US 5,120,027 AGranted

Heater arrangement for aluminum refining systems

AssigneeUnion Carbide Industrial Gases Technology Corporation

InventorJohn F. Pelton

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Abstract

A support plate, together with the shell of an aluminum holding and/or refining vessel, in combination with a refractory sheet positioned on the inner wall of a graphite block in which a heating element assembly is positioned, is used to hold and seal the heating assembly against exposure to air, without the need for enclosing the heating elements in a metal heating element container.

Claims14

Dependent claims

In a vessel adapted for the holding, with or without refining, of molten aluminum and comprising (1) an insulated shell having bottom and side walls impervious to molten aluminum;

(2) a graphite block lining on at least one interior side wall of said shell, said graphite block extending above the design operating melt level within the vessel, said graphite block being positioned so as to come into contact with the molten aluminum within the vessel, and having an opening therein extending from the upper end thereof in the direction of, but not reaching, the bottom of said block;
(3) and a heating element assembly disposed within the opening in said graphite block, said heating element being supported therein without electrical contact with said graphite block, the improvement comprising:
(a) support means attached and sealed to said shell and extending inwardly into the vessel at a position above said graphite block;
(b) a heating element assembly mounting plate fastened and sealed to said support means, and having opening means therein for the positioning of electrical leads therethrough, without inclusion of a metal heating element container;
(c) electrical leads adapted for connection to the heating portion of the heating element assembly, said leads extending from above said heater assembly mounting plate;
(d) sealing means adapted to prevent the passage of air through the annular space between said electrical leads and the wall of said opening means upon positioning of electrical leads therein;
(e) a refractory sheet positioned on the inner surface of said graphite block and extending vertically so as to protect said graphite block from contact with oxygen in the gas phase above the idle level of melt within the vessel, said refractory sheet extending horizontally substantially to both sides of the shell, the upper end of the refractory sheet being secured to said support plate, whereby oxidation of the graphite block and corrosion of the heating element by the combined action of air and chloride vapors is effectively precluded.

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Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

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Abstract

In a vessel adapted for the holding, with or without refining, of molten aluminum and comprising (1) an insulated shell having bottom and side walls impervious to molten aluminum;

(2) a graphite block lining on at least one interior side wall of said shell, said graphite block extending above the design operating melt level within the vessel, said graphite block being positioned so as to come into contact with the molten aluminum within the vessel, and having an opening therein extending from the upper end thereof in the direction of, but not reaching, the bottom of said block;
(3) and a heating element assembly disposed within the opening in said graphite block, said heating element being supported therein without electrical contact with said graphite block, the improvement comprising:
(a) support means attached and sealed to said shell and extending inwardly into the vessel at a position above said graphite block;
(b) a heating element assembly mounting plate fastened and sealed to said support means, and having opening means therein for the positioning of electrical leads therethrough, without inclusion of a metal heating element container;
(c) electrical leads adapted for connection to the heating portion of the heating element assembly, said leads extending from above said heater assembly mounting plate;
(d) sealing means adapted to prevent the passage of air through the annular space between said electrical leads and the wall of said opening means upon positioning of electrical leads therein;
(e) a refractory sheet positioned on the inner surface of said graphite block and extending vertically so as to protect said graphite block from contact with oxygen in the gas phase above the idle level of melt within the vessel, said refractory sheet extending horizontally substantially to both sides of the shell, the upper end of the refractory sheet being secured to said support plate, whereby oxidation of the graphite block and corrosion of the heating element by the combined action of air and chloride vapors is effectively precluded.

4 more elements