Disclosed is an apparatus that is an attrition mill for grinding or comminuting ores, mine wastes, and radioactive wastes some of which may comprise metals, which may include uranium and/or cesium and/or mercury and/or thorium and/or rare earth elements. Also disclosed are processes that employ the apparatus for combined grinding and optionally leaching metals from ores and wastes. Some such methods comprise an optional step of grinding and mixing the ore or waste with a solid inorganic base with water addition or with an aqueous inorganic base, follow by a step of grinding and mixing the ore or waste with an aqueous inorganic acid with or without leaching salt addition, to solubilize the metals present in the ore or the waste. The disclosed apparatus and methods, in some embodiments, enable efficient grinding and attrition of ores substrates and mine wastes even without need for grinding media.

A circular disc element having at least two beam elements. Each beam element extends beyond an outer circumference of the circular disc element in an extension direction which is parallel to a radial direction of the disc element. The circular disc element further includes at least two holes extending through the circular disc element in a longitudinal direction which is substantially perpendicular to each of the extension directions with respect to a circumferential direction of the circular disc element, which circumferential direction corresponds to the outer circumference of the circular disc element. The circular disc element can function as a grinding means in a grinding process for grinding slurry.

A vertical ball mill for grinding a solid input material to form a slurry, and includes a grinding tank which defines a mixing chamber, rotatable main auger assembly having mixing blade in a lower portion of the mixing chamber and a materials flow guide. The flow conduit is provided within the grinding tank interior, and includes one or more conduit segments configured to direct input material downwardly in the grinding tank towards the lower mixing chamber and auger mixing blade. An impeller is provided within the flow conduit, with a blade configuration selected to effect the downward flow of input material through the conduit segments and outwardly therefrom adjacent to the mixing blade as the auger assembly is rotated.

A vertical ball mill for grinding a solid input material to form a slurry, and includes a grinding tank which defines a mixing chamber, rotatable main auger assembly having mixing blade in a lower portion of the mixing chamber and a materials flow guide. The flow conduit is provided within the grinding tank interior, and includes one or more conduit segments configured to direct input material downwardly in the grinding tank towards the lower mixing chamber and auger mixing blade. An impeller is provided within the flow conduit, with a blade configuration selected to effect the downward flow of input material through the conduit segments and outwardly therefrom adjacent to the mixing blade as the auger assembly is rotated.

A composite milling component comprising a composite region of ceramic material and metal is disclosed. The milling component may comprise a lifting member such as a digger shoe of a vertical tower mill, a flight liner of a vertical tower mill, a shell liner of a horizontal axis mill, and/or an end liner of a horizontal axis mill. The composite region may be formed into a portion of the milling component that experiences greater wear than other portions to increase a wear-resistance of the milling component. The composite region may be formed integrally into the milling component during a casting processes of the milling component.

A dimensionally stable ring element (1, 2) for a heat exchanger casing (3) comprises: a cylindrical sleeve (10, 20) having a cylinder axis (102, 202), a first end (104, 204) and a second end (106, 206) remote from the first end, and having an inner wall (108, 208), a dividing wall (11, 21) which projects inwards from the inner wall (108, 208) of the sleeve (10, 20) and extends helically around the cylinder axis (102, 202) along the inner wall (108, 208) from the first end (104, 204) of the sleeve (10, 20) to the second end (106, 206) of the sleeve (10, 20).

At its first end (104, 204) the sleeve (10, 20) comprises a projection (109, 116, 209, 216) extending parallel to the cylinder axis (102, 202), which projection is arranged in a predetermined circumferential position on the sleeve (10, 20).

A dimensionally stable ring element (1, 2) for a heat exchanger casing (3) comprises: a cylindrical sleeve (10, 20) having a cylinder axis (102, 202), a first end (104, 204) and a second end (106, 206) remote from the first end, and having an inner wall (108, 208), a dividing wall (11, 21) which projects inwards from the inner wall (108, 208) of the sleeve (10, 20) and extends helically around the cylinder axis (102, 202) along the inner wall (108, 208) from the first end (104, 204) of the sleeve (10, 20) to the second end (106, 206) of the sleeve (10, 20).

At its first end (104, 204) the sleeve (10, 20) comprises a projection (109, 116, 209, 216) extending parallel to the cylinder axis (102, 202), which projection is arranged in a predetermined circumferential position on the sleeve (10, 20).

The present invention relates to tilting a wet stone grinder of capacity in the 125-300 liter size. Tilting is accomplished by a gear driven, manual or motorized tiling mechanism.

A closure system is disclosed for the grinding container of a crushing apparatus; the grinding container includes at least one closure plug, an adapter unit having a through-opening, in which the closure plug can be inserted, the latter therefore closing the opening and being retained by the adapter unit, and also includes one or more fixing elements, wherein the one or more fixing elements establish a releasable connection between the adapter unit and the grinding container, in order to secure the adapter unit in removable fashion on the grinding container. Also disclosed is a grinding container having a closure system and further discloses a crushing apparatus.

An apparatus for producing spherical metallic powders through continuous ball milling. The apparatus includes a comminution component. The comminution component includes an inlet to receive a metallic material at a first region within the comminution component and an outlet to dispense the metallic powder from a second region within the comminution component. The apparatus includes a plurality of grinding components to grind the metallic material, the plurality of grinding components being arranged within the comminution component. The apparatus includes a drive component, connected with the comminution component, to induce movement of the metallic material and the plurality of grinding components within the comminution component such that the metallic material is fragmented through contact with the plurality of grinding components at the first region and an external surface of the fragmented metallic material is altered at the second region to produce the metallic powder.