Alphatech, Inc.

Other

Pyrotek Incorporated

Jorge A Morando

Richard S Henderson

Mark A Bright

Jason Tetkoskie

Herbert L Ritchie, Jr

George S Mordue

Chris T Vild

Jon Tipton

Lennard Lutes

Leonard Lutes

Herbert Ritchie

The present invention is directed to a molten metal pump comprising an elongated pumping chamber tube with a base end and an open top end. A shaft extends into the tube and rotates an impeller therein, the impeller rotates proximate the base end. The tube has a diameter at least 1.1 times the diameter of the impeller. The pumping chamber tube preferably has a length at least three times the height of the impeller. The base end includes an inlet and the top end includes a tangential outlet. Rotation of the impeller draws molten metal into the pumping chamber and creates a rotating equilibrium vortex that rises up the walls of the pumping chamber. The rotating vortex adjacent the top end exists the device via the tangential outlet.

Overflow vortex transfer system

The present invention is directed to a molten metal pump comprising an elongated pumping chamber tube with a base end and an open top end. A shaft extends into the tube and rotates an impeller therein, the impeller rotates proximate the base end. The tube has a diameter at least 1.1 times the diameter of the impeller. The pumping chamber tube preferably has a length at least three times the height of the impeller. The base end includes an inlet and the top end includes a tangential outlet. Rotation of the impeller draws molten metal into the pumping chamber and creates a rotating equilibrium vortex that rises up the walls of the pumping chamber. The rotating vortex adjacent the top end exists the device cia the tangential outlet.

A molten metal pump includes an impeller, a pump base housing at least partially enclosing the impeller, a shaft connected to the impeller, a motor connected to the shaft, a motor mount plate for supporting the motor; and a post for connecting the motor mount plate to the pump base housing. The molten metal pump can include a connector that connects the post to the motor mount plate. The molten metal pump can include a socket for connecting the shaft to the motor. The shaft can comprise an assembly including an elongated metal rod having a first end and a second end and a metal non-circular drive member attached at the second end of the elongated metal rod. The impeller can include a cap member having a plurality of generally polygonally shaped inlet openings communicating with internal passages of the impeller, each inlet opening having an inner wall and an outer wall, the outer wall being longer than the inner wall, each inlet opening also including a leading wall and a trailing wall, the leading wall and the trailing wall each interconnecting the inner wall and the outer wall and each being inclined such that an uppermost edge of each wall precedes a lowermost edge of each wall in a first rotational direction.

Molten metal pump

A pump for processing molten metal having an enlarged tubular body which houses a centrifugal lifting pump at its bottom end. The bottom end has a curved shape that aids in the formation and sustainability of: a) a forced vortex; b) a highly forced vortex; and c) a super forced vortex, depending on the application when it which receives the ejected molten metal from the lifting pump's impeller. The lifting pump is controlled to cause the vortex to climb up the inner wall of the body up to and out of an outlet formed in the upper end of the body. A recirculation centrifugal pump is mounted coaxially to and rotates with the lifting impeller.

Riserless recirculation/transfer pump and mixer/pre-melter for molten metal applications

A pump for processing molten metal having an enlarged tubular body which houses a centrifugal pump at its bottom end. The bottom end has a concave curved shape whose shape is a function of the particular type of vortex to be created for the application at hand. This curved portion of the body receives the ejected molten metal from the impeller and forms an uplifting axial vortex within the tubular section of the body. The pump is designed to cooperate synergistically with said body such that the uplifting axial vortex to climb up the inner wall of the body up to and out of an outlet formed in the upper end of the body. A radial vane impeller is formed in the back plate of the impeller. When the impeller is rotated, solid particles introduced into the body are accelerated radially by the back plate impeller into the vortex.

Riserless transfer pump and mixer/pre-melter for molten metal applications

An improved molten metal furnace including an enlarged buffer plate of nickel-based superalloy material which seals and separates the furnace burners from the product to be heated. The seal from the buffer plate provides for the creation of a generally inert atmosphere for the bath of molten metal. Additionally, angling the interconnecting passageways between the furnace regions improve the thermal efficiency of the circulating molten metal.

Molten metal furnace

A pump for processing molten metal having an enlarged tubular body which houses a centrifugal pump at its bottom end. The bottom end has a parabolic shape which receives the ejected molten metal from the impeller and forms a vortex within the tubular body. The pump is controlled to cause the vortex to climb up the inner wall of the body up to and out of an outlet formed in the upper end of the body. A radial vane impeller is formed in the back plate of the impeller. When the impeller is rotated, solid particles introduced into the body are accelerated radially by the back plate impeller into the vortex.

A centrifugal pump having a turbine impeller having a plurality of curved vanes. The vanes curve from the inlet end to the outlet end in the direction of pumping rotation of the impeller, such that the leading wall of each vane re-directs a portion of the radial velocity of the fluid flowing through the passage to increase the total tangential velocity provided by the impeller. Each vane includes a cavity which entrains fluid which slides back from a spinward passage and redirects the entrained fluid back in the direction of rotation.

High flow/high efficiency centrifugal pump having a turbine impeller for liquid applications including molten metal

A centrifugal pump having a turbine impeller having a plurality of curved vanes. The vanes curve from the inlet end to the outlet end in the direction of pumping rotation of the impeller, such that the leading wall of each vane re-directs a portion of the radial velocity of the fluid flowing through the passage to increase the total tangential velocity provided by the impeller. Each curved passage has cooperating inlet and outlet areas and a smooth curved shape to ensure that the radial velocity of the liquid does not decrease dramatically while flowing through the passage, while ensuring that any solid particulates and contaminants entering the impeller will pass therethrough.

A furnace filtration system for improving the speed and efficiency of a molten metal centrifugal impeller pump contained within a non-ferrous molten metal furnace. The system includes a filtration well located upstream of the pump well. The filtration well includes a filter having a plurality of through filter passages that are sized to prevent any solid contaminants that are larger than the pump's impeller openings from passing therethrough. By preventing any contaminants that cannot pass through the pump, the pump can be run at a higher speed. A furnaces efficiency increases with the centrifugal pump's efficiency increases with its centrifugal pump's speed along with the flow and pressure. Increased flow and pressure increases a furnace's efficiency by a) increasing the melting rate; b) decreasing the energy lost by reducing the metal temperature stratification; and c) reducing the contaminants increases the quality of the metal produced while reducing the amount of nitrogen and chlorine needed to clean the metal.

Furnace filtration system for molten metal

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.

Dual recycling/transfer furnace flow management valve for low melting temperature metals

A sliding gate valve for use within a bath of molten aluminum. The sliding gate valve includes a pair of opposed ceramic cleaner plates that sandwich a reciprocable gate body. The cleaner plates include a plurality of longitudinal slots that face the gate body. Dross accumulating on the gate body is scraped from the gate body and into the slots when the gate body is reciprocated.

Recycling furnace flow management sliding gate valve for low melting temperature metals

A centrifugal pump has a pump base with inlet inducer openings that receive molten metal into an impeller chamber. An impeller structure in the impeller chamber passes the metal in a radial direction through an outlet inducer opening into a volute passage for discharge into the pool of metal in which the pump is located.

Growing community of inventors

Cadiz, KY, United States of America

Jorge A Morando