US 3,944,412 AGranted

Method for recovering metals

OwnerHsin Liuinventor

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Abstract

The disclosure relates to a method and apparatus for recycling, smelting, and refining waste metal material and low grade metal material. A magneto-plasma provides a high temperature for extracting metals. The magneto-plasma is comprised of an alternating current plasma superimposed upon a direct current plasma with the plasmas being confined by an externally applied axial magnetic field. The magneto-plasma is sustained with reduced voltage fluctuations across the plasma even when the background gas of the plasma is contaminated by the products from the smelting operation. The metal material being smelted is caused to melt by the high temperatures within the magneto-plasma which can be in the range of 10,000.degree. K. The metal material upon being melted into droplets is exposed to the high temperature of the magneto-plasma for a predetermined period of time as the droplets descend through the plasma. The length of the magneto-plasma is adjusted to obtain refining of the droplets of molten metal within th plasma. In addition, the lateral cross section of the length of the magneto-plasma is adjusted to enhance refining of the molten droplets.

Claims7

Dependent claims

A method for smelting and refining metal material comprising the steps of:

a. establishing a predetermined high level vacuum condition within the interior of an enclosure;
b. establishing a level of background gas within the interior of the enclosure;
c. applying a direct current potential to a pair of electrode spaced apart from one another along the length of the enclosure to form a direct current plasma extending adjacent the electrodes;
d. applying an alternating current potential to a pair of electrodes disposed along the length of the enclosure to form an alternating current plasma extending adjacent the electrodes, the alternating current plasma being formed at a location within the enclosure to superimpose the alternating current plasma upon the direct current plasma to stablize the alternating current plasma;
e. placing the metal material within the alternating current plasma superimposed upon the direct current plasma, the metal material being melted into droplets and having impurities to be refined therefrom removed from the droplets in response to the elevated temperature of the plasma, the bombardment of the plasma and the high level vacuum condition within the enclosure;
and
f. collecting the refined molten drops of metal.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.