Method of and apparatus for improving the preheating of pulverous materials, their introduction into melting furnaces and their melting therein

Claim 1

A METHOD OF FEEDING PLUVEROUS CHARGE MATERIALS CAPABLE OF BEING FRITTED AT A PREDETERMINED TEMPERATURE INTO A FURNACE UNIT HAVING A MELTING HEARTH WHEREIN DIRECT HEAT IS APPLIED, FEED EXTENSION MEANS WITHOUT DIRECT HEAT CONNECTED TO SAID HEARTH, A VERTICAL MIXING CHAMBER ABOVE ONE END OF SAID FEED EXTENSION MEANS, AN ELONGATED REFLECTING ARCH ABOVE THE OTHER END OF SAID FEED EXTENSION MEANS AND ADJACENT SAID HEARTH, AND A MOLTEN BATH OF SAID MATERIAL COMPRISING DRAWING HOT GASES FROM SAID HEARTH THROUGH SAID FEED EXTENSION MEANS, SUBSEQUENTLY DRAWING THE RESULTANT PARTIALLY COOLED GASES FROM SAID FEED EXTENSION MEANS UPWARDLY THROUGH SAID MIXING CHAMBER, PASSING SAID CHARGE DOWNWARDLY THROUGH SAID MIXING CHAMBER COUNTERCURRENT TO AND MIXING INTIMATELY WITH SAID PARTIALLY COOLED GASES TO HEAT SAID CHARGE NEAR TO ITS FRITTING TEMPERATURE, DEPOSITING THE RESULTANT PARTIALLY HEATED CHARGE ON THE SURFACE OF SAID MOLTEN BATH IN SAID FEED EXTENSION MEANS, AND PROPELLING SAID DEPOSITED CHARGE UNDER SAID REFLECTING ARCH INTO SAID HEARTH, SAID ARCH BEING HEATED BY SAID HOT GASES AND REFLECTING SAID HEAT TO MELT SAID CHARGE IN CONJUNCTION WITH SAID MOLTEN BATH AS SAID CHARGE PASSES TO SAID HEARTH.

Claim 2

A METHOD OF FEEDING PLUVEROUS CHARGE MATERIALS CAPABLE OF BEING FRITTED AT A PREDETERMINED TEMPERATURE INTO A FURNACE UNIT HAVING A MELTING HEARTH WHEREIN DIRECT HEAT IS APPLIED, FEED EXTENSION MEANS WITHOUT DIRECT HEAT CONNECTED TO SAID HEARTH, A VERTICAL MIXING CHAMBER ABOVE ONE END OF SAID FEED EXTENSION MEANS, AN ELONGATED REFLECTING ARCH ABOVE THE OTHER END OF SAID FEED EXTENSION MEANS AND ADJACENT SAID HEARTH, AND A MOLTEN BATH OF SAID MATERIAL COMPRISING DRAWING HOT GASES FROM SAID HEARTH THROUGH SAID FEED EXTENSION MEANS, SUBSEQUENTLY DRAWING THE RESULTANT PARTIALLY COOLED GASES FROM SAID FEED EXTENSION MEANS UPWARDLY THROUGH SAID MIXING CHAMBER, PASSING SAID CHARGE DOWNWARDLY THROUGH SAID MIXING CHAMBER COUNTERCURRENT TO AND MIXING INTIMATELY WITH SAID PARTIALLY COOLED GASES TO HEAT SAID CHARGE NEAR TO ITS FRITTING TEMPERATURE, DEPOSITING THE RESULTANT PARTIALLY HEATED CHARGE ON THE SURFACE OF SAID MOLTEN BATH IN SAID FEED EXTENSION MEANS, AND PROPELLING SAID DEPOSITED CHARGE UNDER SAID REFLECTING ARCH INTO SAID HEARTH, SAID ARCH BEING HEATED BY SAID HOT GASES AND REFLECTING SAID HEAT TO MELT SAID CHARGE IN CONJUNCTION WITH SAID MOLTEN BATH AS SAID CHARGE PASSES TO SAID HEARTH.