AUTOCLAVE WITH UNDERFLOW DIVIDERS
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A stirred tank reactor, comprising:
- (a) a plurality of compartments;
(b) a plurality of agitators positioned in the plurality of compartments; and
(c) a plurality of dividers separating the plurality of compartments, each of the dividers including at least one underflow opening, wherein a feed stream flows between adjacent compartments by passing through the at least one underflow opening in the divider separating the adjacent compartments.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
The present invention is directed to a multi-compartment autoclave using inter-compartment dividers having one or more underflow openings for passing a feed stream between compartments.
-
Citations
21 Claims
-
1. A stirred tank reactor, comprising:
-
(a) a plurality of compartments;
(b) a plurality of agitators positioned in the plurality of compartments; and
(c) a plurality of dividers separating the plurality of compartments, each of the dividers including at least one underflow opening, wherein a feed stream flows between adjacent compartments by passing through the at least one underflow opening in the divider separating the adjacent compartments. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
-
-
9. A method for processing a feed stream, comprising:
-
(a) introducing the feed stream into an autoclave, the autoclave comprising a plurality of compartments, a plurality of agitators positioned in the plurality of compartments, and a plurality of dividers separating the plurality of compartments, each of the dividers including at least one underflow opening;
(b) introducing a molecular oxygen-containing gas into the autoclave; and
(c) passing at least most of the feed stream between sets of adjacent compartments through the at least one underflow opening in the divider separating the adjacent compartments. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
-
-
17. A method for processing a metal sulfide-containing material, comprising:
-
(a) introducing into an autoclave an input slurry comprising a comminuted metal sulfide-containing material, the autoclave comprising a plurality of compartments for receiving the input slurry, a plurality of agitators positioned in the plurality of compartments for mixing the input slurry, and a plurality of dividers separating the plurality of compartments, each of the dividers including at least one underflow opening for passing the input slurry from compartment to compartment;
(b) introducing a molecular oxygen-containing gas into the autoclave;
(c) oxidizing the metal sulfide-containing material in the input slurry to provide a product slurry comprising the oxidized metal-containing material, wherein the oxidizing step comprises the substep of passing at least most of the slurried material between sets of adjacent compartments through the at least one underflow opening in the divider separating the adjacent compartments; and
(d) thereafter recovering the metal from the product slurry. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20, 21)
-
Specification