Sealed tilt pour electric induction furnaces for reactive alloys and metals
AssigneeInductotherm Corp.
InventorsSatyen Prabhu, Peter Aruanno
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A sealed tilt pour electric induction furnace and furnace system is provided for supplying a reactive molten material from the furnace to a reactive molten material processing apparatus without exposing the reactive molten material to the ambient environment. The rotating component of a rotary union is connected to the furnace's enclosed furnace pour spout and rotates simultaneously with the tilt pour furnace about a common horizontally oriented rotational axis to supply the reactive molten material to the reactive molten material processing apparatus connected to the stationary component of the rotary union.
Claims20
An electric induction furnace system for a sealed tilt pouring of a reactive molten material, the electric induction furnace system comprising:
- an upper tilt pour furnace vessel comprising a thermally insulated reactive material containment vessel, the upper tilt pour furnace vessel having a horizontally oriented rotational tilt axis;
- a lower electric induction furnace vessel connected to the upper tilt pour furnace vessel and in fluid communication with the upper tilt pour furnace vessel, the lower electric induction furnace vessel configured to inductively heat and melt a reactive material charge loaded into the upper tilt pour furnace vessel;
- an enclosed furnace pour spout configured to pour the reactive molten material from the upper tilt pour furnace vessel when the upper tilt pour furnace vessel is tilted about the horizontally oriented rotational tilt axis to a pour position with the enclosed furnace pour spout angularly located other than being perpendicular to the horizontally oriented rotational tilt axis;
- and
- a rotary union having a rotating union component and a stationary union component, the rotating union component connected to the enclosed furnace pour spout and axially aligned with the horizontally oriented rotational tilt axis for rotation about the horizontally oriented rotational tilt axis when the upper tilt pour furnace vessel is tilted for transfer of the reactive molten material from the enclosed furnace pour spout to a reactive molten material processing apparatus connected to the stationary union component.
A method of supplying a reactive molten material from an electric induction furnace system to a reactive molten material processing apparatus, the method comprising:
- charging an upper tilt pour furnace vessel with a reactive material, the upper tilt pour furnace vessel connected to a lower electric induction heating furnace vessel;
- inductively heating and melting the reactive material in the lower electric induction heating furnace vessel;
- tilting the upper tilt pour furnace vessel about a horizontally oriented rotational tilt axis to a pour position to pour the reactive molten material from an enclosed furnace pour spout connected to an interior of the upper tilt pour furnace vessel with the enclosed furnace pour spout angularly located other than being perpendicular to the horizontally oriented rotational tilt axis;
- and
- rotating a rotating union component of a rotary union about the horizontally oriented rotational tilt axis simultaneously with tilting the upper tilt pour furnace vessel about the horizontally oriented rotational tilt axis to the pour position to transfer the reactive molten material from the enclosed furnace pour spout to a stationary union component of the rotary union connected to the reactive molten material processing apparatus.
A method of supplying a batch pour of a reactive molten material from an electric induction furnace system to a sealed reactive molten material processing apparatus, the method comprising:
- charging an upper tilt pour furnace vessel with a reactive material by a charge environmental lock chamber disposed at a top of the upper tilt pour furnace vessel, the upper tilt pour furnace vessel connected to a lower electric induction heating furnace vessel;
- inductively heating and melting the reactive material in the lower electric induction heating furnace vessel while charging the upper tilt pour furnace vessel until the reactive molten material reaches a maximum load line in an interior volume of the upper tilt pour furnace vessel;
- maintaining a cover gas in a freeboard volume above the reactive molten material in the upper tilt pout furnace vessel;
- tilting the upper tilt pour furnace vessel about a horizontally oriented rotational tilt axis to a variable pour angle position to pour the batch pour of the reactive molten material from an enclosed furnace pour spout connected to the interior volume of the upper tilt pour furnace vessel with the enclosed furnace pour spout angularly located other than being perpendicular to the horizontally oriented rotational tilt axis;
- and
- rotating a rotating union component of a sealed rotary union about the horizontally oriented rotational tilt axis simultaneously with tilting the upper tilt pour furnace vessel about the horizontally oriented rotational tilt axis to the variable pour angle position to transfer the reactive molten material from the enclosed furnace pour spout to the sealed reactive molten material processing apparatus via the rotary union component and a stationary union component of the sealed rotary union.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.