Auger driven feedstock induction heating system
AssigneeInductotherm Corp.
InventorsSatyen N. PRABHU, Nier WU, Michael NUTT
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An apparatus for preheating cold feedstock to a desired temperature prior to further processing includes a susceptor tube having an inlet and an outlet, the susceptor tube at least partially surrounded by one or more induction coils each operably connected to one or more power sources, the one or more induction coils adapted to magnetically couple to and inductively heat at least a portion of the susceptor tube. An auger is disposed coaxially within the susceptor tube along a longitudinal axis thereof, the auger adapted to rotate about the longitudinal axis to agitate and drive the feedstock from an inlet end of the susceptor tube to the outlet end of the susceptor tube.
Claims20
An auger driven feedstock induction heating system for transporting and preheating a feedstock, the system comprising:
- a susceptor tube having a first end opposite a second end, wherein a feedstock inlet opening is disposed proximate to the first end and a feedstock outlet opening is disposed proximate to the second end;
- one or more induction heating units disposed along an axial length of the susceptor tube, wherein each induction heating unit comprises a power source and an induction coil assembly;
- wherein the power source is operably connected to an induction coil disposed within a coil housing of the induction coil assembly, the power source configured to output an alternating current to the induction coil to generate a magnetic field;
- wherein the coil housing of each induction heating unit of the one or more induction heating units is at least partially disposed about a circumference of the susceptor tube and comprises an inner diameter dimensioned to conform to an outer diameter of the susceptor tube;
- a layer of refractory material disposed between an inner wall of the coil housing and the induction coil, wherein the inner wall is adjacent to the susceptor tube;
- an auger assembly comprising an auger operably connected to an auger motor, the auger having a central axle and an auger blade wrapped helically about the central axle at an auger pitch angle;
- wherein the auger is disposed within the susceptor tube such that the central axle is coaxial with a central longitudinal axis of the susceptor tube, the central longitudinal axis bisecting each of a pair of perpendicular transverse axes of the susceptor tube;
- and
- wherein the auger motor selectively rotates the auger about the central axle to drive a feedstock from the feedstock inlet opening to the feedstock outlet opening.
A method for transporting and preheating a feedstock via induction heating, the method comprising:
- positioning a susceptor tube through one or more induction coil assemblies of one or more induction heating units, each induction coil assembly defining a coil housing having an induction coil therein;
- supplying an alternating current from a power source disposed within each induction heating unit of the one or more induction heating units to each associated induction coil to generate a magnetic field configured to magnetically couple to and inductively heat the susceptor tube;
- charging a feedstock into an interior volume of the susceptor tube via a feedstock inlet opening disposed through the susceptor tube;
- rotating a central axle of an auger via an auger motor operably connected to the central axle, the auger disposed centrally within an interior volume of the susceptor tube, the central axis extending along a central longitudinal axis of the susceptor tube, the auger further comprising an auger blade helically wrapped about the central axle and disposed at an auger pitch angle;
- whereupon rotation of the central axle the feedstock is agitated within the susceptor tube and transported from a first end of the susceptor tube to a second end of the susceptor tube, whereupon the feedstock exits the susceptor tube via a feedstock outlet opening disposed therethrough.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.