Apparatus for treating a bath of liquid metal by injecting gas
First Claim
1. Apparatus for treating a bath of liquid metal by injection of a gas comprising a container for housing the liquid metal, a gas injection plug at the bottom of the container, an agitator mounted for rotational movement within the container, means mounting the agitator for vertical movement in the direction toward and away from the plug between rest position on the gas injection plug and raised position spaced from the gas injection plug responsive to gas emission from the plug, whereby the agitator is supported in raised position by a fluid bearing to enable rotational movement of the agitator in raised position while allowing a multitude of dispersed bubbles of the gas to escape through the space between the separated agitator and plug, and means for rotating the agitator about the axis.
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Accused Products
Abstract
The present invention concerns apparatus for treating a bath of liquid metal and in particular aluminum or alloys thereof by injecting gas, comprising a rotary agitator, the lower end of which, in the rest condition, rests on a gas injection plug disposed at the bottom of the bath and which, under the action of the pressure of the gas emitted by the plug, rises and, thus being supported by a fluid bearing, may, under the effect of an external couple, rotate freely about its axis and allow a multitude of regularly dispersed gas bubbles to escape through the space which separates the agitator from the plug, enabling intimate contact between the gas and the liquid metal and thus to improve the efficiency of the treatment. It may be used in treating metals from which hydrogen and non-metallic impurities are to be removed.
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Citations
15 Claims
- 1. Apparatus for treating a bath of liquid metal by injection of a gas comprising a container for housing the liquid metal, a gas injection plug at the bottom of the container, an agitator mounted for rotational movement within the container, means mounting the agitator for vertical movement in the direction toward and away from the plug between rest position on the gas injection plug and raised position spaced from the gas injection plug responsive to gas emission from the plug, whereby the agitator is supported in raised position by a fluid bearing to enable rotational movement of the agitator in raised position while allowing a multitude of dispersed bubbles of the gas to escape through the space between the separated agitator and plug, and means for rotating the agitator about the axis.
Specification