Treatment of ferromanganese
AssigneeCouncil for Mineral Technology
InventorsThomas R. Curr, Ingrid E. Schmidt
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method of treating ferromanganese alloys in a suitable reactor wherein the feed material is heated by a transferred-arc thermal plasma and is fed directly to the reactor bath. Accordingly, the molten bath defines a reaction zone and at least a part of the molten bath defines a lower electrode surface for the arc. In particular, ferromanganese alloy fines may be remelted to form a physically more massive form of the alloy and additionally may be refined by the addition of suitable metal oxides to yield a product wherein the content of at least silicon or carbon is lowered.
Claims15
A process for remelting ferromanganese alloy fines to produce an improved solid ferromanganese alloy product comprising melting the ferromanganese alloy fines in a furnace bath that is heated by a transferred arc thermal plasma having a plasma generating gun positioned above the bath, said gun serving as the cathode with the plasma forming gas being an inert gas introduced above the bath by said gun and said molten alloy in the furnace bath being in direct electrical communication with an electrode serving as the anode, feeding ferromanganese alloy fines directly to the bath at a rate that maintains a molten condition in the bath, followed by tapping and solidification of the molten alloy to form said improved product.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.