E.i. Dupont De Nemours and Company

General Electric Company

James W Reeves

Donald H Eastham

David F Wells

Robert W Sylvester

Harold B King

William B Gaylord, Jr

Ted M Knowlton

Melvyn B Pell

David J Haack

Aake Sandor Ericson

William M Childers

Bo Harry Zander

Ran Abed

Charles Hall

The present invention is a process for feeding particulate material to a fluidized bed reactor operated at greater than atmospheric through a standpipe wherein the ratio of the absolute pressure where the standpipe enters the fluidized bed reactor to the absolute pressure where the particulate material enters the standpipe is at least about 1.5 and gas is injected into the standpipe at a velocity which is about 20-80 percent of the minimum fluidization velocity of the particulate material.

Process for injecting particulate material into a fluidized bed reactor

A laser bar code is provided with a check sum that serves to validate the read accuracy with the action of reading itself. A bar code reader system includes a frame grabber in conjunction with video image processing software that utilizes the check sum to ensure accurate reading. The reader is used to check the accuracy and readability of the bar code mark and also for downstream bar bode reading.

Laser bar code reader system for a fuel rod in a boiling water nuclear

A process for beneficiating particulate titanium-bearing ore containing iron oxides is disclosed. The first step of the process entails prereducing the ore to convert about 20-90 percent of the iron oxides in the ore to metallic iron. Next, the prereduced ore is introduced into a mechanical reduction kiln and contacted with HCl and particulate carbonaceous reducing material. The turning and cascading of the materials in the kiln, in the presence of HCl and the reducing material, converts at least some remaining iron oxide in the ore to metallic iron and causes metallic iron to be liberated from the ore grains. Particulate metallic iron having a particle size of at least 50 microns is thereby formed. Finally, the particulate iron is separated from the ore.

Method for beneficiating titanium-bearing material containing iron

The invention provides an improved method and apparatus for feeding solids to a fluidized bed reactor. A back pressure control valve regulates the pressure drop between the pressure above a solids column in a standpipe and the pressure in the reactor. Solids are fed from the standpipe via a conduit without valve means, the conduit contains a bend of an angle greater than the angle of repose of the solids.

Solids feed system and method for feeding fluidized beds

In a fluidized bed process having a bed of fluidized particulate material which is susceptible to having at least some of the particulate material being entrained in the gases exiting the bed, the entrainment is reduced by introducing the particulate material into the process, in the substantial absence of a gas which transports the particulate material, at one or more points which are below the surface of the bed of fluidized particulate material.

Fluidized bed process

To qualify the heights of inwardly projecting nuclear fuel rod-positioning stops formed in the sidewall of tubular ferrules 12 utilized in fuel bundle spacers, an automated gauging apparatus, seen in FIG. 6, is provided to handle successive ferrules on an automated basis. The apparatus includes an orienting station 32 for longitudinally reorienting each ferrule, if necessary, and angularly orienting each ferrule in a pickup position. A mechanism 68 picks each ferrule from its pickup position and places it on an arbor 84 with the rod-positioning stop surfaces bearing against arbor reference surfaces. A plurality of eddy current probes 96 (FIG. 8) are positioned to measure the proximity of ferrule peripheral surface sites adjacent the stops and thus provide output gauging signals indicative of the heights of the various stops.

Automated gauging apparatus

An improved industrial multistage recirculating-fluidized-bed reactor for producing chlorine and iron oxide having an initial 'dense' zone and a downstream 'dilute' zone. In the dense zone, a fuel is burned, reactants and recirculated iron oxide particles are heated, ferric chloride is vaporized and at least 50% of the ferric chloride is converted to chlorine and iron oxide. In the downstream dilute zone, a solids fraction from 0.005-0.05 is maintained, along with a superficial gas velocity from 1.5-6 meters/second which is from 5-25 times the superficial gas velocity in the dense zone, and the conversion of ferric chloride is continued to greater than 95% completion.

Chlorine and iron oxide from ferric chloride - apparatus

An improved industrial process and apparatus are provided for producing chlorine and iron oxide in a multi-stage recirculating-fluidized-bed reactor wherein ferric chloride in the vapor phase is reacted with an excess of oxygen at temperatures from 550.degree. to 800.degree. C. The improvement comprises utilizing a reactor that includes an initial 'dense' zone and a downstream 'dilute' zone. In the dense zone, a fuel is burned, reactants and recirculated iron oxide particles are heated, ferric chloride is vaporized and at least 50% of the ferric chloride is converted to chlorine and iron oxide. A solids volume fraction from 0.3 to 0.6 and a superficial gas velocity from 0.15 to 0.6 meters/second are maintained in the dense zone. In the downstream dilute zone, a solids fraction from 0.005 to 0.05 is maintained, along with a superficial gas velocity from 1.5 to 6 meters/second which is from 5 to 25 times the superficial gas velocity in the dense zone, and the conversion of ferric chloride is continued to greater than 95% completion.

Chlorine and iron oxide from ferric chloride--process and apparatus

An improved process is provided for producing chlorine and iron oxide in a fluidized-bed reactor by treating ferric chloride in the vapor phase with an excess of oxygen at a temperature of 550.degree. to 800.degree. C. in the presence of a catalyst made from sodium chloride and iron oxide. A carbonaceous fuel is fed to the reactor bed to supply supplemental heat. The improvement comprises using a fluidized-bed reactor in which a portion of the bed material is continuously recycled and the carbonaceous fuel is supplied in a pulverized solid form in an amount equal to between 1 and 9 percent of the weight of the iron chloride fed. The fuel has a stable ignition temperature in air of no higher than 500.degree. C. and contains hydrogen amounting to between 0.5 and 2.5 percent by weight of the fuel. The process is particularly useful for avoiding potential pollution problems associated with the disposal of iron chloride by-product from ilmenite chlorination processes while recovering valuable chlorine.

Growing community of inventors

Wilmington, DE, United States of America

James W Reeves