Atomizer with liquid spray quenching

Patent · Tue Apr 14 00:00:00 EDT 1998

OSTI ID:871467

Anderson, Iver E ^[1]; Osborne, Matthew G ^[1]; Terpstra, Robert L ^[1]

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1. Ames, IA

Method and apparatus for making metallic powder particles wherein a metallic melt is atomized by a rotating disk or other atomizer at an atomizing location in a manner to form molten droplets moving in a direction away from said atomizing location. The atomized droplets pass through a series of thin liquid quenching sheets disposed in succession about the atomizing location with each successive quenching sheet being at an increasing distance from the atomizing location. The atomized droplets are incrementally cooled and optionally passivated as they pass through the series of liquid quenching sheets without distorting the atomized droplets from their generally spherical shape. The atomized, cooled droplets can be received in a chamber having a collection wall disposed outwardly of the series of liquid quenching sheets. A liquid quenchant can be flowed proximate the chamber wall to carry the cooled atomized droplets to a collection chamber where atomized powder particles and the liquid quenchant are separated such that the liquid quenchant can be recycled.

• Research Organization: Ames Laboratory (AMES), Ames, IA; Iowa State University, Ames, IA (US)
• DOE Contract Number: W-7405-ENG-82
• Assignee: Iowa State University Research Foundation, Inc. (Ames, IA)
• Patent Number(s): US 5738705
• Application Number: 08/560,711
• OSTI ID: 871467
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

/75/
apparatus
atomized
atomized droplets
atomized powder
atomizer
atomizing
atomizing location
carry
chamber
chamber wall
collection
collection chamber
cooled
direction
disk
disposed
distance
distorting
droplets
flowed
form
form molten
increasing
incrementally
liquid
location
manner
melt
metallic
metallic melt
metallic powder
method
molten
molten droplets
moving
optionally
outwardly
particles
pass
passivated
powder
powder particles
proximate
quenchant
quenching
received
recycled
rotating
rotating disk
separated
series
shape
sheet
sheets
sheets disposed
spherical
spherical shape
spray
succession
successive
wall
wall disposed