A recirculatory system for the granulation of molten slag

Claim 2

The system of claim 1 wherein each hydrocyclone has a conical lower portion connected to the cylindrical upper portion thereof.

Claim 3

A jet recirculatory system for the granulation of nonferrous metal slag which comprises: a. means for pouring molten nonferrous metal slag in the direction of a surface; b. at least one jet nozzle for injecting at least one jet stream of water with a trajectory intercepting the molten slag and at a sufficiently high velocity and in sufficient quantity to granulate the molten slag into partiCles including coarse and fine slag particles; c. means hereinafter specified for supplying cooled water to the one or more jet nozzles at sufficiently high velocity and in sufficient quantity to enable the trajectory and molten slag granulating of (b) aforesaid; d. means for separating water of elevated temperature and containing the fine slag particles suspended therein from the coarse slag particles; e. at least one hydrocyclone, the hydrocyclone including a cylindrical upper portion, an inlet tangentially positioned in the cylindrical upper portion for the water containing the fine slag particles suspended therein, an outlet duct extending axially downwardly within the cylindrical upper portion and terminating in an inlet opening at a level of the hydrocyclone below the level of the inlet for the fine slag particle-suspending water, and an outlet for fine slag solid particles at the lower portion thereof; f. means for withdrawing the separated coarse slag solid particles from said separating means; g. conduit means for conducting the separated water containing the fine slag solid particles suspended therein from said separating means to the hydrocyclone inlet therefor; h. pump means for causing the water suspending the fine slag solid particles to flow through the conduit means from the separating means to the hydrocyclone inlet therefor at a rapid flow rate; i. a cooling tower, said tower including filling material therein, an inlet above the filling material for substantially slag fine solid particle-free water of elevated temperature, at least one inlet for cooling air, an outlet for cooled water at the lower portion of the tower, and at least one outlet for the air spaced apart from the air inlet; j. separate conduit means for conducting the substantially fine slag solid particle-free water of elevated temperature from the hydrocyclone outlet conduit therefor to the cooling tower inlet; k. basin means below the tower cooled water outlet for receiving and collecting the cooled water therefrom;

Claim 4

The jet cyclic system of claim 4 wherein the at least one hydrocyclone is a plurality of hydrocyclones mounted in parallel, with valve means in the water suspending fine slag particle-conducting conduit means for the hydrocyclone whereby any one, combination of any two or more but less than all when more than two hydrocyclones are utilized, or all of the hydrocyclones can be placed on stream.

Claim 5

The jet cyclic system of claim 4 wherein each hydrocyclone has a conical lower portion connected to the cylindrical upper portion thereof.

Claim 6

The jet cyclic system of claim 5 further characterized by an inclined launder for the mixture of granulated slag particles and granulating water, the launder having a lower discharge end portion positioned over the separating means and an upper end portion, the molten slag pouring means pouring the molten slag in the direction of an inner surface of the upper portion of the launder, the jet nozzle being so positioned as to inject the water jet stream with a trajectory to intercept the molten slag directly over an open upper portion of the launder so that the water and resulting granulated slag will pass into the launder.

Claim 7

The jet recirculatory system of claim 7 wherein the means for separating the water containing the fine slag particles suspended therein from the coarse slag solid particles comprises a receptacle and a vertical barrier wall in and dividing the receptacle into a coarse slag particle-settling separation section, and a fine slag particle-suspending water withdrawal section downstream from said separation secTion, the coarse slag particles settling to a lower portion of the settling separation section and the water containing the suspended fine slag particles flowing through at least one screened discharge opening in the barrier wall and over the opening edge and into the withdrawal section, the water suspending the fine slag particle-conducting conduit means interconnecting said withdrawal section and the hydrocyclone inlet therefor, and means for removing the coarse slag particles from the lower portion of the receptacle settling separation section.

Claim 8

The jet recirculatory system of claim 7 further characterized by a makeup water supply valved conduit for furnishing water to the basin means, float valve control means including a float member adapted to float on the surface of the water in the basin means, and means responsive to the fall of the valve control float member on a dropping water surface level therein to below a predetermined lower level of the basin means to thereby open the valve of the makeup water supply conduit to admit makeup water into the basin means until the water surface level therein reaches a predetermined upper level thereof and to close the makeup water supply conduit valve when the water surface level reaches the predetermined upper level of the basin means.

Claim 9

The jet recirculatory system of claim 8 wherein the cooling tower is an induced draft cooling tower.