Nu-iron Technology, Llc.

University of Minnesota

Other

Rodney L Bleifuss

Richard F Kiesel

Iwao Iwasaki

David J Englund

Andrew J Lindgren

Michael J Lalich

Robert C Beaudin

Donald Fosnacht

Bradford G True

Mark M Brandon

David W Hendrickson

David M Hopstock

Andrew L Lindgren

Michael C Lalich

A human-powered vehicle may include a frame and a drive member pivotally coupled to the frame. Pivotal reciprocal motion of the drive member in either direction may generate rotational motion to the wheels of the human-powered vehicle. The seat of the human-powered vehicle may be positioned such that an axis about which the drive member pivots is located below, or closer to the ground surface, than the seat.

Human-powered vehicle

A hearth furnace for producing metallic iron material has a furnace housing having a drying/preheat zone, a conversion zone, a fusion zone, and optionally a cooling zone, the conversion zone is between the drying/preheat zone and the fusion zone. A moving hearth is positioned within the furnace housing. A hood or separation barrier within at least a portion of the conversion zone, fusion zone or both separates the fusion zone into an upper region and a lower region with the lower region adjacent the hearth and the upper region adjacent the lower region and spaced from the hearth. An injector introduces a gaseous reductant into the lower region adjacent the hearth. A combustion region may be formed above the hood or separation barrier.

System and method for producing metallic iron

A hearth furnacefor producing metallic iron material has a furnace housingwith a drying/preheat zonecapable of providing a drying/preheat atmosphere for reducible material, a conversion zonecapable of providing a reducing atmosphere for reducible material, a fusion zonecapable of providing an atmosphere to at least partially reduced metallic iron material, and optionally a cooling zonecapable of providing a cooling atmosphere for reduced material containing metallic iron material. A hearthis movable within the furnace housingin a direction through the drying/preheat zone, then the conversion zone, then the fusion zone, and then the cooling zone. A separation barrieris positioned within at least a portion of the conversion zone, the separation barrierseparating the conversion zoneinto a combustion regionand a reducing regionwith the reducing regionadjacent the hearthand the combustion regionadjacent the reducing regionand spaced from the hearth

System and method of producing metallic iron

Method and system for producing metallic nuggets includes providing reducible mixture (e.g., reducible micro-agglomerates; reducing material and reducible iron bearing material; reducible mixture including additives such as a fluxing agent; compacts, etc.) on at least a portion of a hearth material layer. In one embodiment, a plurality of channel openings extend at least partially through a layer of the reducible mixture to define a plurality of nugget forming reducible material regions. Such channel openings may be at least partially filled with nugget separation fill material (e.g., carbonaceous material). Thermally treating the layer of reducible mixture results in formation of one or more metallic iron nuggets. In other embodiments, various compositions of the reducible mixture and the formation of the reducible mixture provide one or more beneficial characteristics.

Method and system for producing metallic iron nuggets

A hearth furnacefor producing metallic iron material has a furnace housinghaving a drying/preheat zone, a conversion zone, a fusion zone, and optionally a cooling zone, the conversion zoneis between the drying/preheat zoneand the fusion zone. A moving hearthis positioned within the furnace housing. A hood or separation barrierwithin at least a portion of the conversion zone, fusion zoneor both separates the fusion zoneinto an upper region and a lower region with the lower region adjacent the hearthand the upper region adjacent the lower region and spaced from the hearth. An injector introduces a gaseous reductant into the lower region adjacent the hearth. A combustion region may be formed above the hood or separation barrier.

Apparatus, methods and systems are used to separate fines from objects of a feed mixture being processed (e.g., iron bearing pellets, chips and dust). For example, at least a portion of an endless belt defining a channel is movable up an incline relative to horizontal (e.g., an incline that is at an angle relative to horizontal that is greater than an angle of repose associated with the objects, but less than an angle of repose associated with the fines being removed). Further, obstruction elements may be used on the endless belt to impede the flow of the fines down the incline.

Fines removal apparatus and methods/systems regarding same

A method for producing metallic iron nodules by assembling a shielding entry system to introduce coarse carbonaceous material greater than 6 mesh in to the furnace atmosphere at location(s) where the temperature of the furnace atmosphere adjacent at least partially reduced reducible iron bearing material is between about 2200 and 2650&#xb0; F. (1200 and 1450&#xb0; C.), the shielding entry system adapted to inhibit emission of infrared radiation from the furnace atmosphere and seal the furnace atmosphere from exterior atmosphere while introducing coarse carbonaceous material greater than 6 mesh into the furnace to be distributed over the at least partially reduced reducible iron bearing material, and heating the covered at least partially reduced reducible iron bearing material in a fusion atmosphere to assist in fusion and inhibit reoxidation of the reduced material during fusion to assist in fusion and inhibit reoxidation of the reduced material in forming metallic iron nodules.

System and method for producing metallic iron nodules

Systems and methods for use in processing raw material (e.g., iron bearing material) include a linear furnace apparatus extending along a longitudinal axis between a charging end and a discharging end (e.g., the linear furnace apparatus includes at least a furnace zone positioned along the longitudinal axis). Raw material is provided into one or more separate or separable containers (e.g., trays) at the charging end of the linear furnace apparatus. The separate or separable containers are moved through at least the furnace zone and to the discharging end where the processed material is discharged resulting in one or more empty containers. One or more of the empty containers are returned to the charging end of the linear furnace apparatus to receive further raw material.

Growing community of inventors

Grand Rapids, MN, United States of America

Rodney L Bleifuss