Apparatus and method for treating containerized feed materials in a liquid reactant metal
First Claim
1. An apparatus including:
- (a) a release chamber adapted to contain a liquid reactant metal up to a liquid reactant metal level;
(b) a submerging arrangement for moving a container to a release position within the release chamber and below the liquid reactant metal level;
(c) a collection area having an upper boundary defined by an upper surface of the release chamber, the upper surface of the release chamber being spaced apart from a bottom surface of the release chamber along a vertical axis; and
(d) a flow inducing arrangement for inducing a flow of a first liquid reactant metal through the release chamber in a direction transverse to the vertical axis.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A treatment apparatus (10) includes a liquid reactant metal containment vessel (11) for containing a first liquid reactant metal and isolating the reactant metal from the atmosphere. A release chamber (14) is adapted to receive the first liquid reactant metal from the containment vessel (11) and a submerging arrangement (21) is adapted to dunk or submerge a container (46) of feed material into the liquid reactant metal and move the container to a release location within the release chamber (14). Relatively light materials rising from the submerged container (46), including unreacted feed material, intermediate reaction products, and perhaps final reaction products collect in a collection area (60) having an upper surface defined by an upper surface of the release chamber (14). A treatment arrangement included in the apparatus places the fluids collected in the collection area (60) in contact with the first liquid reactant metal or a second liquid reactant metal for a sufficient period of time to effect the desired reduction reactions.
57 Citations
20 Claims
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1. An apparatus including:
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(a) a release chamber adapted to contain a liquid reactant metal up to a liquid reactant metal level;
(b) a submerging arrangement for moving a container to a release position within the release chamber and below the liquid reactant metal level;
(c) a collection area having an upper boundary defined by an upper surface of the release chamber, the upper surface of the release chamber being spaced apart from a bottom surface of the release chamber along a vertical axis; and
(d) a flow inducing arrangement for inducing a flow of a first liquid reactant metal through the release chamber in a direction transverse to the vertical axis. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. An apparatus including:
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(a) a release chamber adapted to contain a liquid reactant metal up to a liquid reactant metal level therein;
(b) a dunker member adapted to be driven along an incline between a retracted position above the liquid reactant metal level and an extended position in which a distal portion of the dunker member extends to a release location within the release chamber and adjacent to an inlet opening of the release chamber; and
(c) a collection area with an upper boundary defined by an tapper surface of the release chamber. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
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16. A method including:
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(a) moving a container of feed material to a release location below an upper surface of a liquid reactant metal;
(b) releasing feed material from the container while the container is held at the release location;
c) collecting a released fluid in a release chamber, the released fluid made up of fluid generated from the released feed material; and
(d) contacting the released fluid with the liquid reactant metal. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification