CA1052569A - Refractory pumping apparatus - Google Patents
Refractory pumping apparatusInfo
- Publication number
- CA1052569A CA1052569A CA242,743A CA242743A CA1052569A CA 1052569 A CA1052569 A CA 1052569A CA 242743 A CA242743 A CA 242743A CA 1052569 A CA1052569 A CA 1052569A
- Authority
- CA
- Canada
- Prior art keywords
- chamber
- refractory
- riser
- tube
- exit
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Expired
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Classifications
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F04—POSITIVE - DISPLACEMENT MACHINES FOR LIQUIDS; PUMPS FOR LIQUIDS OR ELASTIC FLUIDS
- F04F—PUMPING OF FLUID BY DIRECT CONTACT OF ANOTHER FLUID OR BY USING INERTIA OF FLUID TO BE PUMPED; SIPHONS
- F04F3/00—Pumps using negative pressure acting directly on the liquid to be pumped
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- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
- General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Manufacture And Refinement Of Metals (AREA)
- Furnace Charging Or Discharging (AREA)
- Waste-Gas Treatment And Other Accessory Devices For Furnaces (AREA)
Abstract
ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE
Refractory apparatus having a static refractory pump body provides capability for pumping molten metallurgical materials, e.g., mattes, slags, fluxes and metals, up from one bath, over a barrier and into another bath while the molten material contacts only static refractory components, and thus surmounts difficulties of pumping such materials in dynamic pumps having close-fitting moving metal parts.
Static refractory pump body has riser passage, U-tube passage and chamber associated with means for varying pressure inside chamber.
Refractory apparatus having a static refractory pump body provides capability for pumping molten metallurgical materials, e.g., mattes, slags, fluxes and metals, up from one bath, over a barrier and into another bath while the molten material contacts only static refractory components, and thus surmounts difficulties of pumping such materials in dynamic pumps having close-fitting moving metal parts.
Static refractory pump body has riser passage, U-tube passage and chamber associated with means for varying pressure inside chamber.
Description
lOS25~;9 The present invention relates to metallurgy and more particularly to apparatus and handling methods for the processing of metallurgical materials such as ores, slags, mattes, fluxes and metals when in the molten state.
The metallurgical art includes many treatment processes, e.g., refining processes, wherein it is desirable to transfer molten material from one bath of molten material neld in a refractory vessel to another molten bath in an-other vessel, or across a refractory barrier that separates different baths in a relatively large vessel. It is often desirable to have refractory vessels equipped with refrac-tory pumping apparatus capable of transferring molten metallurgical materials from one vessel to another, inasmuch as plant construction and process expense considerations and also metallurgical considerations, including control of transfer time and flow, and needs for counter current flow in special processes, negate possibility or desirability of transfer by gravity flow alone or by hoisting and pouring with ladles. The high elevated temperatures, e.g., 700C
and higher, and the corrosiveness of many metallurgical materials, e.g., nickel sulfide matte, would be seriously deterimental to metal pumps. It would be beneficial to accomplish pumpins of molten metallurgical materials without contacting any moving parts with the molten materials and to have the molten material contact only refractory materials that remain static during the pumping. Thus many diffi-culties of pump construction and pump maintenance could be overcome.
105'~569 There has now been discovered refractory apparatus that provides capability for process operations of transfer-ring molten metallurgical materials from one molten bath to another, including operations where the fluid level of the second bath is as high or higher than that of the first bath, and that accomplishes the transfer operation with contact of the molten metallurgical material against only static appar-atus made of refractory materials, such as ceramics or graphite, and obviates problems of having molten material in contact with moving articles and parts in dynamic operating apparatus.
An object of the present invention is to provide metal processing apparatus capable of transferring molten metallurgical material from one molten bath to another molten bath.
Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing wherein:
Figure 1 is a plan view of an embodiment of the processing apparatus of the invention, with the view of the apparatus cover partially cutaway for illustration of the interior below the cover;
Figure 2 is a side view of a vertical section taken along line 2-2 on Figure l;
Figure 3 is a side view, on an enlarged scale, of the pump body (20) of Figure l;
Figure 4 is a top view of a horizontal section taken along line 4-4 on Fi~ure 3; and Figure 5 shows a side view of two vertical sections taken along line 5-5 on Figure 4 and also shows a schematic depiction of pressure control apparatus connected to the pump body.
~OSZ569 The present invention contemplates, especially for use in holding and transferrinq molten metallurgical process materials, a refractory apparatus having two compartments for holding two baths of hot molten metallurgic materials and having, for moving molten material up and over a barrier separation between the two baths to thereby transfer molten material from one bath to the other, a fixed-position, static body, pump wherein all portions of Ihe pump that are contacted by the fluid being pumped (and also those portions that may be heated to or near the temperature of the fluid) are made of refractory material and remain static and in fixed posi-tions relatively to each other during pumping. The pump has a body made of refractory material with a chamber and passages for flow of the molten fluid that is pumped and has pressure control means disposed remote from the molten fluid and in pressure communication with the body to control movement of molten fluid thru the static body. Thus, the pump avoids ; difficulties and problems of providing, operating and main-taining moving parts subjected to contact with molten metal-lurgical materials.
The static body (which can comprise base and cap portions) has a chamber and passages for flow of molten met-allurgical fluid and pressure-controlling fluid, e.g., air, to and from the chamber. In apparatus of the invention, with the body in the vertical position for moving fluid from a bath in one bath compartment (feed bath compartment) up to a desired elevation level that is above a barrier, or portion thereof, to a second bath compartment (receiving bath com-partment) the floor of the pumps chamber is at an elevation above the desired elevation level, the entrance for intake of molten fluid to the body is in the feed bath compartment at a ievel below the desired elevation le~el, and the exit for output of molten fluid from the body is at least as high as the desired elevation level. One of the body pas-sages, the riser passage, extends up from the body entrance and into the chamber and extends further via a standpipe to a riser discharge exit above the floor of the chamber. An-other of the body passages is a U-tube discharge passage that extends down from the chamber to a level below the body entrance level and thence up to the o~Yput exit of the body. Thus the nadir of the U-tube passage extends lower than the entrance and exit apertures of the body. The entrance to the U-tube serves as the chamber discharge exit and is at a level below the riser exit level and above the body exit level. The body also has a passage from the chamber to a pressure control means, which can comprise a multiport valve, a vacuum pump and an atmosphere vent.
Accordingly, when the chamber is vented to the atmosphere and contains fluid up to a level between the riser exit and the chamber exit levels, fluid can ~low by gravity from the chamber and out through the body exit until the chamber is drained of fluid down to the chamber discharge exit level and yet the chamber will remain closed to the atmosphere inasmuch as fluid will remain in the lower portion of the U-tube. When the valve is repositioned to connect the pres-sure control passage to the vacuum source, the chamber pres-sure is reduced below atmospheric pressure, and then atmos-pheric pressure over the feed bath forces fluid up the riser and into the chamber. The body is constructed to have the vertical height distance of the ~-tube entrance above the U-tube nadir greater than the vertical height of the riser exit abové the riser entrance and thereby provides for avoiding emptying the U-tube by reverse flow up the U-tube while the chamber is evacuated to draw fluid up the riser. Accordingly, the U-tube remains closed during charg-ing the chamber with fluid from the riser. When the chamber is charged with the desired amount of fluid, the multiport valve can be again positioned to vent the chamber to the atmosphere and the chamber will empty another charge of molten fluid into the receiving bath compartment of the apparatus. The pressure control means can be alternately switched from the vacuum position to the atmosphere position and back to the vacuum position repetitively and automatically at desired intervals by electronic or mechanical timers or other time control means or, if desired, by liquid level sensors, e.g., electrodes. Where continuous transfer is desired, two of the pumps can be employed in parallel with the pressure control means sequenced to provide that at least one of the pumps is discharging to the second compart-ment at all times.
Referring now to Figures 1 and 2, refractory vessel 10 has overflow passage 11 and refractory barrier 12 extend-ing from the interior f~oor of the vessel up to a level above the overflow passage and across between the sidewalls of the vessel to form, in conjunction with the floor 13 and the interior walls 14 of the vessel, feed bath compartment 15 and treatment bath compartment 16, which hold feed bath FB
and treatment bath TB, respectively. Insulating cover 17 is supported by the walls of the vessel and comprises thermally --~05'~569 insulating material to inhibit heat loss from the vessel.
Inflow passage 18 and 19 provide means for directing flow of molten fluid into the feed bath compartment. Pump body 20 is disposed with pump intake entrance 21 in the feed bath compartment, at a level below the height of the barrier and with pump output spout 22 at a level higher than the pump entrance level and also above the barrier height. Herein if the barrier is irregular, e.g., slotted, barrier height refers to the lowest level at which fluid flow is barred.
Pressure control tube 26 and electrical control line 27 extend through the vessel cover.
Both the vessel and pump are made of refractory materials, or at least all portions that are to be in contact with molten metallurgical fluids are refractory materials.
Generally, refractory materials herein refers to nonmetallic heat-resistant materials that are characterized by suitability as structural materials at high temperatures, often for use in contact with molten metals, slags, mattes, glasses or hot gases, as in furnaces, crucibles, saggers or chimneys, and particularly include graphite, brick and fired clay and other ceramics. Thermal shock resistance is especially important for practical use of the pump in metallurgical production operations. Where the apparatus is to be used for holding and transferring molten baths of nickel sulfide matte, the vessel is advantageously made of e.g., alumino-silicate fire brick, and the pump body is made of graphite.
Figures 3, 4 and 5 show pump body 20 with entrance 21 opening into, and with spout 22 extending from, the body.
Body 20 has chamber 23, riser 24 and ~-tube 25, which has down-flow leg 25a, nadir 25b and upflow leg 25c for passage from chamber exit (also the U-tube entrance) 23a to U-tube exit 25d and thence to spout exit 22a. Body cap 20a forms an air-tight fit with body base 20b and has pressure control tube 26 and electric control line 27 joined to the cap with air-tight fits. The fits of the cap to the body and control lines are sufficiently air-tight for enabling the chamber interior to be maintained at a pressure substantially less than one atmosphere, e.g.,-three-quarter atmoshpere, when the riser and U-tube passages are closed with fluid and the pressure control tube is in communication with vacuum source 28. Operation of multiport pressure control valve 29, which can be manually or by actuator 30, enables connecting the chamber to the vacuum source 28 through vacuum passage 31 with the valve positioned at the vacuum position depicted schemicatically by solid arrow VP or, alternatively, to atmospheric position depicted by broken arrow AP. T-stem 33 tthat forms an upper, interior, portion of the riser) provides baffle surface 34 above riser exit (and chamber entrance) 24a. Adjustable electrode 35 is connected to electric control line 36 to enable sensing a preselected liquid level in the chambér. The electrode and electric control line can be adjusted and connected to detect pre-sence of fluid at an undesired height in the chamber, e.g., to provide warning against accidental overflow. At Figure 5, HR represents fluid height in the riser when full; HU
represents fluid height in the downflow leg of the U-tube when full; and HE represents the height of the riser exit above the U-tube entrance 23a. The pump is made to have HU greater than HR and thus provides for maintaining the 105Z56~
U-tube closed when the chamber pressure is decreased suf-ficiently for enabling atmospheric pressure to force fluid to flow up through the riser from the pump entrance to the T-stem apex.
In operation, when the feed bath compartment of the vessel contains a volume of molten matte sufficient to provide that the liquid level in the feed compartment is above the pump intake entrance and, of course, not higher than the barrier (in practice the barrier height is gen-erally about one or more inches higher than the overflow exit), and with the U-tube filled previously with fluid up to the spout level, and when the pressure control valve is at the atmosphere position to transmit atmospheric pres-sure into the pump chamber, then, the valve is moved to the vacuum position and accordingly the chamber pressure is reduced sufficiently below atmoshperic to enable atmospheric pressure in the vessel to force fluid that is in the feed compartment to move up and out of the riser and thence into the pump chamber. After a desired amount of fluid has been moved into the chamber, which can be ascertained by timing, or signalled by an electrode if desired, then the valve position is changed to the atmospheric pressure position and, consequently, the chamber pressure is raised to atmospheric and gravity forces fluid to flow down from the chamber, through the U-tube, thence out from the spout and into the treatment bath compartment, thereby resulting in transfer of fluid from the feed compartment to the treatment compartment.
Outflow from the pump ceases when the chamber is empty and the fluid levels in the U-tube legs drop to about the level of the spout exit. When outflow is essentially finished, iOSZ569 which may be determined from timing, visual observation through a porthole, or a second electrode or other sensor, the control valve is moved to the vacuum position and the chamber is again charged with an upflow of fluid from the feed bath compartment.
In an example of successful upward transfer of molten metallurgical material, pumping apparatus of the inyention, including a unitary pump body made of Graphite having a chamber and passages arranged as in Figure 2, pumped molten nickel sulfide (22% by weight sulfur) at rates of 200 to 300 kilograms per hour up from a feed bath at temperatures of 830 to 850~.
The unitary body construction provides advantages of mechanical ruggedness and facilitates production and handling, particularly for practical use of a graphite body pump.
It is to be observed that the pump is arranged to maintain the passases of the U-tube closed with fluid. The U-tube is not emptied of fluid by a reverse flow of fluid upward in the downflow leg of the U-tube when the chamber is at less than atmospheric pressure, inasmuch as the U-tube height HU is greàter than the riser height HR. And, the U-tube is not drained during outflow when the chamber is at atmospheric pressure inasmuch as the exit level from the U-tube is at a height HE higher than the nadir of the U-tube.
Moreover, having the riser extend above the chamber floor, to the height HD, prevents reverse flow draining of the chamber charge of fluid back down the riser.
Advantageously, for good functioning including maintaining the U-tube closed, the passage dimensions are 105'~S69 co-related to provide that HU is at least 5% greater than R
The present invention is particularly applicable in the transferring of molten metallurgical materials from one compartment, or separate vessel, to another. For in-stance, the invention is useful for pumping molten matte from one treatment stage to a subsequent treatment stage.
Along with other utility, the invention is specially useful for transfer of molten metal, matte or other molten metal-lurgical material upward through a supernatant layer of a different material, e.g., slag, flux, insulation, extractant salts or other, while maintaining separation between the supernatant material and the molten metal, matte or other molten material that is desired to be transferred. Special benefits of the invention further include providing for advantageously good control of flow rates during transfer, and for maintaining the temperature of the material-in-transit, accruing from capability to control vacuum and air pressure and to perform with the body of the pump heated to the tem-perature of the molten fluid-in-transit.
Although the present invention has been described in conjunction with certain embodiments, it is to be understood that modifications and variations may be restored to without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, as~
those skilled in the art will readily understand. Such modi-fications and variations are considered to be within the preview and scope of the invention and appended claims.
The metallurgical art includes many treatment processes, e.g., refining processes, wherein it is desirable to transfer molten material from one bath of molten material neld in a refractory vessel to another molten bath in an-other vessel, or across a refractory barrier that separates different baths in a relatively large vessel. It is often desirable to have refractory vessels equipped with refrac-tory pumping apparatus capable of transferring molten metallurgical materials from one vessel to another, inasmuch as plant construction and process expense considerations and also metallurgical considerations, including control of transfer time and flow, and needs for counter current flow in special processes, negate possibility or desirability of transfer by gravity flow alone or by hoisting and pouring with ladles. The high elevated temperatures, e.g., 700C
and higher, and the corrosiveness of many metallurgical materials, e.g., nickel sulfide matte, would be seriously deterimental to metal pumps. It would be beneficial to accomplish pumpins of molten metallurgical materials without contacting any moving parts with the molten materials and to have the molten material contact only refractory materials that remain static during the pumping. Thus many diffi-culties of pump construction and pump maintenance could be overcome.
105'~569 There has now been discovered refractory apparatus that provides capability for process operations of transfer-ring molten metallurgical materials from one molten bath to another, including operations where the fluid level of the second bath is as high or higher than that of the first bath, and that accomplishes the transfer operation with contact of the molten metallurgical material against only static appar-atus made of refractory materials, such as ceramics or graphite, and obviates problems of having molten material in contact with moving articles and parts in dynamic operating apparatus.
An object of the present invention is to provide metal processing apparatus capable of transferring molten metallurgical material from one molten bath to another molten bath.
Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing wherein:
Figure 1 is a plan view of an embodiment of the processing apparatus of the invention, with the view of the apparatus cover partially cutaway for illustration of the interior below the cover;
Figure 2 is a side view of a vertical section taken along line 2-2 on Figure l;
Figure 3 is a side view, on an enlarged scale, of the pump body (20) of Figure l;
Figure 4 is a top view of a horizontal section taken along line 4-4 on Fi~ure 3; and Figure 5 shows a side view of two vertical sections taken along line 5-5 on Figure 4 and also shows a schematic depiction of pressure control apparatus connected to the pump body.
~OSZ569 The present invention contemplates, especially for use in holding and transferrinq molten metallurgical process materials, a refractory apparatus having two compartments for holding two baths of hot molten metallurgic materials and having, for moving molten material up and over a barrier separation between the two baths to thereby transfer molten material from one bath to the other, a fixed-position, static body, pump wherein all portions of Ihe pump that are contacted by the fluid being pumped (and also those portions that may be heated to or near the temperature of the fluid) are made of refractory material and remain static and in fixed posi-tions relatively to each other during pumping. The pump has a body made of refractory material with a chamber and passages for flow of the molten fluid that is pumped and has pressure control means disposed remote from the molten fluid and in pressure communication with the body to control movement of molten fluid thru the static body. Thus, the pump avoids ; difficulties and problems of providing, operating and main-taining moving parts subjected to contact with molten metal-lurgical materials.
The static body (which can comprise base and cap portions) has a chamber and passages for flow of molten met-allurgical fluid and pressure-controlling fluid, e.g., air, to and from the chamber. In apparatus of the invention, with the body in the vertical position for moving fluid from a bath in one bath compartment (feed bath compartment) up to a desired elevation level that is above a barrier, or portion thereof, to a second bath compartment (receiving bath com-partment) the floor of the pumps chamber is at an elevation above the desired elevation level, the entrance for intake of molten fluid to the body is in the feed bath compartment at a ievel below the desired elevation le~el, and the exit for output of molten fluid from the body is at least as high as the desired elevation level. One of the body pas-sages, the riser passage, extends up from the body entrance and into the chamber and extends further via a standpipe to a riser discharge exit above the floor of the chamber. An-other of the body passages is a U-tube discharge passage that extends down from the chamber to a level below the body entrance level and thence up to the o~Yput exit of the body. Thus the nadir of the U-tube passage extends lower than the entrance and exit apertures of the body. The entrance to the U-tube serves as the chamber discharge exit and is at a level below the riser exit level and above the body exit level. The body also has a passage from the chamber to a pressure control means, which can comprise a multiport valve, a vacuum pump and an atmosphere vent.
Accordingly, when the chamber is vented to the atmosphere and contains fluid up to a level between the riser exit and the chamber exit levels, fluid can ~low by gravity from the chamber and out through the body exit until the chamber is drained of fluid down to the chamber discharge exit level and yet the chamber will remain closed to the atmosphere inasmuch as fluid will remain in the lower portion of the U-tube. When the valve is repositioned to connect the pres-sure control passage to the vacuum source, the chamber pres-sure is reduced below atmospheric pressure, and then atmos-pheric pressure over the feed bath forces fluid up the riser and into the chamber. The body is constructed to have the vertical height distance of the ~-tube entrance above the U-tube nadir greater than the vertical height of the riser exit abové the riser entrance and thereby provides for avoiding emptying the U-tube by reverse flow up the U-tube while the chamber is evacuated to draw fluid up the riser. Accordingly, the U-tube remains closed during charg-ing the chamber with fluid from the riser. When the chamber is charged with the desired amount of fluid, the multiport valve can be again positioned to vent the chamber to the atmosphere and the chamber will empty another charge of molten fluid into the receiving bath compartment of the apparatus. The pressure control means can be alternately switched from the vacuum position to the atmosphere position and back to the vacuum position repetitively and automatically at desired intervals by electronic or mechanical timers or other time control means or, if desired, by liquid level sensors, e.g., electrodes. Where continuous transfer is desired, two of the pumps can be employed in parallel with the pressure control means sequenced to provide that at least one of the pumps is discharging to the second compart-ment at all times.
Referring now to Figures 1 and 2, refractory vessel 10 has overflow passage 11 and refractory barrier 12 extend-ing from the interior f~oor of the vessel up to a level above the overflow passage and across between the sidewalls of the vessel to form, in conjunction with the floor 13 and the interior walls 14 of the vessel, feed bath compartment 15 and treatment bath compartment 16, which hold feed bath FB
and treatment bath TB, respectively. Insulating cover 17 is supported by the walls of the vessel and comprises thermally --~05'~569 insulating material to inhibit heat loss from the vessel.
Inflow passage 18 and 19 provide means for directing flow of molten fluid into the feed bath compartment. Pump body 20 is disposed with pump intake entrance 21 in the feed bath compartment, at a level below the height of the barrier and with pump output spout 22 at a level higher than the pump entrance level and also above the barrier height. Herein if the barrier is irregular, e.g., slotted, barrier height refers to the lowest level at which fluid flow is barred.
Pressure control tube 26 and electrical control line 27 extend through the vessel cover.
Both the vessel and pump are made of refractory materials, or at least all portions that are to be in contact with molten metallurgical fluids are refractory materials.
Generally, refractory materials herein refers to nonmetallic heat-resistant materials that are characterized by suitability as structural materials at high temperatures, often for use in contact with molten metals, slags, mattes, glasses or hot gases, as in furnaces, crucibles, saggers or chimneys, and particularly include graphite, brick and fired clay and other ceramics. Thermal shock resistance is especially important for practical use of the pump in metallurgical production operations. Where the apparatus is to be used for holding and transferring molten baths of nickel sulfide matte, the vessel is advantageously made of e.g., alumino-silicate fire brick, and the pump body is made of graphite.
Figures 3, 4 and 5 show pump body 20 with entrance 21 opening into, and with spout 22 extending from, the body.
Body 20 has chamber 23, riser 24 and ~-tube 25, which has down-flow leg 25a, nadir 25b and upflow leg 25c for passage from chamber exit (also the U-tube entrance) 23a to U-tube exit 25d and thence to spout exit 22a. Body cap 20a forms an air-tight fit with body base 20b and has pressure control tube 26 and electric control line 27 joined to the cap with air-tight fits. The fits of the cap to the body and control lines are sufficiently air-tight for enabling the chamber interior to be maintained at a pressure substantially less than one atmosphere, e.g.,-three-quarter atmoshpere, when the riser and U-tube passages are closed with fluid and the pressure control tube is in communication with vacuum source 28. Operation of multiport pressure control valve 29, which can be manually or by actuator 30, enables connecting the chamber to the vacuum source 28 through vacuum passage 31 with the valve positioned at the vacuum position depicted schemicatically by solid arrow VP or, alternatively, to atmospheric position depicted by broken arrow AP. T-stem 33 tthat forms an upper, interior, portion of the riser) provides baffle surface 34 above riser exit (and chamber entrance) 24a. Adjustable electrode 35 is connected to electric control line 36 to enable sensing a preselected liquid level in the chambér. The electrode and electric control line can be adjusted and connected to detect pre-sence of fluid at an undesired height in the chamber, e.g., to provide warning against accidental overflow. At Figure 5, HR represents fluid height in the riser when full; HU
represents fluid height in the downflow leg of the U-tube when full; and HE represents the height of the riser exit above the U-tube entrance 23a. The pump is made to have HU greater than HR and thus provides for maintaining the 105Z56~
U-tube closed when the chamber pressure is decreased suf-ficiently for enabling atmospheric pressure to force fluid to flow up through the riser from the pump entrance to the T-stem apex.
In operation, when the feed bath compartment of the vessel contains a volume of molten matte sufficient to provide that the liquid level in the feed compartment is above the pump intake entrance and, of course, not higher than the barrier (in practice the barrier height is gen-erally about one or more inches higher than the overflow exit), and with the U-tube filled previously with fluid up to the spout level, and when the pressure control valve is at the atmosphere position to transmit atmospheric pres-sure into the pump chamber, then, the valve is moved to the vacuum position and accordingly the chamber pressure is reduced sufficiently below atmoshperic to enable atmospheric pressure in the vessel to force fluid that is in the feed compartment to move up and out of the riser and thence into the pump chamber. After a desired amount of fluid has been moved into the chamber, which can be ascertained by timing, or signalled by an electrode if desired, then the valve position is changed to the atmospheric pressure position and, consequently, the chamber pressure is raised to atmospheric and gravity forces fluid to flow down from the chamber, through the U-tube, thence out from the spout and into the treatment bath compartment, thereby resulting in transfer of fluid from the feed compartment to the treatment compartment.
Outflow from the pump ceases when the chamber is empty and the fluid levels in the U-tube legs drop to about the level of the spout exit. When outflow is essentially finished, iOSZ569 which may be determined from timing, visual observation through a porthole, or a second electrode or other sensor, the control valve is moved to the vacuum position and the chamber is again charged with an upflow of fluid from the feed bath compartment.
In an example of successful upward transfer of molten metallurgical material, pumping apparatus of the inyention, including a unitary pump body made of Graphite having a chamber and passages arranged as in Figure 2, pumped molten nickel sulfide (22% by weight sulfur) at rates of 200 to 300 kilograms per hour up from a feed bath at temperatures of 830 to 850~.
The unitary body construction provides advantages of mechanical ruggedness and facilitates production and handling, particularly for practical use of a graphite body pump.
It is to be observed that the pump is arranged to maintain the passases of the U-tube closed with fluid. The U-tube is not emptied of fluid by a reverse flow of fluid upward in the downflow leg of the U-tube when the chamber is at less than atmospheric pressure, inasmuch as the U-tube height HU is greàter than the riser height HR. And, the U-tube is not drained during outflow when the chamber is at atmospheric pressure inasmuch as the exit level from the U-tube is at a height HE higher than the nadir of the U-tube.
Moreover, having the riser extend above the chamber floor, to the height HD, prevents reverse flow draining of the chamber charge of fluid back down the riser.
Advantageously, for good functioning including maintaining the U-tube closed, the passage dimensions are 105'~S69 co-related to provide that HU is at least 5% greater than R
The present invention is particularly applicable in the transferring of molten metallurgical materials from one compartment, or separate vessel, to another. For in-stance, the invention is useful for pumping molten matte from one treatment stage to a subsequent treatment stage.
Along with other utility, the invention is specially useful for transfer of molten metal, matte or other molten metal-lurgical material upward through a supernatant layer of a different material, e.g., slag, flux, insulation, extractant salts or other, while maintaining separation between the supernatant material and the molten metal, matte or other molten material that is desired to be transferred. Special benefits of the invention further include providing for advantageously good control of flow rates during transfer, and for maintaining the temperature of the material-in-transit, accruing from capability to control vacuum and air pressure and to perform with the body of the pump heated to the tem-perature of the molten fluid-in-transit.
Although the present invention has been described in conjunction with certain embodiments, it is to be understood that modifications and variations may be restored to without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, as~
those skilled in the art will readily understand. Such modi-fications and variations are considered to be within the preview and scope of the invention and appended claims.
Claims (8)
1. In combination with two refractory container struc-tures having refractory walls and floors for holding baths of molten metallurgical materials separately, said two refractory container structures being a first container and a second container and at least one of said separating walls being a barrier wall separating lower portions of the interiors of the two containers, the improvement comprising:
a) a refractory pump body disposed with a lower portion at an elevation below the top of the barrier wall and in the first container and having a co-extensive upper portion extending to an elevation higher than the top of the barrier wall; said pump body having a body entrance located in the lower portion, an exit located in the upper portion at an elevation higher than the top of the barrier wall, a chamber, a riser passage and a V-tube passage each lined with imper-meable refractory material, with said chamber disposed at an elevation higher than the top of the barrier wall, with said riser passage extending up from the body entrance to a riser exit disposed in the chamber at an elevation above the lowest portion of the chamber, said chamber having a pressure-exchange port located at an elevation above the riser exit and extending down to an elevation below the body entrance and thence extending up to the body exit; whereby the nadir of the U-tube is lower than the body entrance, the U-tube height is the vertical distance from the U-tube nadir to the V-tube entrance, and the riser height is the vertical distance from the body entrance to the riser exit; said riser and U-tube passages being arranged to provide that the U-tube height is greater than the riser height;
b) a gravity flow passage from the body exit to the second refractory container; and c) means, communicating with the pressure-exchange port of the chamber, for decreasing the pressure inside the chamber to a preselected decreased pressure less than atmospheric pressure and thereafter increasing the chamber pressure.
a) a refractory pump body disposed with a lower portion at an elevation below the top of the barrier wall and in the first container and having a co-extensive upper portion extending to an elevation higher than the top of the barrier wall; said pump body having a body entrance located in the lower portion, an exit located in the upper portion at an elevation higher than the top of the barrier wall, a chamber, a riser passage and a V-tube passage each lined with imper-meable refractory material, with said chamber disposed at an elevation higher than the top of the barrier wall, with said riser passage extending up from the body entrance to a riser exit disposed in the chamber at an elevation above the lowest portion of the chamber, said chamber having a pressure-exchange port located at an elevation above the riser exit and extending down to an elevation below the body entrance and thence extending up to the body exit; whereby the nadir of the U-tube is lower than the body entrance, the U-tube height is the vertical distance from the U-tube nadir to the V-tube entrance, and the riser height is the vertical distance from the body entrance to the riser exit; said riser and U-tube passages being arranged to provide that the U-tube height is greater than the riser height;
b) a gravity flow passage from the body exit to the second refractory container; and c) means, communicating with the pressure-exchange port of the chamber, for decreasing the pressure inside the chamber to a preselected decreased pressure less than atmospheric pressure and thereafter increasing the chamber pressure.
2. Apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein the pump body is composed of graphite.
3. Apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein the pump body is a unitary body.
4. Apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein the height of the U-tube is at least 5% greater than the height of the riser.
5. Apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein the means for decreasing and thereafter increasing the chamber pres-sure comprises a vacuum pump, an atmospheric pressure source and a selective valve positionable at a first position to provide pressure communication between the chamber port and the vacuum pump and positionalbe at a second position to pro-vide pressure communication between the chamber port and the atmospheric pressure source.
6. Apparatus as set forth in claim 5 having a timing control for providing that the selective valve communicate to the vacuum pump during a first preselected time period and thereafter communicate to the atmosphere source during a second preselected time period.
7. Apparatus as set forth in claim 1 having an elec-trode in the chamber and electrically insulated from the body and having means responsive to the electrode for pro-viding a signal when the chamber contains an amount of electrically conductive material sufficient to fill a pre-selected depth in the chamber.
8. Apparatus as referred to in claim 1 wherein the two containers are formed by a refractory vessel having a refractory barrier dividing the space in the vessel into two containing compartments.
Priority Applications (2)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA242,743A CA1052569A (en) | 1975-12-30 | 1975-12-30 | Refractory pumping apparatus |
| FR7638571A FR2337271A1 (en) | 1975-12-30 | 1976-12-21 | Transferring hot melt or matte between large vessels - using vacuum pump made of graphite and contg. no moving parts |
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA242,743A CA1052569A (en) | 1975-12-30 | 1975-12-30 | Refractory pumping apparatus |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CA1052569A true CA1052569A (en) | 1979-04-17 |
Family
ID=4104862
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA242,743A Expired CA1052569A (en) | 1975-12-30 | 1975-12-30 | Refractory pumping apparatus |
Country Status (2)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| CA (1) | CA1052569A (en) |
| FR (1) | FR2337271A1 (en) |
-
1975
- 1975-12-30 CA CA242,743A patent/CA1052569A/en not_active Expired
-
1976
- 1976-12-21 FR FR7638571A patent/FR2337271A1/en active Pending
Also Published As
| Publication number | Publication date |
|---|---|
| FR2337271A1 (en) | 1977-07-29 |
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