Material, apparatus, and method for electrically shielding heated components
AssigneeWagstaff, Inc.
InventorsNicholas Ryan Tebbe, Jacob Lee Kerbs
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A system, method, and apparatus are provided for electrically shielding heated components, and more particularly, to electrically shielding electrically heated components in such a way as to be compatible with GFCI (ground fault circuit interrupter) protected circuits. Examples include an electrically shielded heated component including: a conductor, where the conductor is a heating element connected between a power line and a neutral line of a circuit from a GFCI; and a shield proximate the conductor and connected to the GFCI, where the shield receives a portion of current from the conductor and returns the portion of the current received to the GFCI.
Claims21
An electrically shielded heated component comprising:
- a refractory trough formed of a refractory material including a channel for conveying molten metal, wherein the channel defines a working surface of the trough;
- a conductor, wherein the conductor is a heating element powered and protected through a GFCI (ground fault circuit interrupter), wherein the conductor is embedded within the refractory material proximate the working surface;
- and
- a shield proximate the conductor, wherein the shield is embedded within the refractory material positioned between the working surface and the conductor, wherein the shield receives a portion of current from the conductor and returns the portion of the current received to the GFCI, wherein the shield returns the portion of the current to the GFCI by way of a neutral conductor.
A heated refractory component comprising:
- a trough section extending from a first end of the trough section to a second end of the trough section, the trough section configured to abut at least one additional trough section at the second end wherein the trough section is formed of a core material;
- a working surface of the heated refractory component;
- a heating element disposed within the core material;
- electrically conductive shielding between the working surface and the heating element, wherein current leaking from the heating element toward the working surface is substantially absorbed by the shielding, wherein the electrically conductive shielding extends around the heating element, between the heating element and the second end of the trough section;
- wherein the heating element is a conductor powered and protected through a circuit comprising a ground fault protective device, wherein the electrically conductive shielding returns current substantially absorbed by the shielding to the ground fault protective device by way of a neutral conductor.
A method for a heating a heated refractory component comprising:
- embedding a heating element within a refractory material forming a trough, wherein the trough defines a working surface along which molten metal flows, and wherein the heating element is disposed proximate the working surface;
- embedding electrically conductive shielding between the heating element and the working surface;
- supplying current to the heating element embedded within a refractory material forming the heated refractory component from a circuit protected with a GFCI (ground fault circuit interrupter);
- and
- receiving current leaking from the heating element at the electrically conductive shielding embedded within the core material, between the heating element and a working surface of the heated refractory component at the GFCI,
- wherein the current leaking to the electrically conductive shielding embedded within the core material prevents the GFCI from tripping due to the current leaking from the heating element.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.