Apparatus for treating molten metal

Claim 1

An apparatus for treating a molten metal comprising: a treating vessel of sealed structure having inlet means for introducing molten metal to be treated and outlet means for discharging treated molten metal; a partition member vertically extending in said treating vessel to divide same into a fluxing compartment located on the side of said inlet means and a filtration compartment on the side of said outlet means, and having in a lower portion thereof a molten metal passage for leading the molten metal from said fluxing compartment into said filtration compartment, the top of said partition member being spaced from a ceiling portion of said treating vessel to define therebetween a communication space communicating an upper space in said fluxing compartment with an another upper space in said filtration compartment; molten metal treating means disposed in said fluxing compartment for treating the molten metal introduced through said inlet means, said treating means including a vaned rotor and having treating gas blowing means for blowing a treating gas into said molten metal in the form of fine discrete bubbles while said vaned rotor is rotated to stir and circulate said molten metal; filtering means for removing suspended particles from said molten metal and delivering the filtered molten metal out of said treating vessel through said outlet means, said filtering means being disposed in said filtration compartment for filtering said molten metal introduced from said fluxing compartment into said filtration compartment through said molten metal passage; burner means, disposed in said ceiling portion of said treating vessel and located over said filtration compartment, for producing combustion flame and/or combustion gas and high temperature and heating said molten metal in said fluxing compartment as well as the molten metal in said filtration compartment before it is filtered by said filtering means; and exhaust gas discharging means, supported in said ceiling portion and located over said fluxing compartment, for discharging out of said treating vessel exhaust gas produced in said fluxing compartment, said exhaust gas discharging means introducing combustion gas produced by said burner means into said fluxing compartment through said communication space and discharging said combustion gas out of said vessel, whereby the molten metal in said fluxing compartment is heated by said combustion gas introduced into the fluxing compartment by said exhaust gas discharging means.

Claim 2

An apparatus for treating a molten metal comprising: a treating vessel of sealed structure having inlet means for introducing molten metal to be treated and outlet means for discharging treated molten metal; a partition member vertically extending in said treating vessel to divide same into a fluxing compartment located on the side of said inlet means and a filtration compartment on the side of said outlet means, and having in a lower portion thereof a molten metal passage for leading the molten metal from said fluxing compartment into said filtration compartment, the top of said partition member being spaced from a ceiling portion of said treating vessel to define therebetween a communication space communicating an upper space in said fluxing compartment with an another upper space in said filtration compartment; molten metal treating means disposed in said fluxing compartment for treating the molten metal introduced through said inlet means, said treating means including a vaned rotor and having treating gas blowing means for blowing a treating gas into said molten metal in the form of fine discrete bubbles while said vaned rotor is rotated to stir and circulate said molten metal; filtering means for removing suspended particles from said molten metal and delivering the filtered molten metal out of said treating vessel through said outlet means, said filtering means being disposed in said filtration compartment for filtering said molten metal introduced from said fluxing compartment into said filtration compartment through said molten metal passage; burner means, disposed in said ceiling portion of said treating vessel and located over said filtration compartment, for producing combustion flame and/or combustion gas and high temperature and heating said molten metal in said fluxing compartment as well as the molten metal in said filtration compartment before it is filtered by said filtering means; and exhaust gas discharging means, supported in said ceiling portion and located over said fluxing compartment, for discharging out of said treating vessel exhaust gas produced in said fluxing compartment, said exhaust gas discharging means introducing combustion gas produced by said burner means into said fluxing compartment through said communication space and discharging said combustion gas out of said vessel, whereby the molten metal in said fluxing compartment is heated by said combustion gas introduced into the fluxing compartment by said exhaust gas discharging means.

Claim 7

An apparatus according to any one of claims 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5, wherein said molten metal is aluminum or its alloy.

Claim 8

An apparatus for treating a molten metal comprising: a treating vessel sealed structure having inlet means for introducing molten metal to be treated and outlet means for discharging treated molten metal; a partition member vertically extending in said treating vessel to divide same into a fluxing compartment located on the side of said inlet means and a filtration compartment on the side of said outlet means, and having in a lower portion thereof a molten metal passage for leading the molten metal from said fluxing compartment into said filtration compartment, the top of said partition member being spaced from a ceiling portion of said treating vessel to define therebetween a communication space communicating an upper space in said fluxing compartment with an another upper space in said filtration compartment; molten metal treating means disposed in said fluxing compartment for treating the molten metal introduced through said inlet means, said treating means including a vaned rotor and having a passage blowing treating gas into said molten metal in the form of fine discrete bubbles while said vaned rotor is rotated to stir and circulate said molten metal; a plurality of tube filters of porous structure disposed in said filtration compartment and each having a closed end leading to said outlet means, said tube filters removing suspended particles from the molten metal introduced from said fluxing compartment into said filtration compartment through said molten metal passage and delivering the filtered molten metal out of said treating vessel through said open end and said outlet means; burner means, disposed in said ceiling portion of said treating vessel and located over said filtration compartment, for producing combustion flame and/or combustion gas of high temperature and heating said molten metal in said fluxing compartment by said combustion gas initroduced to the fluxing compartment through said communication space, as well as heating the molten metal in said filtration compartment before it is filtered by said tube filters; and gas blowing means disposed in a bottom portion of said vessel and constituting a part of said filtration compartment, said blowing means blowing gas therefrom in the form of fine discrete bubbles which contact with the surfaces of said tube filters and which cause the molten metal to flow in said filtration compartment thereby cooperating with said burner means to maintain uniform temperature of the molten metal in the filtration compartment.

Claim 9

An apparatus for treating a molten metal comprising: a treating vessel sealed structure having inlet means for introducing molten metal to be treated and outlet means for discharging treated molten metal; a partition member vertically extending in said treating vessel to divide same into a fluxing compartment located on the side of said inlet means and a filtration compartment on the side of said outlet means, and having in a lower portion thereof a molten metal passage for leading the molten metal from said fluxing compartment into said filtration compartment, the top of said partition member being spaced from a ceiling portion of said treating vessel to define therebetween a communication space communicating an upper space in said fluxing compartment with an another upper space in said filtration compartment; molten metal treating means disposed in said fluxing compartment for treating the molten metal introduced through said inlet means, said treating means including a vaned rotor and having a passage blowing treating gas into said molten metal in the form of fine discrete bubbles while said vaned rotor is rotated to stir and circulate said molten metal; a plurality of tube filters of porous structure disposed in said filtration compartment and each having a closed end leading to said outlet means, said tube filters removing suspended particles from the molten metal introduced from said fluxing compartment into said filtration compartment through said molten metal passage and delivering the filtered molten metal out of said treating vessel through said open end and said outlet means; burner means, disposed in said ceiling portion of said treating vessel and located over said filtration compartment, for producing combustion flame and/or combustion gas of high temperature and heating said molten metal in said fluxing compartment by said combustion gas initroduced to the fluxing compartment through said communication space, as well as heating the molten metal in said filtration compartment before it is filtered by said tube filters; and gas blowing means disposed in a bottom portion of said vessel and constituting a part of said filtration compartment, said blowing means blowing gas therefrom in the form of fine discrete bubbles which contact with the surfaces of said tube filters and which cause the molten metal to flow in said filtration compartment thereby cooperating with said burner means to maintain uniform temperature of the molten metal in the filtration compartment.