A smart molten metal pump system and method automatically controls the operating speed of the pump rather than requiring an operator to control the speed. The system includes a pump, a controller for controlling the speed of the pump and one or more vibration sensors (such as an accelerometer) to measure vibration. The controller receives input about the vibration of the pump or one or more pump components, and possibly other data, such as the temperature of the molten metal, and/or the depth of the molten metal, ad/or parameters related to the operation of the pump. The controller analyzes the one or more inputs to vary the speed of the pump, turn the pump off, and/or send a communication to an operator.

A system according to aspects of the invention includes a pump and a refractory casing that houses the pump or is in fluid communication with the pump. As the pump operates it moves molten metal upward through an uptake section of the casing until it reaches a rectangular outlet wherein it exits the vessel. The rectangular outlet is configured to be connected to, or may be attached to, a launder. Another system uses a wall to divide a cavity of the chamber into two portions. The wall has an opening and a pump pumps molten metal from a first portion into a second portion until the level in the second portion reaches an outlet and exits the vessel.

A device includes a molten metal pump and a metal-transfer conduit. A clamp may be used to attach the metal-transfer conduit to the pump. The pump has a pump base including an indentation configured to receive the metal-transfer conduit and align the pump outlet with the transfer inlet. The pump outlet may be formed in the indentation and preferably near the center of the indentation in order to better align with the transfer inlet. As the pump operates it moves molten metal through a pump outlet that is in communication with a transfer inlet in the metal-transfer conduit. The molten metal enters the transfer inlet, moves upwards in a passage in the metal-transfer conduit, and out of a transfer outlet.

A method of stirring and apparatus for stirring are provided. The method includes: a) providing a number of electro-magnetic stirrer units, each stirrer unit being moveably mounted on a stirrer support carriage; b) providing a number of locations at which stirring is to be provided by a stirrer unit; c) providing stirring at a first location from amongst the number of locations using a stirrer unit; d) providing stirring at a second location from amongst the number of locations using the same stirrer unit, the second location being different to the first location; and wherein the stirrer unit has a first position relative to the stirrer support carriage during movement between the first location and the second location and the stirrer unit has a second position relative to the stirrer support carriage at the first location and at the second location during stirring.

A method for electromagnetic stirring of liquid metal in a continuous charge electric arc furnace, in which there are positioned a first electromagnetic field along a first axis of electromagnetic stirring and a second electromagnetic field along a second axis of electromagnetic stirring.

Certain embodiments of the inventive technology may be described as apparatus for melting and reshaping metal from a first shape into a second shape in a microgravity or zero gravity environment, such as a space foundry, where such apparatus includes feedstock input componentry (5) configured to accept conductive metal feedstock (7) having the first shape, a furnace and a furnace pre-stage (22) established upflow of the furnace, a plurality of electromagnetic field generators (10), each of which is configured to generate an electromagnetic field, to, e.g., steer, melt and/or move the metal, whether melt or otherwise, and casting componentry (15) configured to reshape molten metal to the second shape. Certain embodiments may achieve a high degree of control over electromagnetic fields by offering individual adjustment of one or more electrical parameters of the electromagnetic field generators (10).

A system of obtaining an aluminium melt including SiC particles for use when moulding vehicle parts, e.g. brake disks, the system comprises a pre-processing tank (2), configured to receive SiC particles and to apply a pre-processing procedure to pre-process the SiC particles; a SiC particle transport member (4) configured to transport the pre-processed SiC particles from the pre-processing tank (2) to a crucible (6) of a melting furnace device (8), and the melting furnace device (8) is configured to receive and melt solid aluminium, e.g. aluminium slabs, and to hold an aluminium melt (10) and to receive said pre-processed SiC particles (12). The system also comprises a tube-like SiC particle mixing arrangement (14) defining and enclosing an elongated mixing chamber (16), the mixing arrangement (14) is configured to be mounted in said crucible (6) and structured to receive into said mixing chamber (16) said pre-processed SiC particles (12) via a first inlet (18) and said aluminium melt (10) via at least one second inlet (20), and to apply a mixing procedure by rotating a rotatable mixing member (22) arranged in said mixing chamber (16) about said longitudinal axis A, wherein said pre-processed SiC particles are mixed together with the aluminium melt in said mixing chamber. The mixing arrangement (14) is provided with at least one outlet (26) to feed out the mixture from said mixing chamber into said crucible.

A scrap melting system and method includes a vessel that is configured to retain molten metal and a raised surface about the level of molten metal in the vessel. Solid metal is placed on the raised surface and molten metal from the vessel is moved upward from the vessel and across the raised surface to melt at least some of the solid metal. The molten metal is preferably raised from the vessel to the raised surface by a molten metal pumping device or system. The molten metal moves from the raised surface and into a vessel or launder.

In a molten metal pump, which includes a pump chamber portion and a drive unit and drives molten metal in a pump chamber of the pump chamber portion by the drive unit for discharging and sucking, the pump chamber portion has an outer cylinder and an inner cylinder detachably housed in the outer cylinder, the outer cylinder is configured as a bottomed cylindrical body having an outer cylinder bottom wall and an outer cylinder side wall, the inner cylinder is configured as a bottomed cylindrical body having an inner cylinder bottom wall and an inner cylinder side wall, a ring-shaped spacer, which is interposed between an inner surface of the outer cylinder bottom wall and an outer surface of the inner cylinder bottom wall in a sealed state and in a detachable manner, is further provided.

A scrap melting system and method includes a vessel that is configured to retain molten metal and a raised surface about the level of molten metal in the vessel. Solid metal is placed on the raised surface and molten metal from the vessel is moved upward from the vessel and across the raised surface to melt at least some of the solid metal. The molten metal is preferably raised from the vessel to the raised surface by a molten metal pumping device or system. The molten metal moves from the raised surface and into a vessel or launder.