Patent · US Expired

Melter/holder control system

US5242155A · kind A · utility

1Cited by
3References
5Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateMay 11, 1992
Grant dateSep 7, 1993
Priority date
Expiry dateMay 11, 2012

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC F)Mechanical Engineering; Lighting; Heating
  • CPC primaryF27M2001/012
  • WIPO fieldThermal processes and apparatus
  • WIPO sectorMechanical engineering

Abstract

A reverberatory aluminum melting/holding furnace is formed of an enclosure for containing a molten metal bath in which a workload to be processed is immersed, a plurality of gas-fired burners for heating the metal bath, and a control system for measuring heat absorbed by the furnace refractory so as to rapidly bring the furnace to a pre-set metal bath temperature without any significant overshoot. The enclosure has a wall layer of insulating refractory material disposed on its interior. The control system includes a first thermocouple element disposed adjacent the "hot face" of the wall layer, and a second thermocouple disposed adjacent the "cold face" of the wall layer. The plurality of gas-fired burners are switched from a "high fire" to a "low fire"/off condition in response to the temperatures sensed by the first and second thermocouple elements prior to reaching of the pre-set metal bath temperature. As a result, the heat stored in the refractory is allowed to heat the metal bath up to the pre-set temperature after the plurality of burners have been switched to the "low fire"/off condition.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.