US1369350A - Method of and apparatus for utilizing mine waste by means of the heat of dump-heaps - Google Patents

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w. osTwALD. METHOD 0F AND APPARATUS FOR UTILIZING MINE WASTE BY MEANS 0F THE HEAT 0F DUMP HEPS APPLICATION FILED JULY 2l, I9I6.

Patented Feb. 22, 1921.

` App -UNTTED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WALTER OsTWALD, OE GROssROTHEN, SAXONY, GERMANY, AssIGNoR,` :mrfiznasiwn ASSTGNMENTS, To THE CHEMICAL FOUNDATION, `No., A CORPORATION OE DELA- WARE.

METHOD OE AND APPARATUS FOR UTTLIZING MINE WASTE EY'MEANS OP THE HEAT v OE DUMP-HEAPS.

Applcation'led July 21, 1916. Serial No. 110,619.

T o all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, WALTER OsTWALD, a resident of Grossbothen, Germany, and citizen of Saxony, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Methods of and aratus for Utilizing Mine Waste by Means of the Heat f ofY Dump-Heaps, of which the following is a specification.

This invention has reference tothe utilization of mine waste, that -is to say, oirub-y `i bish resulting from miningand like operations, such as the heaps of rubbish mainly found in eollieries, heaps of oily shale,or any otherrubbish heaps of suitable waste. Such heaps which accumulate very rapidly during: the process of washing coal or other preliminary treatment always contain very; considerable amounts of carbon.` Being very closely packed together and vfrequently penetrated by a goed deal quently become heated and self-ignite with the result that they increase in bulk, begin to smoke and make the whole neighborhood smoky. VNo external heat is usually necessary `to start combustion; in some cases,

however, on account of the great amount of water poured on the heaps, self-ignition does not Occur, `and it willbe necessary to start combustion by means of a flame. As soon as combustion has started it becomes unnecessary to supply external heat, as the heap will burn out by itself. y

- Now the present invention has for object toY prevent the heat from being wasted and the gases and vapors evolved from injuriouslyfaffecting the vicinity and alsoA tov` enable the metals or metalloids and especially nitrogen contained in the wastematerial, to be recovered as lchlorin compounds,in the form of vapors` the concentration and purification of which-canbe effected in one and the same Operation, by means of the heat derived from combustion of the Waste.

Now the principal feature of the present invention consists in the factthat, for the purpose of obtaining non-metals, vsuch as nitrogen, and metals, such as zinc, in the form of chlorids,ychlorin compounds are supplied to the mine'waste under treatment.

' Bv means of the present invention it is possible to recover upto 80 percent. ofthe of moisture they'fre- Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Feb. 22, 1921.

nitrogen compounds, contained in the waste product, this being moreover effected by the use'of the waste material itself, which by .reason of its poor qualities as a fuel has so far been regarded as a useless and mostly even'as an injurious waste, although containing from 1.8 to 2 per cent. ofcombined nltrogen. i f

By liberally introducing chlorid solution the temperature ofV combustion ofthe heap may be kept low and the yield therebyl in'- creased, ywhile the metals, and especially the metalloids, are brought into a `form which is more convenient for the process of purification. I It is, for instance, advisable to recover the .combined nitrogen in the form of ammonium chlorid by the process of sublimation. among thenitrogenV compounds which come into consideration, ammonium chlorid has the particular property ofv passing `from The chlorids such as calcium chlorid used as reagents in the process may be obtained at small cost. :Also the presence of deliquescent salts acts favorably uponthe process.

In the carrying vout of the invention, sevf eral'pipes Vare advantageously introduced into the heap, working at the same timethat part of the heap which is interposed between thepipes, until said Vpart has given olf itsv valuable contents.` The air, steam or water, and chlorid vsolution required for 'the foperation are introduced into one of the pipes, andthe products of evaporation are carried 'olf by the other of the pipes.

Figures 1 and 1L show in plan and elevation respectively an arrangement for carrying out the present invention in 4connection witha heap of waste; Fig. 2 shows a double pipe for the same purpose; and-Figs. 3 and 4- illustrate cooling arrangements for keeping down the temperature, which arrangements may simultaneouslybey used for the generation of steam. I

The waste heap a has Vintroduced into it at deinite distances apart, pipes b andY c,

' leading to perpendicular pipes cl and eV respectively. The pipes d and e are connected with the main conduits z' and f by means ofV the valves g Vand i. The sodium or otherclilorid solution adapted to converti Vthe nitrogen constituents into ammonium chlorid is introduced through the pipesV b, z' and l and the resulting gas is carried -ofl' through the pipes o, e and f, Itis ad-V vantageous'to change the direction of flow..` from time` to time in order to circumventV any kind of obstruction which may take place in the part oi. the heap between the Y pipes b and c. In this manner it is possible vandithrough` the other pipe the evaporation Yproductsare carried oil. In this case also it is advisable from' time to timeV to reverse the flow.

Besides these pipes which serve for the iny trodu'ction of air and steam and forcarry-V ing ol'gthe gases and their luy-products, it is advisable to embed special coolingV elements' into the particular zone under treatment at they time, in order to keep down the tempera'- ture and to avoid the productionof slag.V A simple yarrangement for this purpose comprises one or more lower boilers united with an upper boiler, the lowerboilers'being set" Y `in the interior, and the upper boiler upon the surface of the waste field. It is however Y more advantageous to divide the Ylower boiler as shown in Figs. 3 and 4:, into a 1 number of pipes, in order to obtain greater uniformityiii the utilization"l of the heat. At the burnt-outparts of the waste field the pipes are pulled out and are again yinserted at places wherenew waste materialhas been deposited. The pipes may be arranged as shown in Fig. 3; thc cool water being introduced at o and the heated water carried off at p; while between-those points there are arrangedthe conduit pipes Q, which pass through the waste field; r and s are Vthe valves for closingthe several conduit pipes,

' t are the severalvrotary conveying pumps for regulatingthe velocity of How through the pipes according to the temperature of thel various parts of the waste field being treated n by therespective `conduit pipes.V fIn the arrangement illustrated in F ig.' 4 the pipes do not "pass completely through .the waste field but return towardthe saine side. In-

stead of the'return tubes gl there may advantageously be employedy concentric tubes Q11, of known construction, which may more easily be introduced into the waste heap.

lVhile the inventionis mainly. designedL for the recovery of the zinc and nitrogen present in the waste, it will be understood that the method described is applicable to vthe recovery of other substances thatcan be similarly converted into chlorids and then subjected to sublimation or distillation.

That I claim is:

' l. The method for the utilization of mine waste by means Vof heat'derived from the' burning of said waste, which comprises add'- ing chlorin-contai'ning compounds to the waste, liberating through the utilization of said heat metals'and metalloidsf inthe form` of chlorids, and recovering the same by condensation. .Y

2. The method `forthe utilizatio of mine waste by means of heat derived from theY burning of said waste,.which comprises adding chloriii-containing compounds kin con-v j unction'with water to the waste, liberating.

throughth'e utilization of said heat metals,v

and metalloids in the form of chlorids, and recovering the same by condensation.

3. The method for the utilization of mine waste by meansof helatpderived from the burning of saidfwaste, which comprises adding chlorin-containing compounds in conjunction with water in the form of steam to the waste, liberating through the utilization l ofnsaid heat metals and metalloids in the form of chlorids, and recovering the same by condensation. n Y i g Y 4. The method for the utilization of mine burning of said waste', which comprises addeing water. containing chlorids to .the'waste, liberating through the utilization .of said heat metals and metalloids in the :form of chlorids, and recoveringrthe same condensation.

., The method forum iniziata 'Ofmiiie wastebymeans of heatV derived froid-the burning of said. waste, which Vcomprises add- VwasteV lby vmeans .of heat derived from the f ing `deliquescent x chlorin containing com- .l

pounds to the waste, liberating through the utilization of said heatmetals and metalloids ien-the form of chlorids, and recovering tliesame by condensation.

6.An apparatus for .theiutilization ,of r

mine wasteby the action of heat, comprising ing elements embedded in the glowing waste. 7. An apparatus for Y the utilization lof mine waste by the action of heat, which com-Y prises two sets of parallel tubes in combination with :a plurality fof cooling elements,

said cooling elements beingsub-divided into a. number of tubesl connected in parallel,

valves in each offsaid tubes, and pumps con# f' V.nected with said tubes, iV l Y i250 two sets of parallel tubes andseparate coolj 8. In an' apparatus for the utilization of signed my name in the presence of two sub- Infine Waste by the actiolrli of heat, a plirllit'y scribing witnesses. o Cooling elements W- ich are subivi ed into a number of tubes connected in parallel, WALTER OSTWALD' valves in each of said tubes, and pumps Vcon- Witnesses: nested with said tubes. Y 4 f RUDOLPH FRICKE,

In testimony whereof I have hereunto MUENTER RUERLER.

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