Short- and Long-Term Aluminum Filtration Trials with Carbon-Bonded Alumina Filters

Abstract

In the present study, carbon-bonded alumina filters, normally used for the filtration of steel melts, have been investigated as a potential filter material for the filtration of aluminum. Short- and long-term pilot-scale filtration trials were conducted, and the filter behavior during filtration of aluminum alloy was determined by the use of Porous Disk Filtration Apparatus (PoDFA) for the short-term trials (with the casting alloy AlSi7Mg) and Liquid Metal Cleanliness Analyzer (LiMCA) for the long-term trials with wrought alloy 6xxx aluminum. All applied filters were also investigated after the filtration trial by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) analysis. Furthermore, sessile drop experiments with capillary purification were performed to evaluate the wetting behavior as well as any reactions occurring between the filter material and the aluminum alloy being filtered.