Remote cool down of a purified directionally solidified material from an open bottom cold crucible induction furnace
AssigneeInductotherm Corp.
InventorOleg S. Fishman
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Solid or semi-solid feedstock is melted in an open bottom electric induction cold crucible furnace. Directionally solidified multi-crystalline solid purified material continuously exits the bottom of the furnace and may optionally pass through a thermal conditioning chamber before being gravity fed into a transport mold where an ingot of the purified multi-crystalline solid material is transported to a remote holding area after the transport mold is filled with the multi-crystalline material and cut from the continuous supply of material. Cool down of the ingot is accomplished remote from the open bottom of the electric induction cold crucible furnace.
Claims15
A solidification process for a multi-crystalline material from a melt produced in an open bottom induction cold crucible, the solidification process comprising the steps of:
- supplying a feedstock at the top of the open bottom induction cold crucible;
- forming the melt in the open bottom induction cold crucible by a magnetic flux coupling with the feedstock and melt combination when an alternating current flows through one or more induction coils surrounding the exterior of the open bottom induction cold crucible;
- forming from the melt a continuous supply of a hot solidified mass of a purified multi-crystalline material at the open bottom of the open bottom induction cold crucible;
- gravity feeding the hot solidified mass of the purified multi-crystalline material into a mold having a moveable inner bottom;
- controlling the rate of the gravity feeding of the hot solidified mass of the purified multi-crystalline material into the mold by a powered drive in communication with the moveable inner bottom of the mold;
- severing the hot solidified mass of the purified multi-crystalline material from the continuous supply of the hot solidified mass of the purified multi-crystalline material at the open bottom of the open bottom induction cold crucible;
- and
- moving the mold for remote directional solidification of the hot solidified mass of the purified multi-crystalline material in the mold without application of an external heating or cooling source.
A solidification process for a multi-crystalline material from a melt produced in an open bottom induction cold crucible furnace, the solidification process comprising the steps of:
- supplying a feedstock through a sealed top of the open bottom induction cold crucible furnace;
- forming the melt in the open bottom induction cold crucible furnace by a magnetic flux coupling with the feedstock and melt combination when an alternating current flows through one or more induction coils surrounding the exterior of the open bottom induction cold crucible furnace;
- siphoning one or more impurities from the melt through a siphon tube having a first and second ends, the second end opposing the first end, the first end of the siphon tube positioned in the interior volume of the open bottom induction cold crucible furnace, the second end of the siphon tube positioned external to the sealed top of the open bottom induction cold crucible furnace;
- and
- introducing a gas into the sealed top of the open bottom induction cold crucible furnace to raise the level of the melt in the open bottom induction cold crucible furnace by applying a positive gas pressure to the surface of the melt to a height sufficient to establish a siphon flow of the one or more impurities on the surface of the melt from the open bottom induction cold crucible furnace with the siphon flow terminating after the positive gas pressure is removed and the height of the melt drops to the height of the first end of a siphon tube positioned in the interior volume of the open bottom induction cold crucible furnace;
- forming from the melt a continuous supply of a hot solidified mass of a purified multi-crystalline material at the open bottom of the open bottom induction cold crucible furnace;
- gravity feeding the hot solidified mass of the purified multi-crystalline material into a mold having a moveable inner bottom;
- controlling the rate of the gravity feeding of the hot solidified mass of the purified multi-crystalline material into the mold by a powered drive in communication with the moveable inner bottom of the mold;
- severing the hot solidified mass of the purified multi-crystalline material from the continuous supply of the hot solidified mass of the purified multi-crystalline material at the open bottom of the open bottom induction cold crucible furnace;
- and
- moving the mold for remote directional solidification of the hot solidified mass of the purified multi-crystalline material in the mold without application of an external heating or cooling source.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.