Importance

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Abstract

A furnace maintains metal in a molten condition as a melt, and part of the melt is exposed in a charging well where lightweight solid scrap is introduced into the furnance. A vortex generator imparts a vortex to the melt within the well, so that lightweight solid scrap is quickly submerged in the well. The vortex generator includes an impeller which rotates within the well and actually creates the vortex. In addition, it has an elevator from which the impeller is suspended as well as a drive motor for turning the impeller, with the motor being on the elevator. An elevator frame serves to guide the elevator and the elevator frame is in turn connected to a trolley which runs along a track that passes over the charging well, but also extends well beyond it. An elevating mechanism adjusts the height of the elevator and elevator frame with respect to the trolley and is normally set so that the impeller is immersed in the melt and the elevator frame is engaged with the furnace at the charging well to resist torque imposed by the drive motor. However, the elevating mechanism raises the carrier enough to bring the impeller totally out of the well and the elevator frame enough to disengage it from the portion of the furnace surrounding the charging well, whereupon the entire vortex mechanism may be moved along the track to a position remote from the well. This eases maintenance of both the generator and well and further facilitates charging the well with scrap.

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First Claim