Apparatus and method for the removal of unwanted inclusions from metal melts

Apparatus and method for filtering molten metal, in particular aluminium, including a container (1 ) with an outer shell or casing of metal and an inner thermally insulated interior cladding or wall construction made of heat resistant insulation and refractory material. A removable lid (2) provided on top of the container to keep the container sealed (air tight) during operation, the container (1) being provided with an inlet chamber (3) having an inlet opening (4) receiving metal from a metal supply launder (10) and an outlet chamber (5) with an outlet opening (6) in which a ceramic or refractory filter (7) is mounted. The inlet chamber (3) and outlet chamber (5) are provided side by side within the container (I) and being split by a partition wall (16) extending from the bottom of the container and upwardly to a preset level of the container interior height. The container (1) is connected in parallel with a metal supply launder (10) via transversal metal launder stubs (8, 9) respectively provided between the inlet (4) and outlet (6) openings of the container and the metal supply launder (10). On the other hand, the launder (10) is provided with a dam (I I) or valve device by the outlet of the container (1) and another other dam or valve device (12) between the two launder stubs (8 and 9), the inlet and outlet openings of the container being optionally further provided with closures or stoppers (13, 14) respectively enabling closing and opening of the inlet (4) and outlet (6) of the container respectively. The filtering of the metal is obtained by initially priming the ceramic filter by drawing the metal upwards through the filter by vacuum to a preset level and then maintaining the metal level in the container during the filtering operation.