Method and device for recycling metal scrap

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10486209-B2
Application number	US-201816005023-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 11, 2018
Priority date	Dec 23, 2015
Publication date	Nov 26, 2019
Grant date	Nov 26, 2019

Abstract

A method for recycling metal scraps, particularly aluminum scraps, is provided. In the method, an amount of metal scrap, particularly aluminum scrap, is provided in the form of a plurality of separated split lots. A composition analysis is carried out for each split lot and an item of composition information based on said composition analysis is associated with each split lot that has been analyzed. Also provided is a device configured for carrying out said method.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for recycling metal scraps, comprising the steps of:
providing an amount of metal scrap in the form of a plurality of separated split lots, wherein the separated split lots are provided in the form of individual packages;
carrying out, for each split lot, a composition analysis and assigning an item of composition information based on said composition analysis to the respective split lot that has been analysed; and
selecting, for the production of an alloy with predetermined specification, a subset of suitable split lots from a plurality of split lots, each of said split lots of the plurality of split lots having an assigned item of composition information, for the alloy composition to be obtained as a function of the composition information items assigned to the split lots and of the predetermined specification.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the composition analysis of a split lot is carried out in that the entire scrap of said split lot is delivered to an analysis device and is analysed by said device.

3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the composition analysis comprises a spectroscopic analysis.

4. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the item of composition information contains a value for the proportion of weight of at least one alloy component to the total weight of the analysed split lot.

5. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the item of composition information contains a value for the weight of the split lot.

6. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the split lots are assigned in each case to one of a plurality of classes as a function of the respectively assigned item of composition information and a predetermined assignment rule.

7. The method according to claim 6 , wherein only such split lots are assigned to a first class, the value of which for the proportion of weight of at least one alloy component lies in a predetermined range for said alloy component.

8. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the split lots are assigned in each case to one of a plurality of predetermined alloy specifications as a function of the respectively assigned item of composition information.

9. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising the step of selecting one or a plurality of split lots with a predetermined target range for at least a first alloy component from the plurality of split lots, wherein the selection is performed in that split lots are assigned to one of a plurality of predetermined alloy compositions as a function of their respective content of at least a second alloy component and are selected only if the first alloy component of the predetermined alloy composition assigned to the respective split lot lies within the target range predetermined for the first alloy component.

10. The method according to claim 6 , wherein split lots assigned to a predetermined class or to a predetermined alloy composition are combined to form a large lot.

11. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising the step of storing the split lots for random access until the selection for the production of an alloy with predetermined specification for the alloy composition to be obtained.

12. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the plurality of separated split lots is provided by dividing a large lot into a plurality of split lots.

13. The method according to claim 3 , wherein the spectroscopic analysis comprises a laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS), an X-ray fluorescence analysis (XRF) and/or a prompt-gamma neutron activation analysis (PGNAA).

14. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the metal scrap is aluminium scrap.

Assignees

• Wimmer Michael
• Gillner Ronald
• Bauerschlag Nils Robert
• Ross Thomas
• Hydro Aluminium Rolled Prod

Inventors

• Wimmer Michael
• Gillner Ronald
• Bauerschlag Nils Robert
• Ross Thomas

Classifications

• B07C5/00

  Sorting according to a characteristic or feature of the articles or material being sorted, e.g. by control effected by devices which detect or measure such characteristic or feature; Sorting by manually actuated devices, e.g. switches (sorting by hand only B07C7/00; separating solids from solids by sieving, screening, or sifting or by using gas currents or other separating by dry methods applicable to bulk material B07B) · CPC title

• C22C21/00

  Alloys based on aluminium · CPC title

• C22B1/005

  Preliminary treatment of scrap (C22B1/02 - C22B1/26 take precedence) · CPC title

• G01N2223/643

  object on conveyor · CPC title

• B07C5/346

  according to radioactive properties {(material testing G01N23/00; radiation measurement G01T)} · CPC title