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US 5,785,923 AGranted
Apparatus for continuous feed material melting
AssigneeBattelle Memorial Institute
InventorsJeffrey E. Surma, Joseph M. Perez, Jr.
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The apparatus of the present invention is a melter housing having a pretreat chamber heated with a feed material heater that is partially isolated from a melter chamber. The method of the present invention has the steps of introducing feed material into a pretreat chamber and heating the feed material to a softening temperature of the feed material, and passing the pretreated feed material to a melter chamber.
Claims7
An apparatus for continuously melting materials, comprising:
- (a) a melter housing having a feed inlet for receiving feed material into a pretreat chamber having a bottom sloped at least 20 degrees from horizontal, said pretreat chamber having a plasma feed material heater;
- (b) a joule heated melter having a at least two joule heating electrodes, said joule heated melter located below said pretreat chamber permitting pretreated feed material to flow by gravity into said joule heated melter wherein a molten pool is to be formed, said joule heated melter further having at least one melt outlet for removing a molten material from said joule heated melter;
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- (c) an offgas outlet for removing any volatilized constituent.
1 more element
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.