Electrolytic smelting furnace and electrolytic smelting method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2023026097-A1
Application number	US-202017772351-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Aug 5, 2020
Priority date	Nov 7, 2019
Publication date	Jan 26, 2023
Grant date	—

Abstract

Metals are smelted properly. An electrolytic smelting furnace includes a furnace body, a furnace bottom electrode provided at a bottom part in the furnace body, and an upper electrode provided above the furnace bottom electrode in the furnace body, and the upper electrode includes a conductive compound with a spinel-type structure.

First claim

1 . An electrolytic smelting furnace comprising:
a furnace body; a furnace bottom electrode provided at a bottom part in the furnace body; and an upper electrode provided above the furnace bottom electrode in the furnace body, the upper electrode including a conductive compound with a spinel-type structure.

2 . The electrolytic smelting furnace according to claim 1 , wherein the upper electrode contains Fe 3 O 4 .

3 . The electrolytic smelting furnace according to claim 1 , wherein the upper electrode contains Fe 3 O 4 by 90 wt % or more and 100 wt % or less.

4 . The electrolytic smelting furnace according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a power supply unit that applies voltage between the furnace bottom electrode and the upper electrode; and a voltage control unit that controls the voltage applied by the power supply unit, wherein the voltage control unit sets a value of the voltage, based on a type of an object to be smelted.

5 . An electrolytic smelting furnace comprising:
a furnace body; a furnace bottom electrode provided at a bottom part in the furnace body; an upper electrode provided above the furnace bottom electrode in the furnace body; a power supply unit that applies voltage between the furnace bottom electrode and the upper electrode; and a voltage control unit that controls the voltage applied by the power supply unit, the voltage control unit setting a value of the voltage based on a type of an object to be smelted.

6 . The electrolytic smelting furnace according to claim 5 , wherein
the electrolytic smelting furnace smelts an alloy containing a first metal and a second metal, and the voltage control unit sets the value of the voltage based on a reduction potential at which the first metal and the second metal are reduced.

7 . The electrolytic smelting furnace according to claim 6 , wherein the voltage control unit sets the value of the voltage so that a content ratio between the first metal and the second metal in the alloy becomes a desired value, based on a loading ratio between a first raw material containing the first metal and a second raw material containing the second metal to the electrolytic smelting furnace.

8 . The electrolytic smelting furnace according to claim 6 , further comprising a loading control unit that loads a first raw material containing the first metal and a second raw material containing the second metal to the electrolytic smelting furnace, wherein
the loading control unit sets a loading ratio between the first raw material and the second raw material to the electrolytic smelting furnace so that a content ratio between the first metal and the second metal in the alloy becomes a desired value, based on the value of the voltage set by the voltage control unit.

9 . The electrolytic smelting furnace according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a heating unit that heats and melts the object that is smelted; and a moving mechanism that moves the upper electrode, wherein an electrolytic solution is stored in the furnace body, and when the smelted object is heated by the heating unit, the moving mechanism places the upper electrode at a position where the upper electrode is not immersed in the electrolytic solution.

10 . An electrolytic smelting furnace comprising:
a furnace body in which an electrolytic solution is stored; a furnace bottom electrode provided at a bottom part in the furnace body; an upper electrode provided above the furnace bottom electrode in the furnace body; a heating unit that heats and melts a smelted object; and a moving mechanism that moves the upper electrode, wherein when the smelted object is heated by the heating unit, the moving mechanism places the upper electrode at a position where the upper electrode is not immersed in the electrolytic solution.

11 . The electrolytic smelting furnace according to claim 10 , wherein the heating unit is provided to the upper electrode.

12 . The electrolytic smelting furnace according to claim 11 , wherein the heating unit includes a torch body with a tubular shape provided on an inner peripheral side of a through-hole formed in the upper electrode, and a plasma torch electrode provided on an inner peripheral side of the torch body.

13 . The electrolytic smelting furnace according to claim 10 , further comprising a discharge channel formed at a bottom part of the furnace body and discharging the object melted by the heating unit, and a stirring unit that stirs the melted objected that is discharged from the discharge channel.

14 . (canceled)

15 . The electrolytic smelting furnace according to claim 1 , wherein at least one of V, Nb, FeV alloy, and FeNb alloy is smelted.

16 . (canceled)

17 . An electrolytic smelting method for performing electrolytic smelting with the electrolytic smelting furnace according to claim 1 .

18 . The electrolytic smelting furnace according to claim 5 , further comprising:
a heating unit that heats and melts the object that is smelted; and a moving mechanism that moves the upper electrode, wherein an electrolytic solution is stored in the furnace body, and when the smelted object is heated by the heating unit, the moving mechanism places the upper electrode at a position where the upper electrode is not immersed in the electrolytic solution.

19 . The electrolytic smelting furnace according to claim 5 , wherein at least one of V, Nb, FeV alloy, and FeNb alloy is smelted.

20 . An electrolytic smelting method for performing electrolytic smelting with the electrolytic smelting furnace according to claim 5 .

21 . The electrolytic smelting furnace according to claim 10 , wherein at least one of V, Nb, FeV alloy, and FeNb alloy is smelted.

22 . An electrolytic smelting method for performing electrolytic smelting with the electrolytic smelting furnace according to claim 10 .

Assignees

• Mitsubishi Heavy Ind Ltd

Inventors

• Nakano Takashi
• Koshiro Ikumasa
• Asai Yuki
• Uda Nobuki

Classifications

• F27B14/06 Primary

  heated electrically, e.g. induction crucible furnaces with or without any other source of heat (F27B14/04 takes precedence) · CPC title

• F27B14/20

  Arrangement of controlling, monitoring, alarm or like devices · CPC title

• F27D27/007

  Pulsating pumps · CPC title

• C25C1/06

  or iron group metals, refractory metals or manganese · CPC title

• F27B2014/068

  with the use of an electrode producing a current in the melt · CPC title