Inductotherm Corp.

Joseph T Belsh

Oleg S Fishman

Satyen N Prabhu

John H Mortimer

Hans G Heine

Mike Maochang Cao

Peter Aruanno

Richard A Ranlof

Aurelian Mavrodin

Vitaly A Peysakhovich

Vladimir V Nadot

Bernard M Raffner

Aleksandr Olegovich Spiridonov

Prabhu N Satyen

A method of cooling an electric induction furnace for melting and holding a reactive metal or alloy is provided where the electric induction furnace has an upper furnace vessel and an induction coil in a modular inductor furnace is positioned below the upper furnace vessel with a melt-containing vessel positioned inside the induction coil with a gap between the outside surface of the melt-containing vessel and the inside surface of the induction coil that is used to circulate a cooling fluid for cooling the melt-containing vessel to inhibit leakage of the reactive metal or alloy melt from the melt-containing vessel. The melt-containing vessel can be integrated with a cooling system for cooling the melt-containing vessel. Modularity of the melt-containing vessel, induction coil and cooling system facilitates servicing of the modular inductor furnace without disassembly of the entire electric induction furnace.

Method of cooling electric induction melting and holding furnaces for reactive metals and alloys

An electric induction furnace for melting and holding a reactive metal or alloy is provided with an upper furnace vessel, an induction coil positioned below the upper furnace vessel, and a melt-containing vessel positioned inside the induction coil with a gap between the outside surface of the melt-containing vessel and the inside surface of the induction coil that can be used to circulate a cooling fluid for cooling the wall of the melt-containing vessel to inhibit leakage of the reactive metal or alloy melt from the vessel. The melt-containing vessel can be integrated with a cooling system for cooling the melt-containing vessel. The melt-containing vessel, induction coil and cooling system can be provided as modular components to facilitate servicing of the melt-containing vessel, the induction coil and the cooling system.

Electric induction melting and holding furnaces for reactive metals and alloys

An electric induction system and method is provided for induction heating and melting of basalt charge for the production of molten process basalt that can be used for molten basalt processes that produce basalt articles of manufacture including cast basalt articles and continuous basalt casting processes for producing basalt articles such as fibers and filaments.

Basalt processing via electric induction heating and melting

A fluid latent heat absorption electric induction heater is provided for raising the temperature of a fluid supplied to a fluid-driven turbine in a turbine-driven electric power generation system. The fluid latent heat absorption electric induction heater alternatively transfers heat to the fluid by induced susceptor heating, or a combination of inductor Joule heating and induced susceptor heating. The fluid may be water-steam for powering a steam-driven turbine or another fluid used in a phase change system for driving a fluid-driven turbine in a turbine-driven electric power generation system.

Electric induction fluid heaters for fluids utilized in turbine-driven electric generator systems

Apparatus and process for heating and melting a material in a susceptor vessel are provided wherein phase synchronized ac voltage is supplied from a separate power source to each one of at least two induction coils in separate zones around the vessel. Power magnitude from each source to an induction coil is controlled by pulse width control of the source's output voltage. Output frequency from each source is either fixed or variable based upon the electrically conductive state of the material. Optional electromagnetic stirring is achieved by establishing a phase shift between the voltage outputs of the power supplies after the material in the susceptor vessel has melted.

Electric power system for electric induction heating and melting of materials in a susceptor vessel

Apparatus and method are provided for heating and melting of materials by electric induction heating of susceptor components in a crucible of the furnace. The susceptor components comprise at least an array of susceptor rods arranged around the inner perimeter of the crucible. A susceptor base may also be provided in the crucible with connection to one end of the susceptor rods. One or more susceptor tubes may also be used within the interior volume of the crucible. Alternating current flow through one or more induction coils surrounding the exterior of the crucible generate magnetic flux fields that couple with the susceptor components to inductively heat the susceptor components. Heat from the susceptor components transfers to the material in the crucible to heat and melt the material.

Heating and melting of materials by electric induction heating of susceptors

A molten material can be heated, melted and directly solidified in a single vessel. Induction heating and melting of the molten material is achieved by magnetically coupling the field produced by current flow in a plurality of induction coils surrounding the vessel with either the molten material in the vessel, or a susceptor surrounding molten material in the vessel. Current flow is selectively removed from the plurality of induction coils, and a cooling medium surrounding the vessel, such as water flowing through hollow induction coils, solidifies the molten metal into a highly purified crystalline solid.

Directional solidification of a metal

An induction melting furnace comprises a melt chamber for heating a melt either directly by magnetic induction, or indirectly by magnetic induction heating of the melt chamber, or a combination of the two, and a meter chamber connected to the melt chamber for providing a metered discharge of the melt from the furnace. A gas can be injected into the furnace to provide a blanket over the surface of the melt in the melt chamber and a pressurized flush of the metered discharge of the melt from the meter chamber.

Induction melting furnace with metered discharge

An induction heating and melting system uses a crucible formed from a material that has a high electrical resistivity or high magnetic permeability, and one or more inductor coils formed from a wound cable consisting of multiple individually insulated copper conductors to form an induction furnace that, along with its associated power supply, provides a compact design. The system components are air-cooled; no water-cooling is required. The crucible may alternatively be shaped as a tunnel or enclosed furnace.

High efficiency induction heating and melting systems

An induction melting system uses a crucible formed from a material that has a high electrical resistivity or high magnetic permeability and one or more inductor coils formed from a wound cable consisting of multiple individually insulated copper conductors to form an induction furnace that, along with its associated power supply, provides a compact design. The system components are air-cooled; no water-cooling is required. The induction melting system is particularly useful for separating metal from scrap, casting molds directly from the induction furnace, and providing a continuous supply of molten metal.

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Mount Laurel, NJ, United States of America

Joseph T Belsh