US4056231A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Scrap treatment
Assignee: British Steel Corp
•
Filing: 1976-08-02
•
Granted: 1977-11-01
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Expires: 1996-08-02
Abstract
Abstract A process for treating metal scrap includes cooling the scrap until it is brittle by contacting it with a first cooling agent which is gaseous and then fragmenting the scrap, said first cooling agent being cooled by being passed through a heat exchanger to which a second cooling agent is fed partly in the liquid phase and partly in the gaseous phase and from which the second cooling agent emerges in the gaseous phase, said second cooling agent being supplied to the heat exchanger partly from a liquid storage facility and partly directly from a refrigeration plant, the refrigeration plant being used in conjunction with a liquifier to supply the storage facility with liquid second cooling agent.
Inventors
- 👤 Nicholas A. Townsend
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-03 05:30
CPC Classifications
B; B02; B02C; B02C19/00; B02C19/18; B02C19/186; B22; B22F; B22F9/00; B22F9/02; B22F9/04; Y; Y10; Y10S; Y10S241/00; Y10S241/37; Y10S241/38
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 15
Claim 1
Independent Claim
187 words
A process for fragmenting metal scrap includes cooling the scrap until it is brittle by contacting it with a first cooling agent which is gaseous and then fragmenting the scrap in its brittle state, said first cooling agent being cooled by being passed through a heat exchanger to which a second cooling agent is fed partly in the liquid phase and partly in the gaseous phase and from which the second cooling agent emerges in the gaseous phase, in which the improvement resides in said cooling agent being supplied to the heat exchanger partly from a liquid storage facility and partly directly from a refrigeration plant, the refrigeration plant being used in conjunction with a liquifier to supply the storage facility with liquid second cooling agent, and in which the gaseous second cooling agent is supplied to the refrigeration plant following its emergence from the heat exchanger said refrigeration plant, during periods in which the cooling of the scrap is interrupted, drawing warm gas from an external source and, in conjunction with the liquifying plant, replenishing the liquid store in readiness for the next scrap cooling cycle.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
187 words
A process for fragmenting metal scrap includes cooling the scrap until it is brittle by contacting it with a first cooling agent which is gaseous and then fragmenting the scrap in its brittle state, said first cooling agent being cooled by being passed through a heat exchanger to which a second cooling agent is fed partly in the liquid phase and partly in the gaseous phase and from which the second cooling agent emerges in the gaseous phase, in which the improvement resides in said cooling agent being supplied to the heat exchanger partly from a liquid storage facility and partly directly from a refrigeration plant, the refrigeration plant being used in conjunction with a liquifier to supply the storage facility with liquid second cooling agent, and in which the gaseous second cooling agent is supplied to the refrigeration plant following its emergence from the heat exchanger said refrigeration plant, during periods in which the cooling of the scrap is interrupted, drawing warm gas from an external source and, in conjunction with the liquifying plant, replenishing the liquid store in readiness for the next scrap cooling cycle.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
29 words
A process as claimed in claim 1 in which the storage facility is supplied with liquid second cooling agent only during interruptions in the process of cooling the scrap.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
18 words
A process as claimed in claim 1 in which the refrigeration plant is run continuously at constant load.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
41 words
A process as claimed in claim 1 in which the supply of second liquid cooling agent from the storage facility to the heat exchanger is further controlled in response to any unevenness in the cooling demand of the scrap being treated.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
23 words
A process as claimed in claim 4 in which the cooling demand is determined by measuring the temperature of the first cooling agent.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
24 words
A process as claimed in claim 1 in which the scrap is presed into rectilinear bundles before being contacted by the first cooling agent.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
56 words
A process as claimed in claim 1 in which after the bundle has been cooled, it is then fragmented by applying forces to the bundle at locations on opposite sides of the bundle spaced along the length of the bundle, the locations at one side being offset with respect to the locations at the other side.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
24 words
A process as claim in claim 1 in which after the bundle has been cooled it is then fragmented by applying high impact loads.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
45 words
A process as claimed in claim 1 in which the scrap is passed continuously in bundles through a chamber continuously fed with the first cooling agent, the first cooling agent emerging from the chamber being fed back to the heat exchanger to be cooled again.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
32 words
A process as claimed in claim 9 in which the scrap is fed through the chamber in one direction and the first cooling agent flows through the chamber in the opposite direction.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
48 words
A process as claimed in claim 9 in which the scrap is passed through the chamber on a conveyor, the chamber being provided with baffles to direct the first cooling agent through the conveyor from the upper side of the conveyor to the lower side and back again.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
15 words
A process as claimed in claim 1 in which the first cooling agent is nitrogen.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
15 words
A process as claimed in claim 1 in which the second cooling agent is nitrogen.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
17 words
A process as claimed in claim 1 in which the second cooling agent is a methane-containing fluid.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
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Cited
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US3661542A
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US3818976A
Cited
US3666185A
Cited
US3804339A
Cited
US3760597A
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1980-10-31 | 1981-05-02 | 1981-11-01 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1984-10-31 | 1985-05-02 | 1985-11-01 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1988-10-31 | 1989-05-02 | 1989-11-01 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |