Dual recycling/transfer furnace flow management valve for low melting temperature metals
First Claim
1. A furnace flow control valve, immersible in a flowing bath of molten metal, comprising:
- a stator having an vertical cylindrical inner wall which defines an elongated cavity, wherein a lower end of said inner wall includes aligned recirculation inlet and outlet openings and an upper end of said inner wall includes a transfer opening; and
a rotor which is rotatably received within said cavity, said rotor including a recirculation passage running horizontally therethrough, and means for transferring said flowing bath by redirecting at least some of said flowing bath into said cavity and out of said transfer opening.
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Abstract
A furnace flow control valve for use within a bath of molten metal. The flow control valve includes a vertically-disposed elongated tubular stator, which is configured to receive flow from a molten metal pump. The valve has a rotor which is sealing rotatable within the stator between: a full re-circulation position, where flow from the pump passes un-hindered through the valve; a full transfer position, where flow from the pump is redirected into the vertically disposed stator and out of the valve; and a partial re-circulation/partial transfer position where flow from the pump both passes through the valve and is transferred up and out of valve through the stator.
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Citations
18 Claims
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1. A furnace flow control valve, immersible in a flowing bath of molten metal, comprising:
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a stator having an vertical cylindrical inner wall which defines an elongated cavity, wherein a lower end of said inner wall includes aligned recirculation inlet and outlet openings and an upper end of said inner wall includes a transfer opening; and a rotor which is rotatably received within said cavity, said rotor including a recirculation passage running horizontally therethrough, and means for transferring said flowing bath by redirecting at least some of said flowing bath into said cavity and out of said transfer opening. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. A furnace flow control valve, immersible in a flowing bath of molten metal, comprising:
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a stationary housing having an elongated cavity defined by a vertical cylindrical inner wall, wherein a lower end of said cavity is in fluid communication with an inlet opening and a recirculation outlet opening, and an upper end of said cavity is in fluid communication with a transfer outlet opening, wherein said inlet opening receives said flowing bath; a rotor having a generally cylindrical body which is rotatably received within said cavity, said body including a recirculation passage running horizontally therethrough and upstream and downstream transfer channels running substantially vertically through said rotor on opposite sides of said recirculation passage, wherein said upstream transfer channel is formed in the outer face of said rotor and said downstream transfer channel is contained internally within said body; and means for rotating said rotor within said cavity from a full recirculation position where said recirculation passage is in fluid communication with only said inlet opening and said recirculation outlet opening to a transfer position wherein said upstream transfer channel is in fluid communication with said inlet opening. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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14. A system for selectively recirculating and transferring a bath of molten metal, comprising:
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pump means that causes said bath of molten metal to flow; an tubular vertical stator that is mounted adjacent to an outlet of said pump means, said stator including an elongated cavity defined by a cylindrical inner wall and a floor, an inlet opening fluidly couples the pump outlet to the cavity, said stator further including a recirculation outlet opening in said inner wall downstream from said inlet opening and a transfer outlet opening in said inner wall located vertically above both said inlet opening and said recirculation outlet opening; a rotor that is rotatably and sealing mounted within said cavity, said rotor having a generally cylindrical outer surface and has a recirculation passage passing substantially horizontally therethrough, said rotor also including a bifurcated redirection channel formed in and running substantially vertically along the outer surface, an under-fill slot passing substantially vertically through the rotor on the opposite side of said recirculation passage from said redirection channel; and means for selectively rotating said rotor within said cavity from a full recirculation position where said recirculation passage is in fluid communication with only said inlet opening and said recirculation outlet opening to a transfer position wherein said redirection channel is in fluid communication with said inlet opening. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18)
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Specification