Premelt Systems, Inc.

Robert H Dudley

Larry D Areaux

Larry D Areauz

There is disclosed a process for producing dried and cleaned metal chips by entraining metal chips in a gas, introducing the gas into a cyclone separator having a wall heated to fluid-vaporizing temperature by combustion effected in a surrounding chamber, purging fluid from said chips, exhausting hot gases and exiting dried metal chips from said separator, conducting hot gaseous products of combustion from the combustion chamber to a continuous centrifuge, extracting extractable fluid from starting metal chips, which may be previously uncleaned and/or unwashed, in the centrifuge, entraining the chips in the hot gaseous products of combustion introduced into the centrifuge, and conducting the gaseous products with entrained chips from the continuous centrifuge to the cyclone separator, thereby providing an essentially closed system. The combustion chamber may be a part of an afterburner furnace and hot gases entraining vaporized oil exhausted from the cyclone separator may by recycled and employed as fuel for the combustion chamber. This particular disclosure emphasizes provision in the system of hot water and/or steam from either an external source or from a water jacket around the cyclone separator, preferably together with solvent and/or detergent, and a final chip drying step wherein the drying is effected using products of combustion which are enroute back to the continuous centrifuge. Apparatus for carrying out the said process is also disclosed.

Method and apparatus for cleaning and drying metal chips

There is disclosed a process for producing dry metal chips by entraining fluid-containing metal chips in a gas, introducing the gas into a cyclone separator having an internal wall heated to fluid-vaporizing temperature by combustion in a surrounding chamber, purging and vaporizing fluid from said chips, exhausting hot gases and exiting dried metal chips from said separator, conducting hot gaseous products of combustion from the combustion chamber to a continuous centrifuge, extracting extractable fluid from starting metal chips in the centrifuge, entraining the chips in the hot gaseous products of combustion introduced into the centrifuge, and conducting the gaseous products with entrained chips from the continuous centrifuge to the cyclone separator, thereby providing an essentially closed system. The combustion chamber may be a part of an afterburner furnace and hot gases entraining vaporized oil exhausted from the cyclone separator may be recycled and employed as fuel for the combustion chamber. Apparatus for carrying out the said process is also disclosed.

Method and apparatus for drying metal chips

A process for the introduction of metal chips, especially scrap metal chips, into a molten mass of the metal of which said chips are formed, wherein the essentially dry chips are first compacted and placed into strip form, and then introduced into the molten metal bath in such strip form in an essentially continuous manner, is disclosed. A cleaning flux is also advantageously incorporated with the chips, into the compacted and strip form thereof, and then into the bath. The metal chips, after compacting and placing into strip form, are introduced directly into the molten metal bath through the skin of metal oxide existing on its surface and caused to become a part of the metal pool beneath the surface thereof without essential disturbance of the metal oxide skin except at the point of introduction. The temperature in the molten metal pool at or near the point of introduction of the metal strip is sensed and communicated to means regulating the feed of the metal strip into the molten metal pool so as to coordinate the rate of introduction of the metal strip with the rate at which the added metal can conveniently and safely be melted and incorporated into the molten metal pool. Apparatus particularly suitable for carrying out the process of the invention is also disclosed.

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Richland, MI, United States of America

Robert H Dudley