Molten metal dosing furnace with metal treatment and level control and method
First Claim
1. A dosing furnace for delivering molten metal to a downstream process, comprising:
- a holding chamber configured to contain a supply of the molten metal;
a variable speed pump in fluid communication with the holding chamber, with the pump having a pump inlet connected to the holding chamber and having a pump outlet, and with the pump configured to pump the molten metal through the dosing furnace during operation;
a molten metal treatment chamber in fluid communication with the pump through the pump outlet;
a dosing chamber located downstream and in fluid communication with the molten metal treatment chamber; and
a molten metal level sensor located in the dosing chamber and connected to the pump for providing a pump speed control signal to the pump, with the level sensor configured to monitor the level of the molten metal in the dosing chamber and maintain a preset level of the molten metal in the dosing chamber by controlling the speed of the pump with the pump speed control signal.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A dosing furnace (10) with metal treatment and level control includes a holding chamber (12) for containing a supply of molten metal (50), a pump (22) connected to the holding chamber (12), a molten metal treatment chamber (16, 18) located at an outlet (26) of the pump (22), and a dosing chamber (40) located downstream and in fluid communication with the molten metal treatment chamber (16, 18). A molten metal level sensor (56) is located in the dosing chamber (40). The pump (22) is a variable speed pump having a pump inlet (24) connected to the holding chamber (12) and configured to pump the molten metal (50) through the dosing furnace (10) during operation. The molten metal level sensor (56) is connected to the pump (22) for providing a pump speed control signal to the pump (22). The molten metal level sensor (56) is configured to monitor the level of the molten metal (50) in the dosing chamber (40) and maintain a preset level of the molten metal (50) in the dosing chamber (40) by controlling the speed of the pump (22) with the pump speed control signal.
106 Citations
25 Claims
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1. A dosing furnace for delivering molten metal to a downstream process, comprising:
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a holding chamber configured to contain a supply of the molten metal;
a variable speed pump in fluid communication with the holding chamber, with the pump having a pump inlet connected to the holding chamber and having a pump outlet, and with the pump configured to pump the molten metal through the dosing furnace during operation;
a molten metal treatment chamber in fluid communication with the pump through the pump outlet;
a dosing chamber located downstream and in fluid communication with the molten metal treatment chamber; and
a molten metal level sensor located in the dosing chamber and connected to the pump for providing a pump speed control signal to the pump, with the level sensor configured to monitor the level of the molten metal in the dosing chamber and maintain a preset level of the molten metal in the dosing chamber by controlling the speed of the pump with the pump speed control signal. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. A dosing furnace for delivering molten metal to a downstream process, comprising:
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a holding chamber configured to contain a supply of the molten metal;
a variable speed pump in fluid communication with the holding chamber, with the pump having a pump inlet connected to the holding chamber and having a pump outlet, and with the pump configured to pump the molten metal through the dosing furnace during operation;
a degassing chamber in fluid communication with the pump through the pump outlet and including a degassing mechanism for removing gas and impurities from the molten metal flowing through the degassing chamber under the influence of the pump;
a filter chamber located downstream and in fluid communication with the degassing chamber and including a molten metal filter for filtering the molten metal flowing through the filter chamber under the influence of the pump;
a dosing chamber located downstream and in fluid communication with the filter chamber; and
a molten metal level sensor located in the dosing chamber and connected to the pump for providing a pump speed control signal to the pump, with the level sensor configured to monitor the level of the molten metal in the dosing chamber and maintain a preset level of the molten metal in the dosing treatment chamber by controlling the speed of the pump with the pump speed control signal. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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21. A method of controlling the level of molten metal in a molten metal dosing furnace, with the dosing furnace comprising:
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a holding chamber configured to contain a supply of the molten metal;
a variable speed pump in fluid communication with the holding chamber, with the pump having a pump inlet connected to the holding chamber and having a pump outlet, and with the pump configured to pump the molten metal through the dosing furnace during operation;
a molten metal treatment chamber in fluid communication with the pump through the pump outlet;
a dosing chamber located downstream and in fluid communication with the molten metal treatment chamber; and
a molten metal level sensor located in the dosing chamber and connected to the pump for providing a pump speed control signal to the pump, the method comprising the steps of;
pumping the molten metal from the holding chamber to the molten metal treatment chamber;
treating the molten metal in the molten metal treatment chamber;
pumping the molten metal to the dosing chamber;
monitoring the level of the molten metal in the dosing chamber with the level sensor;
providing the pump speed control signal to the pump to control the speed of the pump and maintain a preset level of the molten metal in the dosing chamber; and
dosing the molten metal from the dosing chamber to a downstream process. - View Dependent Claims (22, 23, 24, 25)
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Specification