The invention relates to a method for producing an expanded granulate (29) made of a sand grain-shaped mineral material (1) using a propellant; wherein the material (1) is fed to a substantially upright furnace (2); wherein the material (1) is conveyed along a conveying path (4) through a plurality of vertically separated healing zones (5) in a furnace shaft (3) of the furnace (2), wherein each heating zone (5) can be heated by at least one independently controllable heating element (6); wherein the material (1) is heated to a critical temperature at which the surfaces (7) of the sand grains (1) become plastic and the sand grains (1) are expanded through the propellant. It is provided according to the invention that the material (1) is fed together with an amount of air from below, wherein the material (1) is conveyed from bottom to top along the conveying path (4) by means of the amount of air which flows from bottom to top within the furnace shaft (3) and forms an air flow (14), and wherein the expanding of the sand grains (1) occurs in the upper half, preferably in the uppermost third, of the conveying path (4).

A method for burning material, such as carbonate rocks, in a parallel-flow regenerative shaft kiln having two shafts which are operated alternately as a burning shaft and as a regenerative shaft and are connected to one another by means of a connecting channel, wherein the material flows through a material inlet into a preheating zone for preheating the material, a burning zone for burning the material and a cooling zone for cooling the material to a material outlet, wherein a cooling gas is admitted into the cooling zone, wherein exhaust gas is discharged from one of the shafts via an exhaust gas outlet, wherein the exhaust gas discharged from the shaft via the exhaust gas outlet is at least partially introduced into at least one of the shafts.

The present invention relates to a multistage vertical graphitization furnace system including a feed part including a silo where raw materials are stored, a low-temperature treatment part having a low-temperature heat treatment furnace which receives the raw materials from the feed part, and heats the raw materials to remove impurities, a high-temperature treatment part having a high-temperature heat treatment furnace to produce synthetic graphite, a cooling part for water-cooling the synthetic graphite produced in the high-temperature treatment part, and a discharge part for taking out the synthetic graphite discharged from the cooling part.

The present invention relates to a multistage vertical graphitization furnace system including a feed part including a silo where raw materials are stored, a low-temperature treatment part having a low-temperature heat treatment furnace which receives the raw materials from the feed part, and heats the raw materials to remove impurities, a high-temperature treatment part having a high-temperature heat treatment furnace to produce synthetic graphite, a cooling part for water-cooling the synthetic graphite produced in the high-temperature treatment part, and a discharge part for taking out the synthetic graphite discharged from the cooling part.

Systems for dehydrogenating an alkane are provided. An exemplary system includes a furnace and further includes alkane heating chambers, regeneration mixture heating chambers, and two groups of reaction chambers, all located within the furnace. The alkane heating chambers and regeneration mixture heating chambers can preheat an alkane feed and a regeneration mixture feed, respectively. The two groups of reaction chambers can be switchably coupled to an alkane feed and a regeneration mixture feed such that an alkane can flow through one group of reaction chambers while a regeneration mixture flows through the other group of reaction chambers. Processes for dehydrogenating an alkane are also provided.

A method for removal of organic coatings from loose aluminum scrap includes passing the scrap through a Multiple Hearth Furnace operatively maintained in the range of 500 F.-1600 F. Each hearth in the furnace is independently temperature controlled and held under a slightly negative pressure environment. The hearths heat the scrap such that pyrolysis of the coatings occurs within the hearth. Organic compounds liberated during this process are partially or entirely consumed within the furnace combustion products are exhausted through the top. Hydrogen fluoride contained in the products of combustion is incinerated prior to final discharge from the system and routing to additional environmental equipment for particle removal. Scrap is continuously fed into the top of the furnace, and agitated and mechanically moved within each hearth toward an output of another hearth therebelow. The agitation and movement of the scrap exposes the scrap to the hearth atmosphere to assist in processing of the scrap. The discharge of the scrap in the final hearth supplies hot (250 F.-900 F.), clean material for the next step in the process for secondary aluminum recycling.

A process for producing graphite in a vertical graphitization furnace having at least one process chamber that bounds a heating zone, a temperature of 2200 C. to 3200 C. is generated in the heating zone, particulate graphitizable material is supplied to the process chamber through an inlet, graphitizable material is conveyed through the heating zone of the process chamber, in which it is graphitized to graphite, and graphite obtained is removed from the process chamber through an outlet. In some variants, graphitizable material wherein the particles have a particle size of less than 3 mm is used, and/or, a material column is formed throughout the heating zone of a particular process chamber, wherein graphitizable material, after being supplied through the inlet from the top, trickles through an intake zone of the process chamber onto the material column, and/or, a material column is formed in a stationary heating zone of a particular process chamber encompassed by the heating zone, wherein graphitizable material, after being supplied through the intake from the top, trickles through a drop heating zone likewise encompassed by the heating zone onto the material column, and/or, graphitizable material in one or more material vessels is conveyed through a particular process chamber and through the heating zone thereof. Also specified is a vertical graphitization furnace optimized.

One object of the present invention is to provide a burner for producing inorganic spheroidized particles which can efficiently melt and spheroidize even organic powder with a large particle size distribution. The present invention provides a burner for producing inorganic spheroidized particles, including; a raw material powder supply path configured to supply inorganic powder as raw material powder; a first fuel gas supply path (3A) configured to supply a first fuel gas; and a first combustion-supporting gas supply path (4A) configured to supply a first combustion-supporting gas; wherein the raw material powder supply path includes: a first supply path (2A) configured to extend in an axial direction of the burner (1); a first collision wall (2D) configured to be located at the top of the first supply path (2A); a plurality of second supply paths (2B) configured to be branched from the top of the first supply path (2A), and extend radially from the center of the burner (1); one or more dispersion chambers (2C) configured to be located at the top of the second supply path (2B), and have a space in which the cross-sectional area is larger than the cross-sectional area in the second supply path (2B); and one or more raw material ejection holes (2a) configured to communicate with the dispersion chamber (2C).

A process for removing carbon dioxide from a material includes introducing the material onto a first segment of a conveyance system comprising the first segment and a second segment that is physically separated from the first segment, heating the material at the first segment for a first time using a first infrared emitter, conveying the material from the first segment to the second segment, and heating the material at the second segment for a second time using a second infrared emitter. The carbon dioxide removed from the material can be captured by a vacuum pump and stored, and the vacuum pump can maintain a partial pressure for the process. The process can be used to create lime and clinker with minimal CO2 emissions and to remove CO2 that is stored in various materials.

A furnace system including an outer shell which comprises a top flange, an elongated body portion, and a bottom flange, wherein the outer shell is a pressure vessel, with no penetrations in the elongated body portion; a heater assembly which comprises (i) a single-piece annular shaped insulation layer, and (ii) a plurality of heaters embedded in the insulation layer, wherein the heater assembly is disposed within the elongated body portion of the outer shell; and an innermost layer disposed within the annular-shaped insulation layer, wherein the innermost layer is a baffle tube configured to force a natural convective flow, wherein each of the plurality of heaters is individually controllable and the plurality of heaters are configured to heat different zones within the furnace to different temperatures and/or at different rates. The system may be used to heat treat magnet materials, such as those formed of Bi-2212, therein.