Controlled addition of lithium to molten aluminium.

摘要

Lithium feed to an aluminium-lithium alloy production system is achieved at a highly controlled rate by advancing a plunger (25) at a predetermined volumetric rate into a body of molten lithium retained in a holding vessel (20) to displace the lithium toward an overflow port (33) through which it is fed into a mixing vessel (67) where it is combined with the molten aluminium. Control of the aluminium feed rate is achieved by maintaining a constant head height upstream of an orifice (68). The thus metered streams of molten lithium and aluminium are then combined in a vortex bowl, whose outlet then feeds the molten alloy to a casting station.