Method for continuously melting down scrap metal

US5500032A · kind A · utility

Assignees

• Voest-Alpine Industrieanlagenbau GmbH & Co. · AT
• Mercedes-Benz Group AG · DE

Inventors

• Wolfgang Nieder · Linz, AT
• Manfred Winkler · Herzogenaurach, DE
• Gerhard Perchtold · Wien, AT
• Leo Seirlehner · Linz, AT
• Herbert B. Kohler · Uniontown, US
• Arwed Eberle · Reutlingen, DE

Key dates

• Filing date: Oct 31, 1994
• Grant date: Mar 19, 1996
• Expiry date: Oct 31, 2014

Classification

• Technology area (CPC Y): Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
• CPC primary: Y02P10/20
• WIPO field: Materials, metallurgy
• WIPO sector: Chemistry

Abstract

In a process for the continuous melting down of scrap metal, in particular of bales of scrap metal, which contain residual plastic materials, the scrap metal being fed to a melt-down reactor (1) and the heat required to melt this down being obtained by direct heating from below, using burners that are arranged close to the tapping point, the process is managed in the melt-down reactor (1) as a reducing process; part of the process gases is returned to the melt-down reactor (1) as combustion gas after utilization of the sensible heat and purification; the remaining portion is passed out as output gas. This makes it possible to operate without oversize gas purification systems when melting down scrap metal that contains plastic, and to utilize the pyrolysed substances that are contained in the working material to good effect.