A Solids Injection Lance

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016116215-A1
Application number	US-201414891112-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	May 2, 2014
Priority date	May 16, 2013
Publication date	Apr 28, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A method for injecting a solid feed material through a solids injection lance includes creating flow conditions in an injection passageway of the lance so that at least a part of the feed material flowing along the passageway forms a buffer zone between a wall of a tube that defines the passageway and feed material flowing along a central section of the passageway.

First claim

1 . A method for injecting a solid feed material through a solids injection lance that includes creating flow conditions in an injection passageway of the lance so that at least a part of the feed material flowing along the passageway forms a buffer zone between a wall of a tube that defines the passageway and feed material flowing along a central section of the passageway.

2 . The method defined in claim 1 wherein the feed material includes metalliferous material.

3 . The method defined in claim 2 wherein the feed material further includes carbonaceous material.

4 . (canceled)

5 . The method defined in claim 2 wherein the buffer zone material is (a) carbonaceous material only, (b) a mixture of carbonaceous material and metalliferous material, or (c) a mixture of carbonaceous material, metalliferous material, and flux material.

6 . The method defined in claim 3 wherein the central section material is (a) metalliferous material, (b) a mixture of carbonaceous material and metalliferous material, or (c) a mixture of carbonaceous material, metalliferous material, and flux material.

7 . The method defined in claim 6 wherein the central section material is predominantly, i.e. greater than 70% by weight, metalliferous material.

8 . The method defined in claim 3 wherein the carbonaceous material is at ambient temperature and the metalliferous material is hot.

9 . The method defined in claim 3 wherein the carbonaceous material and the metalliferous material are at ambient temperature.

10 . (canceled)

11 . The method defined in claim 1 includes forming the buffer zone so that it extends at least partly along the length of a tapered section of a venturi in a section of the tube that accelerates feed material flowing in the passageway.

12 . The method defined in claim 1 includes forming the buffer zone so that it extends along the whole of the length of the tapered section of the venturi.

13 . The method defined in claim 12 includes forming the buffer zone so that it extends along the whole of the length of the tapered section of the venturi and forwardly of the tapered section.

14 . The method defined in claim 1 includes establishing a flow of feed material in the form of metalliferous material along the passageway and supplying a flow of another feed material into the passageway in a direction that is transverse, typically perpendicular, to the direction of movement of the metalliferous material along the passageway whereby the flow of metalliferous material diverts the flow of the other feed material into the passageway to form the buffer zone.

15 . The method defined in claim 14 wherein the other feed material is a carbonaceous material only, a metalliferous material only, or a mixture that includes carbonaceous material and metalliferous material.

16 . A method for injecting solid metalliferous material and solid carbonaceous material that includes injecting a solid metalliferous material via a metalliferous material inlet into a passageway extending from a rearward end to a forward end of the lance and creating a flow of metalliferous material along the lance, and injecting solid carbonaceous material via a carbonaceous material inlet into the passageway downstream of a metalliferous material inlet to the passageway so that at least a part of the carbonaceous material forms a buffer zone between a wall of a tube that defines the passageway and metalliferous material flowing along the passageway.

17 . A solids injection lance that includes a tube that defines a passageway for solid feed material to be injected through the tube and has an inlet for solid feed material at a rear end, a separate inlet for solid feed material in a wall of the tube downstream of the rear inlet in the direction of movement of feed material along the passageway, and an outlet for discharging solid feed material at a forward end, and wherein the lance is adapted to supply feed material into the passageway via the downstream inlet so that at least a part of the feed material forms a buffer zone between a wall of a tube that defines the passageway and feed material flowing along the passageway.

18 . The lance defined in claim 17 includes more than one tube wall inlet.

19 . The lance defined in claim 18 wherein the tube wall inlets are selected locations around and/or along the length of the tube wall to promote the formation of the buffer zone.

20 . The lance defined in claim 18 wherein the plurality of the tube wall inlets is spaced around the circumference of the tube wall.

21 . (canceled)

22 . (canceled)

23 . The lance defined in claim 17 wherein the solids injection tube includes a venturi in a rearward section of the tube for accelerating solid feed material flowing through the venturi, with the venturi including a section that tapers inwardly from a wider rear end to a narrower forward end.

24 . The lance defined in claim 23 wherein the tapered section of the venturi is downstream of the rear inlet and downstream of the tube wall inlet so that in use the buffer zone extends at least partly along the length of the tapered section.

25 - 28 . (canceled)

Assignees

• Tech Resources Pty Ltd

Inventors

• Pilote Jacques
• Dry Rodney James
• Davis Mark Preston

Classifications

• C21C5/4606 Primary

  Lances or injectors · CPC title

• F27D3/0025

  Charging or loading melting furnaces with material in the solid state · CPC title

• F27B3/18

  Arrangements of devices for charging · CPC title

• F27B2014/002

  Smelting process, e.g. sequences to melt a specific material · CPC title

• C21C5/5217

  equipped with burners or devices for injecting gas, i.e. oxygen, or pulverulent materials into the furnace · CPC title