System and method for reducing hydrogen in a casting

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016271691-A1
Application number	US-201514658664-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Mar 16, 2015
Priority date	Mar 16, 2015
Publication date	Sep 22, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A method involves filling a hydrogen-lean molten material in a crucible and closing a lid of the crucible and then feeding a first quantity of a compressed dry gas via the crucible to form a dry gas blanket on a surface of the hydrogen-lean molten material. The method further involves feeding a second quantity of the compressed dry gas to a mold assembly to purge the mold assembly and transferring the hydrogen-lean molten material via an opening of the lid of the crucible to a mold cavity of the mold assembly. The method further involves cooling the hydrogen-lean molten material to form a casting.

First claim

1 . A method comprising:
filling a hydrogen-lean molten material in a crucible and closing a lid of the crucible; feeding a first quantity of a compressed dry gas via the crucible to form a dry gas blanket on a surface of the hydrogen-lean molten material; feeding a second quantity of the compressed dry gas to a mold assembly to purge the mold assembly; and transferring the hydrogen-lean molten material via an opening of the lid of the crucible to a mold cavity of the mold assembly; and cooling the hydrogen-lean molten material to form a casting.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the hydrogen-lean molten material comprises a metal.

3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the hydrogen-lean molten material comprises a metal alloy.

4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the compressed dry gas comprises at least one of argon, air, and nitrogen.

5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein transferring the hydrogen-lean molten material comprises transferring the hydrogen-lean molten material to the mold cavity of the mold assembly under influence of a counter gravity force.

6 . The method of claim 5 , further comprising generating the counter gravity force by using a third quantity of the compressed dry gas.

7 . The method of claim 5 , further comprising generating the counter gravity force by applying a vacuum force.

8 . The method of claim 1 , wherein transferring the hydrogen-lean molten material comprises transferring the hydrogen-lean molten material to the mold cavity of the mold assembly under influence of a gravity force.

9 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the casting comprises a low cryogenic magnet coil former.

10 . A system comprising:
a crucible with a lid, the crucible utilized to store a hydrogen-lean molten material; a mold assembly comprising a mold cavity, the mold cavity receiving the hydrogen-lean molten material from the crucible and cooling the hydrogen-lean molten material to form a casting; and a gas source:
to feed a first quantity of a compressed dry gas via the crucible to form a dry gas blanket on a surface of the molten material; and
to feed a second quantity of the compressed dry gas to a mold assembly to purge the mold assembly.

11 . The system of claim 10 , wherein the hydrogen-lean molten material comprises a metal.

12 . The system of claim 10 , wherein the hydrogen-lean molten material comprises a metal alloy.

13 . The system of claim 10 , wherein the compressed dry gas comprises at least one of argon, air, and nitrogen.

14 . The system of claim 10 , wherein the crucible is configured to transfer the hydrogen-lean molten material to the mold cavity of the mold assembly under influence of a counter gravity force.

15 . The system of claim 14 , wherein the gas source is configured to generate the counter gravity force by using a third quantity of the compressed dry gas.

16 . The system of claim 14 , further comprising a vacuum source to apply a vacuum force to generate the counter gravity force.

17 . The system of claim 10 , wherein the crucible is configured to transfer the hydrogen-lean molten material to the mold cavity of the mold assembly under influence of a gravity force.

18 . The system of claim 10 , wherein the casting comprises a low cryogenic magnet coil former.

Assignees

• Gen Electric

Inventors

• Kagan Alexander
• Makinde Adegboyega Masud
• Pratt Duncan Spalding
• Dai Huijuan
• Jiang Longzhi
• Zhao Qi

Classifications

• B22D1/002 Primary

  Treatment with gases (C21C7/072, C22B9/05 take precedence) · CPC title

• B22D27/006

  by using reactive gases · CPC title

• B22D18/06

  Vacuum casting, i.e. making use of vacuum to fill the mould · CPC title

• B22D41/00

  Casting melt-holding vessels, e.g. ladles, tundishes, cups or the like (B22D39/00, B22D43/00 take precedence) · CPC title

• B22D27/003 Primary

  by using inert gases · CPC title