Patent ID: 8361189

Claim:
An apparatus for producing a metal and/or primary metal product from a metal-containing charge material in fine particle form, the apparatus comprising: a melting unit configured to further process the charge material; a pneumatic carrying device positioned and configured to carry pneumatically the charge material by means of a carrier gas stream; at least one separation device configured to separate off the carrier gas stream; a dividing device configured to split the charge material into at least two partial quantities; introduction devices configured to control introduction of the charge material into the melting unit; the dividing device splitting a stream of medium formed from charge material and carrier gas stream into at least two partial streams of medium, each stream formed from a partial quantity of the charge material and a partial carrier gas stream; the at least one separation device being provided for at least one of the at least two partial streams of medium, the at least one separation device configured to separate the partial quantity of the charge material from the partial carrier gas stream; Said at least one separation device being connected by lines to the melting unit so as to introduce the charge material to a gas treatment device configured to purify the carrier gas stream and to introduce the charge material to the dividing device; and a control valve position in a line between the at least one separation device and the gas treatment device, the control valve configured to control each of the at least two partial streams of medium.