Battery grid lead scrap melting apparatus and method

Abstract

An apparatus and process for melting and using scrap pieces of lead or lead alloy from making a web of connected grids for a lead acid battery by forming holes through a solid strip of lead or lead alloy. The scrap pieces may be compacted into briquettes which are submerged in a pool of liquid lead or lead alloy below the top surface of the pool and melt in the pool. Liquid lead from the pool may be cast into solid strips from which webs of grids are made.

1 . A production line for liquefying a plurality of pieces of scrap of lead or a lead alloy comprising;
 a furnace for heating a lead or a lead alloy to provide a pool of liquid lead or lead alloy with the pool having a surface;   a compacting press for compacting a plurality of pieces of scrap of lead or lead alloy into briquettes; and   a device for delivering the briquettes to the pool of liquid lead or lead alloy;   whereby the briquettes are submerged in the pool and completely below the surface of the pool.   
     
     
         2 . The line of  claim 1 , wherein the compacting press is constructed and arranged to produce briquettes having a density of at least 10.3 g/cm 3  and a weight of at least 2 kg. 
     
     
         3 . The line of  claim 2 , also comprising a caster constructed and arranged to cast a solid strip of lead or lead alloy, and wherein the furnace is constructed and arranged to maintain the pool of lead or lead alloy at a temperature of at least 650° F., the compacting press is constructed and arranged to produce at least 1,900 kg per hour of briquettes, the furnace is constructed and arranged to receive at least 1,900 kg per hour of briquettes, to melt the briquettes, to maintain the pool of lead or lead alloy at a temperature of at least 650° F. and to supply at least 2,300 kg per hour of liquid lead to the caster of the solid strip of lead or lead alloy. 
     
     
         4 . The line of  claim 2 , which also comprises a punching press constructed and arranged to punch lead or a lead alloy from the solid strip to produce a web of a series of connected battery grids and pieces of scrap at the rate of at least 1,900 kg per hour of scrap, and a conveying device constructed and arranged to receive scrap from the punching press and to deliver scrap to the compacting press at the rate of at least 1,900 kg per hour. 
     
     
         5 . The line of  claim 3 , wherein the compacting press is constructed and arranged to produce briquettes having a density of at least 10.6 g/cm 3  and a weight in the range of 2 to 25 kg. 
     
     
         6 . The line of  claim 4 , wherein the compacting press is constructed and arranged to produce briquettes having a density of at least 10.6 g/cm 3  and a weight in the range of 2 to 25 kg. 
     
     
         7 . A process of liquefying a plurality of pieces of scrap of lead or a lead alloy comprising:
 providing a pool of liquid lead or lead alloy having a surface;   compacting a plurality of pieces of scrap of lead or lead alloy into a briquette; and   submerging the briquette in the pool of liquid lead or lead alloy and completely below the surface of the pool.   
     
     
         8 . The process of  claim 7 , comprising compacting the briquette to a density of at least 10.3 g/cm 3 . 
     
     
         9 . The process of  claim 7 , comprising compacting a sufficient quantity of scrap to form a briquette having a weight of at least 1 kg. 
     
     
         10 . The process of  claim 8 , comprising compacting a sufficient quantity of scrap to form a briquette having a weight in the range of 2 kg to 25 kg. 
     
     
         11 . The process of  claim 7 , comprising heating the pool of liquid lead or lead alloy to a temperature of at least 650° F. 
     
     
         12 . The process of  claim 7 , comprising compacting a plurality of briquettes having a density of at least 10.6 g/cm 3  and submerging the briquettes in the pool of lead or lead alloy and completely below the surface of the pool. 
     
     
         13 . The process of  claim 7 , comprising compacting a quantity of scrap into a briquette having a density of at least 10.6 g/cm 3  and a weight in the range of 2 kg to 25 kg. 
     
     
         14 . The process of  claim 7 , comprising compacting a quantity of scrap to form a briquette having a density of at least 10.3 g/cm 3  and sufficient to withstand a drop vertically of 2 meters onto a flat surface of concrete having a nominal thickness of at least 0.1 meter without breaking the briquette. 
     
     
         15 . The process of  claim 7 , comprising compacting a plurality of briquettes having a density of at least 10.6 g/cm 3  and a weight of at least 2 kg and submerging the briquettes in the pool of liquid lead or lead alloy at the rate of at least 1,900 kg of briquettes per hour. 
     
     
         16 . The process of  claim 7 , comprising dropping the briquette into the pool through the surface of the pool. 
     
     
         17 . The process of  claim 7 , which also comprises casting from at least some of the liquid lead or lead alloy from the pool a longitudinally elongate solid strip of lead or lead alloy of a predetermined thickness, reducing the thickness of the solid strip, punching holes through the solid strip to form a web of a plurality of serially connected battery grids and produce a plurality of pieces of scrap punched from the solid strip, compacting a plurality of the pieces of scrap into a plurality of the briquettes, and submerging the briquettes in the pool of liquid lead or lead alloy and completely below the surface of the pool. 
     
     
         18 . A process of making a web of connected battery grids with lead or a lead alloy comprising:
 providing a pool of liquid lead or a lead alloy having a surface;   casting liquid lead or lead alloy from the pool into a longitudinally elongate solid strip of the lead or lead alloy with a predetermined thickness;   reducing the thickness of the solid strip;   punching the solid strip to form a web of serially connected battery grids and a plurality of pieces of scrap of the lead or lead alloy punched from the solid strip;   compacting a plurality of the pieces of scrap of the lead or lead alloy into briquettes having a density of at least 10.3 g/cc 3 ; and   submerging the briquettes in the pool of liquid lead or lead alloy and completely below the surface of the pool to thereby melt the briquettes into liquid lead or lead alloy in the pool.   
     
     
         19 . The process of  claim 18 , comprising compacting briquettes having a weight of at least 2 kg at a rate of at least 1,900 kg per hour of briquettes and submerging the briquettes in the pool of liquid lead or lead alloy at the rate of at least 1,900 kg per hour of briquettes. 
     
     
         20 . The process of  claim 19 , comprising heating the pool of liquid lead or lead alloy to a temperature to at least 650° F. 
     
     
         21 . The process of  claim 19 , comprising compacting a sufficient quantity of the plurality of pieces of scrap into briquettes having a weight in the range of 2 kg to 25 kg.