Aluminum Melt Cleanliness Analysis Based on Direct Comparison of Computationally Segmented PoDFA Samples and LiMCA Results

Several methods exist in industry for the measurement of the inclusion content in aluminium, a measure directly related to the cleanliness of the molten metal. In the present pilot-scale study, Porous Disc Filtration Apparatus (PoDFA) analysis and the Liquid Metal Cleanliness Analyser (LiMCA) were used to determine metal cleanliness. Hot-PoDFA samples and continuous LiMCA measurements were taken out both before and after the ceramic foam filter (CFF). Metal cleanliness data obtained from the PoDFA samples were compared with in situ LiMCA measurements by correlating metal cleanliness data calculated by counts per area in the case of PoDFA with the counts per volume in the case of LiMCA. The comparability of both methods is discussed in the context of filtration theory and the distinctiveness of both systems.