Patents by Inventor Werner H. Ruoff

Werner H. Ruoff has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Induction furnace for high temperature operation
    Patent number: 6898232
    Abstract: An induction furnace capable of operation at temperatures of over 3100° C. has a cooling assembly (60), which is selectively mounted to an upper end of the furnace wall (76). The cooling assembly includes a dome (62), which is actively cooled by cooling water coils (68). During the cool-down portion of a furnace run, cooling initially proceeds naturally, by conduction of heat away from the hot zone through a furnace insulation layer (58). Once the temperature within the furnace hot zone (20) reaches about 1500° C., a lifting mechanism (80), mounted to the dome, raises a cap (16) of the furnace slightly, allowing hot gases from the hot zone to mix with cooler gas in the dome. This speeds up cooling of the hot zone, reducing cool-down times significantly, without the need for encumbering the furnace itself with valves or other complex cooling mechanisms which have to be replaced periodically.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 3, 2004
    Date of Patent: May 24, 2005
    Assignee: UCAR Carbon Company Inc.
    Inventors: Douglas J. Miller, Werner H. Ruoff, Allan Webster Intermill, Stephen L. Strong, Thomas R. Thoman, Richard L. Shao
  • Induction furnace for high temperature operation
    Patent number: 6724803
    Abstract: An induction furnace capable of operation at temperatures of over 3100° C. has a cooling assembly (60), which is selectively mounted to an upper end of the furnace wall (76). The cooling assembly includes a dome and a lifting mechanism (80), mounted to the dome, which raises a cap (16) of the furnace slightly, allowing hot gases from the hot zone to mix with cooler gas in the dome.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 4, 2002
    Date of Patent: April 20, 2004
    Assignee: UCAR Carbon Company Inc.
    Inventors: Douglas J. Miller, Werner H. Ruoff, Allan Webster Intermill, Thomas R. Thoman, Richard L. Shao, Stephen L. Strong
  • Induction furnace for high temperature operation
    Publication number: 20030189965
    Abstract: An induction furnace capable of operation at temperatures of over 3100° C. has a cooling assembly (60), which is selectively mounted to an upper end of the furnace wall (76). The cooling assembly includes a dome (62), which is actively cooled by cooling water coils (68). During the cool-down portion of a furnace run, cooling initially proceeds naturally, by conduction of heat away from the hot zone through a furnace insulation layer (58). Once the temperature within the furnace hot zone (20) reaches about 1500° C., a lifting mechanism (80), mounted to the dome, raises a cap (16) of the furnace slightly, allowing hot gases from the hot zone to mix with cooler gas in the dome. This speeds up cooling of the hot zone, reducing cool-down times significantly, without the need for encumbering the furnace itself with valves or other complex cooling mechanisms which have to be replaced periodically.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 4, 2002
    Publication date: October 9, 2003
    Inventors: Douglas J. Miller, Werner H. Ruoff, Allan Webster Intermill, Thomas R. Thoman, Richard L. Shao, Stephen L. Strong