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US 4,090,916 AGranted
Salt cake evaporator apparatus
AssigneeAlumax Mill Products, Inc.
InventorsPandelis N. Papafingos, Richard T. Lance
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method and apparatus for recovering flux salt and recycling or reusing the same in an aluminum refining method is disclosed.
Claims6
An evaporator system for recovering crystalline salt from heavy brine, comprising:
- a long generally cylindrical drum;
- means mounting the drum at a decline from the horizontal to from about two to about ten degrees from an input end down to an output end of the drum;
- a multiplicity of fins mounted in the drum spaced from the wall of the drum and extending inwardly from the wall, the fins being disposed at an angle of from about five degrees to about eighty five degrees from the radius line of the drum which intersects the proximal edge of the respective fins;
- the fins at the input end of the drum extending a less distance from the wall than the fins at the output end of the drum such that when in operation a body of brine is in the drum the bottom-most fins are immersed in the brine;
- the fins being spaced about the interior curcumference of the drum and extending from the input end of the drum to the output end thereof;
- an annular well mounted at the output end of the drum for providing a sump for removal of brine from the drum;
- means for introducing brine at the input end of the drum;
- means for removing brine slurry from the annular well at the output end of the drum;
- means for forcing a stream of gas through the drum;
- and
- means for rotating the drum to cause the fins and the interior wall of the drum during operation to dip into a body of brine in the drum, to cause the fins to move upwardly and downwardly in the gas stream thereby causing the thin film of brine on the fins and the surface resulting from the dipping to evaporate to form a fine layer of salt crystals and to cause the fins and the surface to dip again into the brine to wash the salt crystals from the fins and surface to thereby form a slurry of fine salt crystals in saturated brine;
- the entire combination being so constructed and disposed so as to permit the introduction of brine and evaporating gas into the cylindrical drum and the removal of salt crystal brine slurry and moisture laden gas from the cylinder with the fins being so spaced from and disposed with respect to the interior wall of the drum as to cause the fins and walls to be washed and abraded by the free flow of brine slurry over the fins toward the walls and downwardly along the walls toward the body of brine.
9 more elements
An evaporator system for recovering crystalline salt from heavy brine, comprising:
- a long generally cylindrical drum;
- means mounting the drum at an angle from the horizontal to from about zero to about ten degrees from an input end down to an output end of the drum;
- a multiplicity of fins mounted in the drum spaced from the wall of the drum and extending inwardly from the wall, the fins being disposed at an angle of from about zero degrees to about eighty five degrees from the radium line of the drum which intersects the proximal edge of the respective fins;
- the fins extending a distance from the wall at the input end and at the output end of the drum such that when in operation a body of brine is in the drum the fins are immersed in the brine;
- the fins being spaced about the interior circumference of the drum and extending generally longitudinally from the input end of the drum to the output end thereof;
- an annular well mounted at the output end of the drum for providing a sump for removal of brine from the drum;
- means for introducing brine at the input end of the drum;
- means for removing brine slurry from the annular well at the output end of the drum;
- means for forcing a stream of gas through the drum;
- and
- means for rotating the drum to cause the fins and the interior wall of the drum during operation to dip into a body of brine in the drum, to cause the fins to move upwardly and downwardly in the gas stream thereby causing the thin film of brine on the fins and the surface resulting from the dipping to evaporate to form a fine layer of salt crystals and to cause the fins and the surface to dip again into the brine to wash the salt crystals from the fins and surface to thereby form a slurry of fine salt crystals in saturated brine;
- the entire combination being so constructed and disposed so as to permit the introduction of brine and evaporating gas into the cylindrical drum and the removal of salt crystal-brine slurry and moisture laden gas from the cylinder with the fins being so spaced from and disposed with respect to the interior wall of the drum as to cause the fins and walls to be washed and abraded by the free flow of brine slurry over the fins toward the walls and downwardly along the walls toward the body of brine.
9 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.