US 2026/0291353 A1Published application

Method and facility for thermal cleaning of metal parts

AssigneeFornax A/S

InventorsAsbjørn Thoustrup, Jens Overgaard

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Abstract

A facility and a method for thermal cleaning and separation of metal parts is provided, desirably windings from a stator of an electric motor and/or generator, where the stator windings are embedded in an organic and insulating material, where the stator is placed and heated under controlled conditions in a heating chamber comprising a gas mixture of more than 86 vol % inert gas and less than 14 vol % oxygen, such that the organic covalent bonds of the organic material will undergo pyrolysis, resulting in the production of a char product and volatile organic products that will evaporate into the gas mixture in the heating chamber. The flue gas in the heating chamber including a mixture of oxygen, volatile organic products and inert gas is then subjected to an oxidation process by addition of a oxygen enriched gas mixture, resulting in the oxidation of the volatile organic products into CO2 and O2.

Claims16

Dependent claims

A method for thermal cleaning and separation of metal parts, separating windings from a stator of an electric motor and/or generator, where the stator windings are embedded in an organic and insulating material, wherein the stator or the stator and the stator housing is subjected to heat for chemical decomposition of the organic material, whereby the windings are loosened, comprising:

providing a heating chamber;
placing the stator with or without housing in the heating chamber;
connecting the heating chamber to a gas source capable of providing the heating chamber with a first inert gas enriched gas stream comprising inert gas and oxygen and supplying the heating chamber with the first inert gas enriched gas stream;
applying heat to the heating chamber in a controlled manner thereby leading to chemical decomposition of the organic material and evaporation of volatile organic products into the gas within the heating chamber, thereby creating a flue gas comprising volatile organic products, any remaining oxygen and inert gas;
and
collecting the flue gas from the heating chamber into a second flue gas stream comprising inert gas, volatile organic products and any remaining oxygen and leading the second flue gas stream from the heating chamber to an afterburner;
wherein the first inert gas enriched gas stream comprises more than 86 vol % inert gas and less than 14 vol % oxygen and wherein the chemical decomposition is predominantly pyrolysis.

4 more elements

A facility for thermal cleaning and separation of metal parts, separating windings from a stator of an electric motor and/or generator, where the stator windings are embedded in an organic and insulating material, wherein the stator or the stator and the stator housing is subjected to heat for chemical decomposition of the organic material, whereby the windings are loosened, comprising:

a gas source;
a heating chamber comprising a first inlet in fluid connection with the gas source;
and
an afterburner comprising a second inlet in fluid connection with the heating chamber by connection means and a third inlet in a fluid connection with the gas source;
wherein the gas source provides a first inert gas enriched gas stream comprising less than 14% oxygen and more than 86 vol % inert gas that is led to the heating chamber and a third oxygen enriched gas stream comprising at least 25% vol % oxygen that is led to the afterburner.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.