Kenneth C Marsden

US Patent:

20100012288, Jan 21, 2010

Filed:

Jul 17, 2008

Appl. No.:

12/175122

Inventors:

Kenneth C. Marsden - Idaho Falls ID, US
Mitchell K. Meyer - Idaho Falls ID, US
Blair K. Grover - Idaho Falls ID, US
Randall S. Fielding - Idaho Falls ID, US
Billy W. Wolfensberger - Rigby ID, US

Assignee:

BATTELLE ENERGY ALLIANCE, LLC - Idaho Falls ID

International Classification:

B22D 27/02
B22D 18/06
B22D 45/00

US Classification:

164493, 164256, 164 65

Abstract:

A casting device includes a covered crucible having a top opening and a bottom orifice, a lid covering the top opening, a stopper rod sealing the bottom orifice, and a reusable mold having at least one chamber, a top end of the chamber being open to and positioned below the bottom orifice and a vacuum tap into the chamber being below the top end of the chamber. A casting method includes charging a crucible with a solid material and covering the crucible, heating the crucible, melting the material, evacuating a chamber of a mold to less than 1 atm absolute through a vacuum tap into the chamber, draining the melted material into the evacuated chamber, solidifying the material in the chamber, and removing the solidified material from the chamber without damaging the chamber.