Molten material flow control

Abstract

A method and system is presented for controlling high-temperature molten material flow. A displacer in the system is a mass of material that can variably displace molten material, thereby increasing the height of the top surface of the molten material in a vessel. The displacer may be positioned above or partially immersed in the molten material. The vessel includes an output port at a height that may be at, above, or below the top surface of the molten material, depending on the amount of immersion of the displacer. The method of controlling the flow of the molten material may further include selecting a flow rate for the molten material to flow out of the vessel through the output port and immersing the displacer in the molten material by an amount that is based, at least in part, on the selected flow rate.

We claim as follows: 
     
         1 . A method of controlling flow of a high-temperature molten material, the method comprising:
 positioning a displacer above or partially immersed in the high-temperature molten material that is contained in a vessel with an output port above the high-temperature molten material;   selecting a flow rate for the high-temperature molten material to flow out of the vessel through the output port; and   immersing or further immersing the displacer in the high-temperature molten material by an amount that is based, at least in part, on the selected flow rate.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the high-temperature molten material is molten lunar regolith. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising increasing a depth of immersion of the displacer to increase the flow rate of the high-temperature molten material through the output port. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising continuously increasing a depth of immersion of the displacer to maintain a constant flow rate of the high-temperature molten material through the output port. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising, while the displacer is positioned above the high-temperature molten material, preheating the displacer to a temperature that is substantially the same as or above the temperature of the high-temperature molten material. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising, while the displacer is partially immersed in the high-temperature molten material, applying an electric potential on the displacer to perform electrolysis on the high-temperature molten material. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 6 , wherein the electric potential is a positive potential and the displacer is an anode of the electrolysis. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising performing molten oxide electrolysis (MOE) on the high-temperature molten material, wherein a molten iron cathode is at a bottom portion of the vessel. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 8 , further comprising:
 measuring conductivity of the high-temperature molten material flowing out of the vessel through the output port; and   to avoid removing a substantial portion of the molten iron cathode, decreasing the amount of immersion of the displacer if the conductivity reaches a predetermined threshold.   
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 8 , further comprising collecting, above the displacer, oxygen produced by the MOE. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 8 , further comprising collecting, via the output port, oxygen produced by the MOE. 
     
     
         12 . A high-temperature molten material flow system comprising:
 a vessel configured to contain a high-temperature molten material;   an output port at a particular height in a side of the vessel and configured to convey a portion of the high-temperature molten material that is at or above the particular height of the output port;   a displacer inside the vessel and configured to be immersed at variable depths in the high-temperature molten material;   an actuator to immerse the displacer at the variable depths in the high-temperature molten material; and   an electronic controller to i) receive a signal representative of a selected flow rate for the high-temperature molten material to flow out of the vessel through the output port and ii) operate the actuator to immerse the displacer in the high-temperature molten material by an amount that is based, at least in part, on the selected flow rate.   
     
     
         13 . The flow system of  claim 12 , wherein the displacer is an anode configured to be held at a positive electrical potential and the high-temperature molten material is an electrolyte. 
     
     
         14 . The flow system of  claim 13 , further comprising a molten iron cathode at a bottom portion of the vessel. 
     
     
         15 . The flow system of  claim 12 , wherein the electronic controller is configured to increase a depth of immersion of the displacer to increase the flow rate of the high-temperature molten material through the output port. 
     
     
         16 . The flow system of  claim 12 , wherein the electronic controller is configured to continuously increase a depth of immersion of the displacer to maintain a constant flow rate of the high-temperature molten material through the output port. 
     
     
         17 . The flow system of  claim 12 , further comprising a height sensor to measure the height of the high-temperature molten material in the vessel. 
     
     
         18 . The flow system of  claim 12 , wherein the displacer is made of one or more refractory materials. 
     
     
         19 . The flow system of  claim 12 , wherein a top surface of the displacer is sloped to allow the high-temperature molten material to flow off of the top surface. 
     
     
         20 . The flow system of  claim 12 , wherein the high-temperature molten material is molten lunar regolith.