Gas sampler for molten metal and method
AssigneeMidwest Instrument Co., Inc.
InventorsThomas W Junker, Richard A Falk
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An immersion probe for determination of the concentration of a gas dissolved in molten metal includes a gas and molten metal-permeable, disk. A gas analysis method using the probe entails introducing into said metal through the probe inert gas streams which may contain a concentration of hydrogen, oxygen or nitrogen gas which is greater or less than that contained in the molten metal. The dissolved concentrations of the two gases after passage through the metal are compared and enable accurate computation of the content of hydrogen gas dissolved in the metal. Using a mass spectrometer with argon as an inert carrier, hydrogen, oxygen, and nitrogen concentrations may be determined by a single test procedure.
Claims20
An immersion probe for determination of the concentration of a gas dissolved in molten metal by immersion of said probe in said metal comprising:
- a probe body in the form of a housing having an elongated configuration, said body being formed of a gas and molten metal impervious material of sufficient resistance to withstand immersion in molten metal;
- said body having a first end provided with a fluid flow inlet adapted to be connected to a gas inflow conduit and a fluid flow outlet adapted to be connected to a gas analysis device;
- said body having a second end adapted to be immersed in molten metal, said second end being spaced away from said first end and having a first fluid flow opening in fluid flow communication with said fluid flow inlet for discharge of gas into said molten metal, and a second fluid flow opening for recovery of gas from said molten metal, said second opening being in gas and liquid metal fluid flow communication with said fluid flow outlet, and being gas and liquid metal permeable.
A method for determining content of gases in molten metal comprising:
- providing a molten metal immersible probe which is connected by a gas flow conduit to a gas analysis device;
- immersing said probe in said molten metal;
- introducing into said metal through said probe a stream of an inert carrier gas which contains a first known concentration of a gas to be detected, which is greater than the concentration of that gas contained in the molten metal;
- recovering said carrier gas as said carrier gas bubbles out of said metal and using said analysis device to determine the content of said gas contained in the gas flowing out of said metal;
- introducing into said metal through said probe a second inert carrier gas which contains a second known concentration of said gas less than that contained in the molten metal;
- recovering said second inert gas as said second inert gas bubbles out of said metal and using said analysis device to determine the content of said gas contained in the gas flowing out of said metal;
- and,
- comparing said gas content determinations to compute the content of said gas dissolved in said metal.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.