Title: Furnace and method for reducing metal oxides to molten metal

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Claims: What is claimed is:

1. A furnace for producing molten metal from particulated metal oxides, comprising an annular hearth having a radially corrugated bottom forming radial valleys interspaced by radial ridges, a bed of particulated coke on said bottom and which is continuous in the bottom's annular direction, electric means for heating said bed to incandescence by an electric current passed through the bed in said direction, feeding means for feeding said oxides and additional particulated coke to said bed, said oxides being reduced by the incandescent bed to molten metal which flows into said vallyes, and means for removing said molten metal from said valleys so that said ridges prevent the molten metal from forming a melt that is continuous in said annular direction.

2. The furnace of claim 1 in which said electric means is an electric inductor below said hearth.

3. The furnace of claim 1 in which said electric means comprises electric conductors directly contacting said bed.

4. The furnace of claim 1 in which said hearth has tapping holes formed at the inner ends of said valleys.

5. The furnace of claim 4 in which said valleys decline to said tapping holes.

6. The furnace of claim 5 in which radial runners outside of said hearth extend inwardly from said tapping holes to a central location encircled by the furnace, and a molten metal collector at said location receives the molten metal from said runners.

7. The furnace of claim 1 in which said hearth is circular and is covered by a correspondingly shaped roof, and said hearth and roof are to some degree at least rotative relative to each other, said feeding means being positioned through said roof.

8. The furnace of claim 7 in which said feeding means feeds said particulated oxides and additional coke separately and respectively to said valleys and ridges.

9. The furnace of claim 1 in which said feeding means forces said oxides and additional coke into said bed below its upper level.

10. The furnace of claim 1 in which said feeding means forms said oxides and additional coke into pressurized-gas fluidized flows which are fed above said coke bed.

11. A method for producing molten metal from particulated metal oxides, comprising forming an annular continuous bed of particulated coke on an annular electrically non-conductive hearth, passing an electric current through said bed in its annular direction and so as to heat said coke to incandescence, feeding said oxides to said bed for reduction to form molten metal, and confining said molten metal against forming an annular continuous melt on said hearth.

12. The method of claim 11 in which the molten metal is confined at annularly interspaced locations on said hearth and said oxides and additional particulated coke are fed to said bed to extend said reduction and form increasing amounts of the molten metal, while removing molten metal from said locations to prevent the formation of said annular continuous melt.

Other info:

Inventors: Collin, Per Harald (Falun, SW)
Sundberg, Yngve (Vasteras, SW)

Application Number: 558177
Filing Date: 1975-03-13
Publication_date: 1976-03-30
Assignee: Allmanna Svenska Elektriska Aktiebolaget (Vasteras, SW)
Primary Class(es): 75/10.15 266/216, 373/122, 373/156
Other Classes:
US Patent Ref:

2594972	Apr, 1952	Muehlenkamp	13/23.
3244511	Apr, 1966	Nicaise	13/23.

Other Refs:
Primary Examiner: Envall, Jr., R. N.
Assistant Examiner:
Attorney: Kenyon & Kenyon Reilly Carr & Chapin