Apparatus for thermally working minerals

Claim 1

A BLOWPIPE FOR THERMALLY WORKING MINERALS AND MINERAL-LIKE MATERIALS WITH A HIGH VELOCITY JET FLAME PRODUCED BY THE COMBUSTION OF AIR AND A LIQUID HYDROCARBON COMPRISING A CASING MEMBER; A WALL DEFINING A CYLINDRICAL COMBUSTION CHAMBER LOCATED IN SAID CASING MEMBER AND HAVING AN UPSTREAM END AND A DOWNSTREAM END; A BACK PLATE FORMING A CLOSURE FOR THE UPSTREAM END OF SAID CHAMBER; A LIQUID FUEL ATOMIZER CARRIED ON SAID BACK PLATE AND EXTENDING INTO THE COMBUSTION CHAMBER FOR INTRODUCING ATOMIZED FUEL INTO SAID CHAMBER; REARWARDLY DIRECTED CLUSTERS OF PRIMARY AIR METERING PORTS LOCATED IN EACH QUADRANT AROUND THE CIRCUMFERENCE OF THE WALL DEFINING SAID CHAMBER AT A FIRST SECTION IMMEDIATELY DOWNSTREAM FROM SAID BACK PLATE, SAID CLUSTERS BEING SPACED FROM EACH OTHER; ADDITIONAL REARWARDLY DIRECTED AIR METERING PORTS LOCATED IN EACH QUADRANT AROUND THE CIRCUMFERENCE OF THE WALL DEFINING SAID CHAMBER AT SEVERAL OTHER SECTIONS, EACH SECTION BEING FURTHER DOWNSTREAM THAN THE PREVIOUS SECTION AND LIQUID FUEL AND AIR CONDUIT MEANS IN SAID CASING FOR SUPPLYING FUEL TO SAID ATOMIZER AND AIR TO SAID COMBUSTION CHAMBER THROUGH SAID AIR METERING PORTS.