will have to be drawn out by the suction of the jet of
pulverising medium.
Fig. 1 of the accompanying drawings shews a side view of an apparatus suitable
for pulverising molten metal according to this invention.
Fig. 2 shews a longitudinal section on line 1-1 Fig. 1, and Fig. 3 shews a cross
section on line II-II Fig. 2; Fig. 4 shews a longitudinal section of the nozzle to
a larger scale.
The melted metal is contained in the receptacle a, which is arranged within a
furnace b, and is heated in any suitable manner, such as by a gas burner.
In the
arrangement shewn there are three burners d and e consisting simply of tubes
perforated on their upper side. For producing as high a heat as possible and
effecting a complete and regulated combustion, the gas is preferably mixed with
air before issuing from the burners, by means of a portion of the air under pressure
employed as the pulverising medium.
There are generally provided several pulverising apparatus one above the other;
in this case a corresponding number of branch pipes are led from the main gas

page_text: pipe J to the mixing chamber A to which lead also the branch air pipes / leading
from the main blast pipe H. The mixture of gas and air passes from the
chamber A through pipes c'd' e to the burners c d e
The
The molten metal is led to the pulverising nozzle f' by two pipes gg.
nozzle consists, as shewn at Fig. 4, mainly of a pipe surrounding the supply pipe g,
the front end of which is formed into a nozzle of somewhat larger size than the
nozzle g formed on the end of the pipe g, and situated just behind the nozzle f¹.
The nozzle can be formed as a separate piece and screwed on, or it may be
otherwise secured so as to be adjustable. The pulverising fluid under pressure is
supplied to the tube through a coiled pipe 2 which in the arrangement shewn,
is heated by the gas burners in order to heat the fluid as much as possible. As
shewn, the pulverising fluid surrounds the supply pipe g, so that the molten metal
contained between the nozzles g₁ and f' is impinged upon, as it issues from its
nozzle, by an annular jet of the pulverising fluid. By this means the fluid metal
is penetrated on all sides by the pulverising fluid passing in obliquely crossing jets
through the same, and thus a very fine pulverisation of the metal or material is
effected.
For preventing the metal from becoming less liquid on issuing, as also to impart,
for the same purpose, as high a temperature as possible to the pulverising fluid, the
pulverising apparatus can be specially heated.
In the arrangement shewn the gas pipe d is, for this purpose provided with an
extension, passing up to the pulverising apparatus and provided there with a
burner by means of which the apparatus can be heated at the bottom and sides.
If necessary, the burner can be so formed as to heat the apparatus all round.
The interior of the receptacle a can be maintained under pressure by any suitable
means in order to force the molten material with increased pressure or velocity
through the nozzle g¹.
Any number of pulverising apparatus can be combined with one melting vessel a,
or each apparatus can be supplied from a separate vessel.
Such a pulverising apparatus is perfectly suited for pulverising lead,' tin, zinc,
and easily fusible alloys and other materials.
For metals and other substances that require high temperatures to melt them the
apparatus is modified accordingly and is provided with a heating device that is
able to produce a heat corresponding to the high melting point of the metal, alloy,
or other substance to be treated.
Generally speaking, the heating of the vessel a can be effected in any known
manner, this feature being of no importance to the essence of the present
invention.
For carrying out this process, nozzles of circular form are generally used, as
shewn at Fig. 4, so that the pulverising jet of steam, or air or gas under pressure
receives a circular annular shape. But it will be evident that the process can, if
necessary or desirable, also be carried out by means of pulverising jets having oval,
semicircular, arc shaped square or rectangular sectional forms. Fig. 5 shews by
way
of example several nozzle sections ƒ ƒ ƒ ƒ ƒ of such forms.
4
In some cases also, it may be sufficient to employ a jet operating only on two
sides of the jet of molten metal, instead of all round. For instance if a rectangular
nozzle with a narrow long slot be employed for the molten metal, as shewn at j
then two similarly formed nozzle openings may be provided for the pulverising
-fluid, one on each broad side of the liquid metal jet, as shewn at Fig. 6.
Instead of the annular pulverising jet or of two opposite jets may also be
employed several separate jets surrounding the nozzle through which the molten
material issues, of whatever section this may be, as shewn by way of example in
two arrangements at Figs. 7 and 8. There the nozzle for the molten material is
marked 92, while the several tubes or nozzles for the supply of the pulverising
fluid are marked 19, while 110 is the surrounding nozzle through which the
molten material issues in finely pulverised form.
The pipe leading from the melting vessel to the nozzles can also be attached to

page_text: the bottom of the vessel as at Fig. 9, and the bottom of the melting vessel can be
inclined towards the pipe, as shewn, in order that the whole of the molten material
may be discharged from the vessel to the pulverising apparatus.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. The process for pulverising or converting into powder or dust metals or other
fusible bodies, wherein an annular or circumferentially closed jet or a jet acting at
least on two opposite sides, of steam or air or gas under pressure is made to impinge
upon a jet of molten metal or other fusible substance issuing from a pipe or nozzle,
in such manner that the pulverising fluid penetrates into the metal or other material
in obliquely crossing jets, either all round, or at least from two sides, so as to
divide it into fine particles as it issues from the pipe or nozzle, substantially as
described.
2. Apparatus for carrying out the process referred to in the first claim, wherein
a pipe conducting the fusible metal or other material from a heating vessel to the
pulverising apparatus is surrounded immediately in the rear of its discharge
opening or nozzle by a conduit tube or passage for the pulverising fluid, which tube
or passage has a discharge nozzle contiguous to that for the molten material,
substantially as described.
3. In apparatus such as is referred to in the second claim, effecting the heating of
the pulverising fluid by causing it to pass through a pipe that is interposed between
the heating appliance and the vessel containing the heated molten material,
substantially as described.
4. In apparatus such as is referred to in the second claim, the employment of a
special heating device at the pulverising nozzle substantially as described.
5. A modification of the process referred to in the first claim wherein the
pulverising fluid is made to issue from a number of separate nozzles arranged
round the nozzle through which the molten metal or other material issues, so as to
impinge upon and pulverise the issuing material and project it through a nozzle
surrounding those above mentioned, substantially as described.
6. Apparatus for carrying out the process referred to in the fifth claim, wherein
a number of separate nozzles communicating with the supply of pulverising fluid
under pressure are arranged round a nozzle through which the molten material to
be pulverised issues, the said nozzles being enclosed in a main outer nozzle through
which the pulverised material issues.
Dated this 13th day of December 1894.
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.