Non-ferrous metal melt pump and non-ferrous metal melting furnace using the same

Abstract

A non-ferrous metal melting furnace includes a non-ferrous metal melt pump, a vortex chamber body, and a magnetic field device formed of permanent magnets. The vortex chamber body makes a non-ferrous metal melt flow into a vortex chamber from an inlet, makes the non-ferrous metal melt flow in a spiral shape by applying a driving force to the non-ferrous metal melt in the vortex chamber, and discharges the non-ferrous metal melt from the vortex chamber to an outlet. The magnetic field device formed of permanent magnets is disposed outside the vortex chamber and below a bottom plate of the vortex chamber, and applies the driving force to the non-ferrous metal melt by an electromagnetic force that is generated by current flowing in the non-ferrous metal melt and magnetic lines of force from the magnetic field device formed of permanent magnets.

1 . A non-ferrous metal melt pump comprising:
 a vortex chamber body that makes a non-ferrous metal melt flow into a vortex chamber from an inlet, makes the non-ferrous metal melt flow in a spiral shape by applying a driving force to the non-ferrous metal melt in the vortex chamber, and discharges the non-ferrous metal melt from the vortex chamber to an outlet; and   a magnetic field device formed of permanent magnets that is disposed outside the vortex chamber and below a bottom plate of the vortex chamber, and applies the driving force to the non-ferrous metal melt by an electromagnetic force that is generated by current flowing in the non-ferrous metal melt and magnetic lines of force from the magnetic field device formed of permanent magnets,   wherein the vortex chamber body includes a spiral flow channel that is formed from the inlet to the outlet,   the inlet and the bottom plate face each other in an up-and-down direction,   the outlet is opened in a substantially horizontal direction,   the bottom plate forms a flat surface fo parallel to a horizontal plane,   a first electrode is disposed on an inner surface of the bottom plate,   second electrodes face the inner surface of the bottom plate in an up-and-down direction, and are disposed on an inner surface of a top plate of the vortex chamber so that current flows between the first electrode and the second electrodes,   the magnetic field device formed of permanent magnets is disposed below the bottom plate of the vortex chamber of the vortex chamber body and outside the vortex chamber so as to face the bottom plate in an up-and-down direction, and   the flow-in direction of the non-ferrous metal melt that flows into the vortex chamber, and the direction of the magnetic lines of force that are generated by the magnetic field device formed of permanent magnets follow the up-and-down direction.   
     
     
         2 . The non-ferrous metal melt pump according to  claim 1 ,
 wherein the first electrode is disposed substantially at a center of the inner surface of the bottom plate of the vortex chamber.   
     
     
         3 . The non-ferrous metal melt pump according to  claim 1 ,
 wherein a plurality of the second electrodes is provided, these second electrodes are disposed on the inner surface of the top plate in the shape of a ring or an arbitrary frame.   
     
     
         4 . The non-ferrous metal melt pump according to  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a DC power supply that supplies direct current between the first and second electrodes.   
     
     
         5 . The non-ferrous metal melt pump according to  claim 1 ,
 wherein a side plate of the vortex chamber has the shape of an arc, which swells to the outside, in a longitudinal section.   
     
     
         6 . The non-ferrous metal melt pump according to  claim 1 ,
 wherein a tubular body is mounted on the top plate of the vortex chamber so that an opening of the top plate communicates with a lower opening of the tubular body, and   an upper opening of the tubular body is formed at the inlet.   
     
     
         7 . The non-ferrous metal melt pump according to  claim 2 ,
 wherein the tubular body is provided on the vortex chamber at a position where the center of the tubular body substantially corresponds to the center of the bottom plate on which the first electrode is provided.   
     
     
         8 . The non-ferrous metal melt pump according to  claim 1 , wherein, as the magnetic field device formed of permanent magnets, a magnetic field device having magnetic field intensity is used, the magnetic field intensity being set so that magnetic lines which come from the magnetic field device formed of permanent magnets or which return to the magnetic field device formed of permanent magnets pass through the vortex chamber storing the non-ferrous metal melt in an up-and-down direction. 
     
     
         9 . A non-ferrous metal melting furnace comprising:
 the non-ferrous metal melt pump according to  claim 1 ; and   a substantially tubular melting furnace including an opening through which non-ferrous metal as a raw material is input,   wherein the non-ferrous metal melt pump is disposed so that the inlet faces the upper side, and   a bottom opening of the melting furnace communicates with the inlet.   
     
     
         10 . The non-ferrous metal melting furnace according to  claim 9 ,
 wherein the opening has a circular planar shape, an oval planar shape, or a rectangular planar shape.   
     
     
         11 . The non-ferrous metal melting furnace according to  claim 10 , further comprising:
 a holding furnace that holds a non-ferrous metal melt,   wherein an upper portion of a side wall of the melting furnace communicates with a non-ferrous metal melt discharge port of the holding furnace, and the outlet of the vortex chamber communicates with a non-ferrous metal melt inflow port of the holding furnace.   
     
     
         12 . The non-ferrous metal melting furnace according to  claim 9 , further comprising:
 a melt receiving box that receives non-ferrous metal that flows from either the non-ferrous metal melt pump or the melting furnace.   
     
     
         13 . A non-ferrous metal melt pump comprising:
 a vortex chamber body that makes a non-ferrous metal melt flow into a vortex chamber from an inlet, makes the non-ferrous metal melt flow in a spiral shape by applying a driving force to the non-ferrous metal melt in the vortex chamber, and discharges the non-ferrous metal melt from the vortex chamber to an outlet; and   a movable magnetic field generator that is disposed outside the vortex chamber and below a bottom plate of the vortex chamber, and applies the driving force to the non-ferrous metal melt by rotating magnetic lines of force, which pass the non-ferrous metal melt in an up-and-down direction, along a horizontal plane,   wherein the inlet and the bottom plate face each other in an up-and-down direction, the outlet is opened in a substantially horizontal direction, and the vortex chamber body includes a spiral flow channel that is formed from the inlet to the outlet,   the movable magnetic field generator includes a magnet base formed as a rotating plate that is supported so as to rotate around an axis extending in an up-and-down direction, and the plurality of permanent magnets that is circumferentially disposed on the surface of the magnet base facing the bottom plate of the vortex chamber in an up-and-down direction so that different polarities are arranged alternately,   the magnetic lines of force that are generated by the plurality of permanent magnets pass through the non-ferrous metal melt existing in the vortex chamber in an up-and-down direction, and the non-ferrous metal melt flows in an up-and-down direction into the vortex chamber, and   as the permanent magnets are rotated, the magnetic lines of force move along a horizontal plane, the magnetic lines of force passing through the non-ferrous metal melt substantially in an up-and-down direction, so that a driving force is applied to the non-ferrous metal melt.   
     
     
         14 . The non-ferrous metal melt pump according to  claim 13 ,
 wherein a side plate of the vortex chamber has the shape of an arc, which swells to the outside, in a longitudinal section.   
     
     
         15 . A non-ferrous metal melting furnace comprising:
 the non-ferrous metal melt pump according to  claim 13 ; and   a substantially tubular melting furnace including an opening through which non-ferrous metal as a raw material is input,   wherein the non-ferrous metal melt pump is disposed so that the inlet faces the upper side, and   a bottom opening of the melting furnace communicates with the inlet.   
     
     
         16 . The non-ferrous metal melting furnace according to  claim 15 , further comprising:
 a holding furnace that holds a non-ferrous metal melt,   wherein an upper portion of a side wall of the melting furnace communicates with a non-ferrous metal melt discharge port of the holding furnace, and the outlet of the vertex chamber communicates with a non-ferrous metal melt inflow port of the holding furnace.   
     
     
         17 . The non-ferrous metal melting furnace according to  claim 15 , further comprising:
 a melt receiving box that receives non-ferrous metal that flows from either the non-ferrous metal melt pump or the melting furnace.