Synthetic rutile production
AssigneeThe University of Birmingham
InventorNoel A. Warner
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Abstract
Hot metal is circulated by an R-H unit in a closed loop path through first and second hearths and chambers. Titaniferous material containing iron oxide is introduced into the first hearth and the iron oxide therein is reduced in a heating zone in the first hearth to iron to produce titania slag having a reduced iron content which is removed in chamber before the hot metal passes via an underflow weir into chamber at which coal is added and a proportion of hot metal is removed. The addition of coal is such that more than 2% by weight of carbon dissolves in the hot metal in the second hearth. Coal ash slag is removed at chamber, while the hot metal containing the dissolved carbon is recirculated to the first hearth.
Claims9
A method of upgrading titaniferous material;
- containing iron oxide, comprising the steps of circulating a molten carrier material comprising molten iron and dissolved carbon in a closed loop path through first and second hearths;
- introducing the titaniferous material into the carrier material;
- heating the introduced titaniferous material in a heating zone in the first hearth so as to reduce iron oxide to iron and produce a titania slag having a solid rutile phase;
- removing the titania enriched slag from the molten carrier material before the latter is circulated to the second hearth;
- introducing carbonaceous reductant into the molten carrier material so as to cause carbon to dissolve in the carrier in the second hearth;
- and performing a further slag removal operation on the circulating molten carrier material before passing the latter to the first hearth.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.