Patent ID: 8496728

Claim:
A metallurgical process for the production and/or treatment of at least one metal in a reactor, the process comprising: discharging a waste gas stream including at least one of molten particles and vaporous constituents via a waste gas conduit; and after-treating the waste gas stream by supplying at least one of a cooling gas and a cooling gas mixture, the after-treating comprising injecting the at least one of a cooling gas and a cooling gas mixture into the waste gas conduit on a side of the waste gas conduit facing the reactor, the injecting being performed at a velocity and substantially tangentially with respect to a main flow direction of the waste gas so as to form a layer of the at least one of a cooling gas and a cooling gas mixture at least on an inner wall surface of the waste gas conduit in a region facing the reactor, the injecting including adjusting a quantity of the at least one of a cooling gas and a cooling gas mixture injected into the waste gas conduit based on at last one of: a temperature and a volume of the waste gas stream, and a material property of at least one of the molten particles and the vaporous constituents of the waste gas stream so as to gradually mix the waste gas stream and the at least one of a cooling gas and a cooling gas mixture along a length of the waste gas conduit and provide a mixing temperature of the waste gas stream and of the at least one of a cooling gas and a cooling gas mixture below at least one of a melting temperature of the molten particles and a condensation temperature of the vaporous constituents of the waste gas stream, wherein a temperature of the at least one of a cooling gas and a cooling gas mixture is at least 100 K below a temperature of the waste gas stream at an outlet of the reactor, and wherein a temperature difference between the waste gas stream and the least one of a cooling gas and a cooling gas mixture at an end of the waste gas conduit facing away from the reactor is less than 100 K.