Cold crucible induction melter integrating induction coil and melting furnace

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9288847-B2
Application number	US-201013823141-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 27, 2010
Priority date	Sep 15, 2010
Publication date	Mar 15, 2016
Grant date	Mar 15, 2016

Abstract

A cold crucible induction melter includes an induction coil and a melting furnace. The induction coil serves as a water cooled segment to directly transmit an induced current to a molten material in the cold crucible induction melter (CCIM), improving energy efficiency. Simultaneously, the structure of the CCIM is simplified and enables a smooth discharge even when the molten material consists of a ceramic or a metal material with a high melting point. The cold crucible induction melter heats and melts waste using an induced current which is generated in a water cooled segment by a high frequency current that is applied to the induction coil. The water cooled segment and the induction coil are disposed in a vertical direction so that the induced current that is generated by the induction coil is directly transmitted to the molten material.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A cold crucible induction furnace comprising:
an upper chamber having, at an upper portion, an inlet port for introducing material to be melted in the furnace and having a central axis that is generally vertical;
a lower chamber, attached to and below the upper chamber, wherein the lower chamber comprises a plurality of generally vertical segments that are circumferentially joined to each other, each of the generally vertical segments is water cooled and includes a generally U-shaped internal flow path for the flow of cooling water
the lower chamber includes an inductor positioned vertically below and coupled to the plurality of generally vertical water-cooled segments,
the inductor includes a plurality of tubular induction coil strands stacked in a vertical direction,
the inductor has a heat-resistant ceramic coating layer on an inner surface of the inductor that is directly contacted by the material, when the material is melted,
the inductor is sloped relative to a plane that is transverse to the central axis of the upper chamber, and
the inductor, when supplied with high frequency power, induces an electrical current in the material, heating and melting the material;

a water cooled sloped bottom plate attached to the lower chamber, below the lower chamber, that is sloped relative to the plane that is transverse to the central axis of the upper chamber, and that includes an outlet hole in fluid communication with the lower chamber for discharge of the molten material, when melted, from the lower chamber, wherein the outlet hole is located at a lowermost portion of the bottom plate, and is eccentrically located with respect to the central axis of the upper chamber; and
a molten material discharge part attached to the bottom plate and having a central hole providing a flow path for molten material out of the lower chamber of the induction furnace through the outlet hole in the water cooled sloped bottom plate.

2. The cold crucible induction furnace of claim 1 , wherein the inductor includes a ceramic material between the tubular induction coil strands.

3. The cold crucible induction furnace of claim 1 , wherein
the water cooled sloped bottom plate includes a plurality of water cooled units circumferentially joined to each other, and
each of the water cooled units includes a generally U-shaped internal flow path for the flow of cooling water.

4. The cold crucible induction furnace of claim 1 , further comprising an auxiliary induction coil located around the molten material discharge part, wherein
an upper surface of the molten material discharge part comprises a downwardly sloped surface directed toward the outlet hole in the water cooled sloped bottom plate,
the sloped surface has a discharge hole located at a center of the downwardly sloped surface, and
the molten material discharge part includes a water inlet and a water outlet for water cooling the molten material discharge part.

5. A cold crucible induction furnace comprising:
an upper chamber having, at an upper portion, an inlet port for introducing material to be melted in the furnace and having a central axis that is generally vertical;
a lower chamber, attached to and below the upper chamber, wherein the lower chamber includes
a plurality of generally vertical water-cooled segments that are circumferentially joined to each other and each of the generally vertical water-cooled lower chamber segments includes a generally U-shaped internal flow path for the flow of cooling water, and
an inductor positioned vertically below and coupled to the plurality of generally vertical water-cooled segments, wherein the inductor includes a plurality of tubular induction coil strands stacked in a vertical direction and surrounding the lower chamber, and a heat-resistant ceramic coating layer on an inner surface of the inductor directly contacting the material in the lower chamber, when the material is melted; and

a water-cooled sloped bottom plate coupled to and located below the inductor, covering the lower chamber from below, wherein
the water-cooled sloped bottom plate is sloped relative to a plane that is transverse to the central axis of the upper chamber,
the water-cooled sloped bottom plate includes an outlet hole wherein the outlet hole is in fluid communication with the lower chamber for discharge of the molten material, when melted, from the lower chamber, is located at a lowermost portion of the water-cooled sloped bottom, and is eccentrically located with respect to the central axis of the upper chamber,
the water-cooled sloped bottom plate includes a plurality of water cooled units joined to each other, and
each of the water-cooled units includes a generally U-shaped internal flow path for the flow of cooling water.

6. The cold crucible induction furnace of claim 5 , wherein
the inductor is sloped relative to the plane that is transverse to the central axis of the upper chamber, and
the inductor, when supplied with high frequency power, induces an electrical current in the material, heating and melting the material.

7. The cold crucible induction furnace of claim 6 , wherein the inductor has a slope and the water-cooled sloped bottom plate has a slope and the slope of the inductor corresponds to the slope of the water-cooled sloped bottom plate for smoothly discharging the molten material from the lower chamber at the lowermost portion of the water-cooled sloped bottom plate.

8. The cold crucible induction furnace of claim 5 further comprising a molten material discharge part attached to the water-cooled sloped bottom plate and having a central hole communicating with the outlet hole of the water-cooled sloped bottom plate and providing a flow path for molten material out of the lower chamber of the induction furnace through the outlet hole in the water cooled sloped bottom plate.

9. The cold crucible induction furnace of claim 8 , further comprising an auxiliary induction coil located around the molten material discharge part, wherein
an upper surface of the molten material discharge part comprises a downwardly sloped surface directed toward the outlet hole in the water cooled sloped bottom plate,
the downwardly sloped surface of the upper surface of the molten material discharge part has a discharge hole located at a center of the downwardly sloped surface, and
the molten material discharge part includes a water inlet and a water outlet for water cooling the molten material discharge part.

10. The cold crucible induction furnace of claim 5 , wherein
the inductor includes a ceramic material between the tubular induction coil strands.

Assignees

• Kim Cheon-Woo
• Choi Seok-Mo
• Jo Hyun-Jun
• Park Jong-Kil
• Choi Young-Bu
• Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power Co

Inventors

• Kim Cheon-Woo
• Choi Seok-Mo
• Jo Hyun-Jun
• Park Jong-Kil
• Choi Young-Bu

Classifications

• F23G5/10

  electric · CPC title

• H05B6/24

  Crucible furnaces (H05B6/30 takes precedence) · CPC title

• F23G2204/204

  Induction · CPC title

• H05B6/36 Primary

  Coil arrangements · CPC title

• F27B14/063 Primary

  Skull melting type · CPC title