Process and apparatus for the production of powdered metal

Claim 1

IN A PROCESS FOR THE PRODUCTION OF A POWDERED FERRO ALLOY OF THE GROUP CONSISTING OF FERROCHROMIUM AND FERROMANGANESE CONTAINING SUBSTANTIALLY EQUILAVENT PROPER MANGANESE CONTAINING SUBSTANTIALLY EQUIVALENT PROPORTIONS OF CARBON AND OXYGEN BY PRODUCING A MOLTEN BODY OF CARBON-BEARING FERR ALLOY, DISCHARGING SAID MOLTEN OF CARBON-BEARING FERRO ALLOY, DISCHARGING SAID MOLTEN METAL THROUGH A PORT OR ORIFFICE, SUBJECTING THE STREAM OF METAL THROUGH A PORT OR ORIFICE, SUBJECTING THE STREAM OF METAL ISSUING FROM SAID ORIFICE TO A BLAST OF AN OXIDIZING GASEOUS AGENT EMITTED THROUGH AN ANNULAR NOZZLE SO AS GASEOUS AGENT EMITTED THROUGH AN ANNULAR NOZZLES SO AS TO DISINTEGRATE THE STREAM OF MOLTEN METAL INTO A SHOWER OF PARTIALLY OXIDIZED PARTICLES, AND COLLECTING SAID PARTICLES IN A POOL OF A QUENCHING LIQUID, THE IMPROVEMENT WHICH COMPRISES THE STEPS OF DETERMINING THE CARBON CONTENT OF COMPRISES THE STEPS OF DETERIMING THE CARBON CONTENT OF THE MOLTEN BODY OF FERRO ALLOY PRIOR TO ITS DISINTEGRATION, AND ADJUSTING THE DISTANCE BETWEEN THE ANNULAR NOZZLE AND THE LEVEL OF THE QUENCHING LIQUID SO AS TO CAUSE SAID DISTANCE TO ASSUME THE RELATION TO SAID CARBON CONTENT INDICATED BY A PRE-ESTABLISHED RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN CARBON CONTENTS OF THE FERRO ALLOY AND DISTANCES REQUIRED TO PRODUCE A DEGREE OF OXIDIZATION CORRESPONDING TO A STOCHIODUCE A DEGREE OF OXIDIZATION CORRESPONDING TO A STOICHIOMETRIC RATIO BETWEEN THE OXYGEN CONTENT AND THE CARBON CONTENT OF THE QUENCHED POWDER.