High-frequency furnace

An experimental furnace has been built for the purpose of evaluating a new technique for the high purity melting of certain metals and semiconductors. The melt is contained in a solidified skull of the same material being melted, thus avoiding crucible reactions that are a problem in conventional processing. A number of commercial applications of the invention are discussed, assuming that feasibility can be established. These include the melting and crystal growth of silicon, where the avoidance of crucible contamination would improve the energy conversion efficiency of solar cells; and the consolidation of titanium sponge and scrap, where energy savings and other process advantages would be realized. The production of ferrous and non-ferrous, specialty alloys is also discussed. Heating power is derived from the electrical, proximity effect which is used to concentrate a high-frequency (9.6 kHz) current in the melt zone. The power source is a conventional, 50 kW, solid-state inverter of the type used in induction heating practice. All heats were conducted on a cast iron workpiece in argon at atmospheric pressure. The melt temperature of the casting (2100 F) was not achieved in any test run; however, the ability of proximity effect to generate localized heating was clearly demonstrated.