US 5,964,920 AGranted

Method and apparatus for reduction of metal particulates

AssigneeProlerflo Corporation

InventorSam Proler

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Abstract

The invention disclosed herein utilizes magnetic forces to draw metal particles having magnetic characteristics into and beneath the surface of a molten metal stream flowing through a non-magnetic trough. The apparatus of the present invention includes a declined non-magnetic trough having an interior channel. Means are provided for introducing a molten metal stream into the trough. A magnetic source is provided which produces a magnetic field having flux lines which extend through the non-magnetic trough and to at least the surface of the molten metal stream. A particle discharge mechanism having contained therein substantially ferromagnetic metal particles is positioned above the surface of the molten metal stream. Gravity draws the metal particles onto the surface of the stream and the particles are drawn beneath the surface of the stream by the magnetic field.

Claims2

Dependent claims

A method for adding metal particles which are substantially ferromagnetic into molten metal, to achieve a desired level of mixing of the particles within the molten metal, the method comprising the steps of:

providing a non-magnetic trough having a refractory liner;
moving substantially ferrous molten metal which has been heated beyond its Curie Point through the non-magnetic trough;
providing a particle discharge mechanism having loaded therein metal particles which are substantially ferromagnetic, the particle discharge mechanism positioned above the molten metal flowing through the non-magnetic trough;
releasing the metal particles from the particle discharge mechanism so that substantially all of the released metal particles contact the surface of the molten metal;
applying a magnetic field having a Gauss strength to the molten metal flowing through the nonmagnetic trough and refractory liner in the vicinity of the released particles, the magnetic field having sufficient strength to extend to the surface of the molten metal so that the metal particles are drawn beneath the surface of the molten metal by the magnetic field;
monitoring a characteristic of the flowing molten metal selected from the group consisting of the velocity of the flowing molten metal, the volume of the flowing molten metal, and the temperature of the flowing molten metal;
and
controlling the characteristic so as to be correlated to the Gauss strength of the magnetic field to achieve the desired level of mixing of the particles within the molten metal.

5 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.