Sintering of briquettes

Abstract

There is provided a method for sintering a metal powder, such as a green body briquette of a metal powder, which includes heating the metal powder by at least one DFI burner providing a flame for contacting said metal powder which is directly exposed to the flame of the at least one DFI burner.

1 . A method for sintering a metal powder comprising heating said metal powder by at least one DFI burner providing a flame for contacting said metal powder which is directly exposed to the flame of said at least time DFI burner. 
     
     
         2 . The method according to  claim 1 , further comprising feeding said at least one DFI burner with a gaseous or liquid fuel and an oxidant containing more than 80% per weight of oxygen. 
     
     
         3 . The method according to  claim 1 , comprising loading said metal powder on a transport system and conveying said metal powder through the flame of said at least one DFI burner. 
     
     
         4 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein said at least one DFI burner is located at a roof of a furnace in which said metal powder is heated. 
     
     
         5 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein exposing said metal powder to the flame is for less than 5 minutes. 
     
     
         6 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein said metal powder comprises nickel powder sintered by said at least one DFI burner. 
     
     
         7 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein said heating by said at least one DFI burner is an air atmosphere. 
     
     
         8 . The method according to  claim 1 , further comprising subjecting said metal powder to an inert atmosphere after heating by said at least one DFI burner. 
     
     
         9 . The method according to  claim 1 , further comprising heating said metal powder in an electrically heated furnace after heating said metal powder by the at least one DFI burner. 
     
     
         10 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the metal powder is formed as a green body briquette for the heating by the flame of the at least one DFI burner. 
     
     
         11 . The method according to  claim 10 , wherein the heating further comprises enclosing the green body briquette in the flame from the at least one DFI burner.