The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Feb. 18, 2003
Filed:
Sep. 29, 1998
Toshio Suwa, Yamanashi, JP;
Yoshiteru Kikuchi, Yamanashi, JP;
Nobuaki Kobayashi, Yamanashi, JP;
Atsushi Inoue, Kanagawa, JP;
Hideyuki Honda, Kanagawa, JP;
Nippon Sanso Corporation, Tokyo, JP;
Abstract
An apparatus for melting a metal provided with a metal melting furnace ( ) for melting a metallic raw material with a flame of an oxygen fuel burner ( ) to which oxygen is supplied as a combustion assisting gas; and an oxygen supply source for supplying oxygen as a combustion assisting gas to the oxygen fuel burner ( ). The metal melting furnace ( ) has a preheating section ( ) for preheating the metallic raw material above a melting section ( ) to which the oxygen fuel burner ( ) is attached and a reduced section ( ) located between the melting section ( ) and the preheating section ( ), the reduced section having an inside diameter smaller than those of the melting section and preheating section. The oxygen supply source is a pressure swing adsorption separator ( ) employing an adsorbent which adsorbs preferentially atmospheric nitrogen and supplying a low-purity oxygen having an oxygen content of 65 to 94% to the oxygen fuel burner ( ).