Agitator, agitating method, and melting furnace with agitator

• US 20060133194A1
• Filed: 12/22/2005
• Published: 06/22/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kenzo Takahashi
• Original Assignee: Kenzo Takahashi
• Inventors: Takahashi, Kenzo
• Granted Patent: US 8,158,055 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 366/147
• CPC Class Codes: B01F 2101/45 Mixing in metallurgical processes of ferrous or non-ferrous materials
• CPC Class Codes: B01F 25/51 in which the mixture is circulated through a set of tubes, e.g. with gradual introduction of a component into the circulating flow
• CPC Class Codes: B01F 33/451 wherein the mixture is directly exposed to an electromagnetic field without use of a stirrer, e.g. for material comprising ferromagnetic particles or for molten metal
• CPC Class Codes: F27B 17/00 Furnaces of a kind not covered by any preceding group structural combinations of furnaces F27B19/02
• CPC Class Codes: F27D 27/00 Stirring devices for molten material F27D3/14 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 44/06 Induction pumps

Abstract

An agitator for agitating a melt includes a heat-resistive container having a blast opening through which cooling air is blown and an exhaust opening for exhausting air having been subjected to heat exchange, and a rotating magnet assembly composed of a permanent magnet housed in the heat-resistive container in a rotatable manner, magnetic lines of force emitted from the permanent magnet penetrating through the heat-resistive container to exit outside, and then penetrating the heat-resistive container again to return to the permanent magnet.

Claims

1. An agitator for agitating a melt, comprising:

a heat-resistive container having a blast opening through which cooling air is blown and an exhaust opening for exhausting air having been subjected to heat exchange; and

a rotating magnet assembly composed of a permanent magnet housed in the heat-resistive container in a rotatable manner, magnetic lines of force emitted from the permanent magnet penetrating through the heat-resistive container to exit outside, and then penetrating the heat-resistive container again to return to the permanent magnet.

2. The agitator according to claim 1, wherein the heat-resistive container includes a casing body and a cover, the blast opening is provided in a vicinity of a center of the cover, and the exhaust opening is provided in the vicinity of a periphery portion of the cover.

3. The agitator according to claim 1, wherein the rotating magnet assembly includes a plurality of permanent magnets arranged at regular intervals in a circumferential direction.

4. The agitator according to claim 3, wherein each of the permanent magnets has magnetic poles at an outer periphery side and an inner periphery side, and the magnetic poles of two circumferentially adjacent permanent magnets are different from each other both at the outer periphery side and the inner periphery side.

5. The agitator according to claim 3, wherein the permanent magnets are supported by a pair of supporting plates.

6. The agitator according to claims 1, wherein the rotating magnet assembly includes a rotation axis, which is rotatably supported by the heat-resistive container.

7. The agitator according to claim 6, wherein the rotation axis has an upper rotation axis portion provided at an upper portion of the rotating magnet assembly, and a lower rotation axis portion provided at a lower portion thereof.

8. The agitator according to claim 7, wherein the upper rotation axis portion and the lower rotation axis portion are separately formed, and spaced apart from each other by a predetermined distance.

9. The agitator according to claim 8, wherein the upper rotation axis is a hollow axis, which communicates with the outside via the blast opening.

10. The agitator according to claim 9, wherein a lower side of the upper rotation axis has an opening located between a pair of supporting plates.

11. The agitator according to claim 9, wherein the lower rotation axis is a hollow axis, which is supported in the heat-resistive container so that air having passed through the upper rotation axis passes through the lower rotation axis and returns to the heat-resistive container.

12. The agitator according to claim 7, wherein the upper rotation axis portion and the lower rotation axis portion are integrally formed.

13. The agitator according to claim 12, wherein the rotation axis is a hollow axis.

14. The agitator according to claim 13, wherein the rotation axis communicates with the outside via the blast opening.

15. The agitator according to claim 14, wherein the rotation axis is supported in the heat-resistive container so that air having passed through the rotation axis returns to the heat-resistive container.

16. The agitator according to claims 1, further comprising a driving mechanism for rotating and driving the rotating magnet assembly.

17. The agitator according to claims 1, further comprising an air blowing mechanism for blowing air into the heat-resistive container.

18. The agitator according to claims 1, wherein the heat-resistive container is formed of a nonmagnetic material.

19. The agitator according to claims 1, wherein the heat-resistive container is formed of a material selected from the group consisting of stainless steel, a ceramic material, and a synthetic resin.

20. A melting furnace with an agitator in accordance with claim 1, further comprising:

a melting furnace main body; and

the agitator located within the melting furnace main body or outside the melting furnace main body

21. The melting furnace with an agitator according to claim 20, wherein the melting furnace main body includes a circulation path for bypassing the melt in the melting furnace main body and returns the melt into the melting furnace main body again, and the agitator is located in a vicinity of an outer surface of the circulation path.

22. The melting furnace with an agitator according to claim 21, wherein a horizontal section of the circulation path is substantially U-shaped, and the agitator is located inside the U-shaped portion outside a wall of the circulation path.

23. The melting furnace with an agitator according to claim 21, wherein a horizontal section of the circulation path is substantially U-shaped, and the agitator is located outside the U-shaped portion outside a wall of the circulation path.

24. The melting furnace with an agitator according to claim 21, wherein a horizontal section of the circulation path is substantially U-shaped, and agitators are located both inside and outside the U-shaped portion outside walls of the circulation path.

25. The melting furnace with an agitator according to claim 24, wherein the agitators forming a pair are opposed to each other with the circulation path sandwiched therebetween.

26. A method of agitating a melt in a melting furnace main body, in which

an agitator is provided inside or outside the melting furnace main body, the agitator including:

a heat-resistive container having a blast opening through which cooling air is blown and an exhaust opening for exhausting air having been subjected to heat exchange; and

a rotating magnet assembly composed of permanent magnets housed in the heat-resistive container in a rotatable manner, magnetic lines of force emitted from the permanent magnets penetrating through the heat-resistive container to exit outside, and then penetrating the heat-resistive container again to return to the permanent magnet, and

the rotating magnet assembly of the agitator is rotated to agitate the melt in the melting furnace main body.

27. An agitator for agitating a melt comprising:

a casing including a casing body of a nonmagnetic material, and a top cover covering the casing body, the top cover having a first opening for blowing air, which connects an inside and an outside of the casing, and a second opening for discharging air; and

a rotating magnet assembly housed in the casing and supported so as to be rotatable around a substantially vertical axis, the rotating magnet assembly having an upper rotation axis and a lower rotation axis, at least the upper rotation axis being a hollow body, the upper rotation axis connecting to the outside of the casing through the first opening so that it is possible to send air from the outside to the inside of the casing, the rotating magnet assembly being magnetized so that different magnetic poles are alternately arranged along the outer periphery thereof.

28. The agitator according to claim 27, wherein the rotating magnet assembly includes a plurality of permanent magnets arranged at regular intervals along a circle surrounding the upper rotation axis and the lower rotation axis.

29. The agitator according to claim 27, further comprising a driving source for rotating and driving the rotating magnet assembly.

30. The agitator according to claims 27, further comprising an air blower for blowing air into the casing from the upper rotation axis serving as a hollow body.

31. The agitator according to claims 27, wherein the driving source and the air blower are mounted on the top cover.

32. The agitator according to claims 27, wherein the lower rotation axis is a hollow body.

33. An agitator for agitating a melt comprising:

a heat-resistive container; and

a rotating magnet assembly rotatably housed in the heat-resistive container,

wherein;

a hollow rotation axis penetrating the rotating magnet assembly is fixed to the rotating magnet assembly, the rotation axis rotatably mounting the rotating magnet assembly to the heat-resistive container;

one end of the hollow rotation axis penetrates the heat-resistive container to exit outside so that cooling air can be introduced from outside, another end has an opening in the heat-resistive container, and the heat-resistive container has an opening for discharging the introduced air to the outside; and

the rotating magnet assembly is magnetized so that different magnetic poles are alternately arranged around the rotation axis along an outer periphery thereof.

34. A melting furnace with an agitator in which one or more agitators according to claim 33 are provided within a melting furnace, or in a vicinity of a furnace wall outside the melting furnace.

35. The melting furnace with an agitator according to claim 34, wherein the melting furnace includes a circulation path for bypassing the melt contained therein and returning the melt to the inside again, and the one or more agitators are located in the vicinity of the outer wall of the circulation path.