Patent ID: 8729435
Filing Date: 2014-05-20
Classification: C01B,C30B

Abstract:
1. An apparatus for inductively melting a silicon and partially cooling the molten silicon to its initial solidification temperature to produce a quantity of purified silicon at its initial solidification temperature separate from a quantity of high impurity molten silicon, the apparatus comprising: a vessel for containment of the silicon; a plurality of cooling jackets adjacently disposed vertically around the height of the exterior wall of the vessel, each of the plurality of cooling jackets formed from a high temperature ceramic composite, each of the plurality of cooling jackets having at least one inlet and at least one outlet; a plurality of induction coils disposed vertically around the exterior height of the at least one cooling jacket, each of the plurality of induction coils having alternating current power supply terminals and disposed exclusively around one of the plurality of cooling jackets, the apparatus further comprising a control system for sequentially removing an alternating power source from each one of the plurality of induction coils and initiating a supply of a cooling jacket cooling medium to the one of the plurality of cooling jackets disposed adjacent to the one of the plurality of induction coils from which the alternating power source is removed so that the vessel vertically separates the quantity of purified silicon at its initial solidification temperature from the quantity of high impurity molten silicon; an induction coil cooling system comprising: a cooling jacket cooling system for selectively circulating the cooling jacket cooling medium through the plurality of cooling jackets, the cooling jacket system comprising: