1. A system for releasing gas into molten metal, the system comprising:
(a) a vessel for containing molten metal, the vessel comprising a bottom interior surface;
(b) a raised chamber in fluid communication with the vessel, the raised chamber comprising:
(i) a bottom interior surface positioned at least partially above the bottom interior surface of the vessel; and
(ii) a discharge for expelling molten metal from the raised chamber; and
(c) two degassers positioned in the raised chamber, the two degassers for releasing gas into the molten metal in the raised chamber; and
(d) a dividing wall between the two degassers, each dividing wall including an opening through which molten metal can pass.
2. The system of claim 1 further comprising a pump positioned in the vessel for pumping the molten metal from the vessel to the raised chamber.
3. The system of claim 2 wherein the pump positioned in the vessel is selected from the group consisting of: a circulation pump and a gas-release pump.
4. The system of claim 1 wherein the two degassers are in line.
5. The system of claim 1 wherein the two degassers are mounted on a top wall of the raised chamber.
6. The system of claim 5 wherein the raised chamber has side walls and the top wall of the raised chamber is removably attached to the side walls.
7. The system of claim 1 wherein the two degassers are rotary degassers, each rotary degasser comprising:
(a) a shaft that extends into the raised chamber; and
(b) an impeller positioned on the shaft.
8. The system of claim 1 wherein the dividing wall extends between a front interior surface of the raised chamber to a rear interior surface of the raised chamber.
9. The system of claim 8 wherein the dividing wall extends from a top interior surface of the raised chamber and a bottom interior surface of the raised chamber.
10. The system of claim 1 further comprising a plurality of openings in the dividing wall, the one or more openings for allowing molten metal to flow through the raised chamber.
11. The system of claim 1 further comprising a dividing wall between the vessel and the raised chamber, the dividing wall comprising an overflow opening for allowing molten metal to return to the vessel from the raised chamber.
12. The system of claim 11 wherein at least a portion of the overflow opening has a height H1, wherein at least a portion of the discharge in the raised chamber has a height H2, and H2 is less than H1.
13. The system of claim 12 wherein the overflow opening comprises a lower edge having the height H1, and wherein the discharge comprises a lower edge having the height H2.
14. The system of claim 11 wherein the dividing wall includes an opening positioned beneath the height H1, the opening configured to at least partially receive a base of a pump.
15. The system of claim 14 further comprising a pump positioned in the vessel, the pump comprising a base, the base positioned in the opening in the dividing wall for pumping the molten metal from the vessel to the raised chamber.
16. The system of claim 15 wherein the pump positioned in the vessel is selected from the group consisting of: a circulation pump, and a gas-release pump.
17. The system of claim 15 further comprising a seal between the base of the pump positioned in the vessel and the opening.
18. The system of claim 15 wherein the pump positioned in the vessel is a variable speed pump.
19. The system of claim 1, wherein the bottom interior surface of the raised chamber is sloped to allow molten metal to flow back into the vessel.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. (canceled)
2. A bus system comprising:
a first master device;
a second master device;
at least one slave device; and
an interconnector coupled to the first master device, the second master device, and the at least one slave device, the interconnector including:
a first control unit configured to control transfer of a first write request and one or more first write data corresponding to the first write request, the first write request and the one or more first write data being coupled with the first master device, the one or more first write data including a first subset and a second subset, the first subset of the one or more first write data being not yet transferred from the first master device to the interconnector, the second subset of the one or more first write data being already transferred from the first master device to the interconnector;
a second control unit configured to transfer of a second write request and one or more second write data corresponding to the second write request, the second write request and the one or more second write data being coupled with the second master device, the one or more second write data including a first subset and a second subset, the first subset of the one or more second write data being not yet transferred from the second master device to the interconnector, the second subset of the one or more second write data being already transferred from the second master device to the interconnector; and
a buffer configured to store the second subset of the one or more first write data and the second subset of the one or more second write data,
wherein the first control unit is configured to estimate a first time required to transfer the first subset of the one or more first write data from the first master device to the interconnector,
wherein the first control unit is configured to estimate a second time required to transfer the second subset of the one or more first write data from the interconnector to the at least one slave device,
wherein the first control unit is configured to determine whether the second time is equal to or longer than the first time,
wherein the second control unit is configured to estimate a third time required to transfer the first subset of the one or more second write data from the second master device to the interconnector,
wherein the second control unit is configured to estimate a fourth time required to transfer the second subset of the one or more second write data from the interconnector to the at least one slave device,
wherein the second control unit is configured to determine whether the fourth time is equal to or longer than the third time,
wherein the interconnector is configured to determine whether the second subset of the one or more first write data is to be transferred to the at least one slave device based on the determination whether the second time is equal to or longer than the first time,
wherein the interconnector is configured to determine whether the second subset of the one or more second write data is to be transferred to the at least one slave device based on the determination whether the fourth time is equal to or longer than the third time, and
wherein, if both the second subset of the one or more first write data and the second subset of the one or more second write data are determined to be transferred, the interconnector is configured to transfer to the at least one slave device either the second subset of the one or more first write data or the second subset of the one or more second write data, based on a priority of the first write request and the second write request.
3. The bus system of claim 2, wherein, if the second subset of the one or more first write data is determined to be transferred and the second subset of the one or more second write data is determined not to be transferred, the interconnector is configured to transfer the second subset of the one or more first write data to the at least one slave device.
4. The bus system of claim 2, wherein, if the second subset of the one or more first write data is determined not to be transferred and the second subset of the one or more second write data is determined to be transferred, the interconnector is configured to transfer the second subset of the one or more second write data to the at least one slave device.
5. The bus system of claim 2, wherein, if the second subset of the one or more first write data is determined not to be transferred and the second subset of the one or more second write data is determined not to be transferred, neither the second subset of the one or more first write data nor the second subset of the one or more second write data is transferred to the at least one slave device.
6. A bus system comprising:
a first master device;
a second master device;
at least one slave device; and
an interconnector coupled to the first master device, the second master device, and the at least one slave device, the interconnector including:
a control unit configured to control transfer of a first write request and one or more first write data corresponding to the first write request, and transfer of a second write request and one or more second write data corresponding to the second write request, the first write request and the one or more first write data being coupled with the first master device, the second write request and the one or more second write data being coupled with the second master device, the one or more first write data including a first subset and a second subset, the first subset of the one or more first write data being not yet transferred from the first master device to the interconnector, the second subset of the one or more first write data being already transferred from the first master device to the interconnector, the one or more second write data including a first subset and a second subset, the first subset of the one or more second write data being not yet transferred from the second master device to the interconnector, the second subset of the one or more second write data being already transferred from the second master device to the interconnector; and
one or more buffer configured to store the second subset of the one or more first write data and the second subset of the one or more second write data,
wherein the control unit is configured to estimate a first time required to transfer the first subset of the one or more first write data from the first master device to the interconnector,
wherein the control unit is configured to estimate a second time required to transfer the second subset of the one or more first write data from the interconnector to the at least one slave device,
wherein the control unit is configured to estimate a third time required to transfer the first subset of the one or more second write data from the second master device to the interconnector,
wherein the control unit is configured to estimate a fourth time required to transfer the second subset of the one or more second write data from the interconnector to the at least one slave device, and
wherein, based on the first time, the second time, the third time and the fourth time, the control unit is configured to determine whether the second subset of the one or more first write data is to be transferred to the at least one slave device and whether the second subset of the one or more second write data is to be transferred to the at least one slave device.
7. The bus system of claim 6, wherein the second subset of the one or more first write data is transferred to the at least one slave device if the second time is equal to or longer than the first time and the fourth time is shorter than the third time.
8. The bus system of claim 7, wherein the first write request is transferred to the at least one slave device before the second subset of the one or more first write data is transferred to the at least one slave device if the second time is equal to or longer than the first time and the fourth time is shorter than the third time.
9. The bus system of claim 6, wherein the second subset of the one or more second write data is transferred to the at least one slave device if the second time is shorter than the first time and the fourth time is equal to or longer than the third time.
10. The bus system of claim 9, wherein the second write request is transferred to the at least one slave device before the second subset of the one or more second write data is transferred to the at least one slave device if the second time is shorter than the first time and the fourth time is equal to or longer than the third time.
11. The bus system of claim 6, wherein if the second time is shorter than the first time and the fourth time is shorter than the third time, neither the second subset of the one or more first write data nor the second subset of the one or more second write data is transferred to the at least one slave device.
12. The bus system of claim 6, wherein, if the second time is equal to or longer than the first time and the fourth time is equal to or longer than the third time, either the second subset of the one or more first write data or the second subset of the one or more second write data is transferred to the at least one slave device.
13. The bus system of claim 12, wherein if the second time is equal to or longer than the first time and the fourth time is equal to or longer than the third time, either the second subset of the one or more first write data or the second subset of the one or more second write data is transferred to the at least one slave device, based on a priority of the first write request and the second write request.
14. The bus system of claim 6, wherein the interconnector includes a first synchronizationcompaction block configured to synchronize the first write request with the one or more first write data, and a second synchronizationcompaction block configured to synchronize the second write request with the one or more second write data.
15. The bus system of claim 6, wherein the first write request is transferred to the interconnector earlier than the second write request, and the one or more first write data is transferred to the at least one slave device earlier than the one or more second write data.
16. The bus system of claim 6, wherein the first write request is transferred to the interconnector earlier than the second write request, and the one or more first write data is transferred to the at least one slave device later than the one or more second write data.
17. The bus system of claim 6, further comprising one or more request buffer configured to store the first write request transferred from the first master device to the interconnector and the second write request transferred from the second master device to the interconnector.
18. A bus system comprising:
a master device;
a slave device; and
an interconnector coupled to the master device and the slave device, the interconnector including a control unit configured to control transfer of a write request and one or more write data corresponding to the write request,
wherein the control unit is configured to estimate a first time required to transfer from the master device to the interconnector a first subset of the one or more write data, the first subset of the one or more write data being not yet transferred from the master device to the interconnector,
wherein the control unit is configured to estimate a second time required to transfer from the interconnector to the slave device a second subset of the one or more write data, the second subset of the one or more write data being already transferred from the master device to the interconnector, and
wherein, based on the first time and the second time, the control unit is configured to determine whether the second subset of the one or more write data is to be transferred from the interconnector to the slave device.
19. The bus system of claim 18, wherein the slave device is a memory device.
20. The bus system of claim 18, further comprising an upsizer coupled to the master device and to the interconnector, the upsizer being configured to expand data width of the bus system.
21. The bus system of claim 18, further comprising a bridge coupled to the master device and to the interconnector, the bridge being configured to increase speed of a clock of the bus system.