Process and apparatus for cooling molten metal

Claim 1

IN A METHOD FOR THE PRODUCTION OF ZINC COMPRISING CONDENSING ZINC BY SHOCK-CHILLING A GASEOUS MIXTURE CONTAINING ZINC VAPOR WITH A SHOWER OF MOLTEN LEAD AND THEREBY OBTAINING A SOLUTION OF ZINC IN LEAD, AND SEPARATING ZINC FROM SAID SOLUTION BY COOLING THE SOLUTION TO A TEMPERATURE AT WHICH ZINC SEPARATES FROM SOLUTION IN LEAD BUT ABOVE THE MONOTECTIC TEMPERATURE (418* C.) FOR A LEAD ZINC SOLUTION, THE IMPROVEMENT IN SEPARATING ZINC FROM THE SOLUTION OF ZINC IN LEAD WHICH COMPRISES PASSING SAID SOLUTION THROUGH A TROUGH, HEAT INSULATING THE LOWER PORTION OF THE TROUGH, COOLING PREDETERMINED SECTIONS OF THE UPPER PORTION OF THE TROUGH WITH WHICH THE METAL IS IN CONTACT TO THEREBY COOL THE MOLTEN METAL, INTRODUCING THE MOLTEN METAL PASSING THROUGH THR TROUGH INTO A QUIESCENT ZONE, MAINTAINING THE MOLTEN METAL IN SAID QUIESCENT ZONE FOR A LENGTH OF TIME SUFFICIENT TO PERMIT SEPARATION OF ZINC FROM SAID SOLUTION AND REMOVING THE SEPARATED ZINC.