Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 14
Claim 1
Independent Claim
29 words
A vertical shaft incinerator as described in claim 1 wherein said means for charging coke to said shaft incinerator is arranged to discharge the coke in the intermediate portion.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
39 words
A vertical shaft incinerator as described in claim 2 wherein the incinerator has a combustion gas outlet, and heat exchange means in the combustion gas outlet for heating air which is supplied to at least one of said portions.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
33 words
A vertical shaft incinerator as described in claim 3 wherein means are provided in the initial combustion portion for supplying air to the incinerator both below and above said supporting and conveying grate.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
20 words
A vertical shaft incinerator as described in claim 4 wherein said supporting and conveying grate comprises a reciprocable grate structure.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
65 words
A vertical shaft incinerator as described in claim 5 wherein said means for charging refuse to said grate comprises a horizontally-disposed conduit having refuse-receiving and discharge ends, a gate for opening or closing the conduit to the passage of refuse therethrough, and a reciprocable pusher arranged to move material through the conduit from the receiving end to the discharge end when the gate is open.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
34 words
A vertical shaft incinerator as described in claim 4 wherein said charging means for flux material is positioned above said grate whereby flux material may be charged onto the refuse carried by the grate.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
154 words
A process for the incineration of refuse containing both readily and difficulty combustible material glass, and metallics, to produce molten metal and slag comprising: continuously charging said refuse and flux material to a movable grate situate in a heated initial combustion portion of a vertical shaft incinerator to form a mixture wherein readily combustible materials in the refuse are burned, depositing the mixture from the grate into a heated intermediate combustion portion of the incinerator and continuously passing the mixture containing residual refuse and flux material downwardly therethrough wherein difficultly combustible materials are burned and wherein coke is added to the mixture, continuously passing the coke containing mixture downwardly through a highly heated coke bed at a water-jacketed bottom portion of the incinerator wherein metallics and glass are melted and slag and molten metal produced with hot off-gases passing upwardly through the incinerator and removing said produced slag and molten metal from the incinerator.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
26 words
The process described in claim 8 wherein air is fed to the mixture at each of the initial combustion portion, intermediate portion and heated coke bed.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
21 words
The process described in claim 9 wherein air fed to at least one of said portions is preheated by said off-gases.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
24 words
The process described in claim 9 wherein air is fed to said initial combustion portion both below and above said mixture on said grate.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
164 words
A process for disposing of municipal refuse wherein combustible materials are burned and noncombustible materials are melted to a liquid state comprising: initially depositing the refuse on a grate on which combustion of readily-burnable material in the refuse is initially effected, discharging refuse after partial burning of at least some components thereof into a shaft furnace above the bottom thereof along with coke and substantially completing the burning of the slower-burning combustibles along with some of the coke while unburned coke and noncombustible components of the refuse gravitate to the lower portion of the shaft furnace, and maintaining by combustion of coke in said lower portion a temperature sufficiently high to melt the metal, glass and the like noncombustibles encountered in municipal refuse, discharging the melted refuse as liquid from the shaft furnace, and replacing the refuse on the grate with fresh refuse as the partially consumed refuse is discharged from the grate to constantly maintain a mass of burning refuse on the grate.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
38 words
A process for disposing of municipal refuse as described in claim 12 wherein flux material is supplied to the refuse prior to its discharge from the grate into the shaft for facilitating the melting of the noncombustible components.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
29 words
A process for disposing of municipal refuse as described in claim 13 wherein air is supplied to the material on the grate to effect drying and the initial combustion.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
27 words
A process for disposing of municipal refuse as described in claim 13 including separating the metal and nonmetallic liquids formed in said lower portion of the shaft.