Method of distributing molten metal to consumer stations

A process for distributing molten metal to consuming stations comprising the steps of providing a supply of molten metal in a heat insulated container having an enclosed atmosphere to establish a column of said molten metal in said container, the surface of said molten metal being exposed to said enclosed atmosphere in said container, while supplying heat to said column of molten metal to keep it at a desired temperature;

• leading off said molten metal from said container at a level substantially below the exposed surface of said column and passing it in open communication into one or more closed heat insulated and substantially horizontal distributing passages enclosing an atmosphere, to establish and maintain a substantially constant surface level of said led-off molten metal common to said container and said passages;
• supplying heat to said passages to keep the molten metal therein at a desired temperature;
• removing the molten metal from said passages at said consumer stations, thereby establishing and retaining on said molten metal in said container and passages a covering layer of slag formed in situ on said molten metal;
• and adding fresh solid metal to said supply of molten metal through said layer of slag in said container in such a manner as to maintain said slag layer on the surface of the molten metal in said container substantially undisturbed and to maintain said slag layer in said passages substantially unbroken.