Apparatus and method for the removal of unwanted inclusions from metal melts

An apparatus for filtering molten metal including:

• a container having an outer shell or casing of metal and an inner thermally insulated interior cladding or wall construction made of heat resistant insulation and refractory material, the container having an inlet opening and an outlet opening;
• a lid removably provided on top of the container to keep the container sealed during operation;
• a metal supply launder connected to the container via transversal metal launder stubs, the container being provided with an inlet chamber communicating with the inlet opening for receiving metal from the metal supply launder and an outlet chamber communicating with the outlet opening;
• and
• a ceramic or refractory filter disposed in the inlet chamber and/or the outlet chamber of the container, wherein
• the inlet chamber and outlet chamber are provided side by side and are split by a partition wall extending from a bottom of the container and upwardly to a preset level of the container interior height,
• the container is connected in parallel with the metal supply launder via the transversal metal launder stubs respectively provided between the inlet and outlet openings and the metal supply launder,
• the launder being provided with a dam or valve device by the outlet of the container and another dam or valve device between the two launder stubs,
• the inlet opening of the container and the outlet opening of the container being provided with closures or stoppers enabling closing and opening of the inlet opening and the outlet opening of the container, respectively.