Method of and apparatus for melting block sulphur
OwnerErnest Ralph Ellithorpe, Richard Calvin Ellithorpeinventors
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method of, and apparatus for, melting block sulfur to avoid contamination of the environment by sulfur dust employ a heating element having a plurality of flow passages formed by pipe sections in a generally planar array, with a steam inlet and a condensate outlet enabling steam to be flowed through the passages. The underside of the heating element has a flow surface adjacent one edge thereof, and a suspension is provided for lowering the heating element onto the sulfur block with the heating element downwardly inclined towards that edge and with the edge projecting beyond the sulfur block so that molten sulfur adhering by surface tension to the flow surface flows beyond the sulfur block and drops into a collecting trough.
Claims15
A method of melting block sulfur, comprising the steps of:
- positioning a heating element on a block of sulfur so the heating element is downwardly inclined towards and projects beyond an edge of the sulfur block;
- supplying steam to said heating element to melt the sulfur beneath said heating element, whereby said melted sulfur flows downwardly at the underside of said heating element, to which it adheres by surface tension, and beyond said edge of the sulfur block;
- and
- collecting said melted sulfur beyond said edge.
Apparatus for melting block sulphur, comprising:
- a heating element;
- said heating element defining a plurality of mutually spaced flow passages in a generally planar array;
- steam inlet passage means communicating with said flow passages for supplying steam thereto;
- outlet means communicating with said flow passages for discharging condensate therefrom;
- means defining a flow surface at the underside of said heating element at and adjacent at least one edge thereof for flowing molten sulphur by surface tension along the underside of said flow surface;
- overhead suspension means extending downwardly to said heating element for suspending said heating element at an inclination, with said heating element being downwardly inclined towards said edge thereof;
- said suspension means including means for raising and lowering said heating element;
- and
- trough means extending along and beneath said flow surface for collecting the melted sulphur beneath said flow surface defining means.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.