thermal insulation module

Abstract

Thermal insulation module (12) for forming thermal insulation (11) for a thermal processing device (1), characterized in that the thermal insulation module (12) has a support element (13) on which retaining elements (14) are arranged, wherein a thermal insulation material (15) is arranged on the retaining elements (14) and a cover plate (16) is arranged on the thermal insulation material (15).

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a thermal insulation module for forming thermal insulation for a thermal processing device.

[0002] The invention further relates to a thermal processing device with a housing on which thermal insulation is arranged at least in sections.

[0003] It is known that thermal insulation is used in industrial furnaces for energy efficiency reasons. This insulation can also be designed in a modular form. For example, EP 0 072 081 A1 describes a thermal insulation module for use in an electric furnace, comprising a refractory fiber mat consisting of individual refractory fibers bonded and interlocked by an inorganic binder, and having a hot side, a cold side, and several side surfaces. The mat has several individual ceramic supports, some embedded within it and some projecting outwards from its hot side. The embedded sections are shaped to be firmly anchored by the interlocking fibers of the fiber mat, and the projecting sections are shaped to support an electric resistance heating band inside the furnace adjacent to the hot side.

[0004] It is also common practice today to weld numerous retaining bolts to the inside of the furnace casing. Once the arrangement of retaining bolts is complete, layer upon layer of insulating panels or mats are suspended from the bolts. When this process is finished, cover plates, also known as inner casing plates, are mounted and cottered onto the insulating panels or mats. Bolts for this procedure are available, for example, from Silca Service- und Vertriebsgesellschaft für Dämmstoffe mbH (https: / / www.silca-online.de / fileadmin / 2.pdf / 03.produktdatenblaetter-ht-de / PDB-Verankerungen.pdf).

[0005] From DE 202 08 140 U1, anchors for fastening cladding in high temperature environments, for example in furnaces such as tunnel furnaces and especially industrial furnaces, are also known, which have an elongated, preferably flat body made of sintered silicon carbide, which contains holes near its two ends for receiving through-inserted support elements.

[0006] The object of the present invention was to simplify the application of thermal insulation to an industrial furnace housing.

[0007] The object of the invention is achieved in the aforementioned thermal insulation module by the fact that the thermal insulation module has a support element on which retaining elements are arranged, wherein a thermal insulation material is arranged on the retaining elements and a cover plate is arranged on the thermal insulation material.

[0008] Furthermore, the object of the invention is solved with the aforementioned thermal processing device, in which the thermal insulation modules are designed according to the invention.

[0009] A key advantage is that using prefabricated thermal insulation modules eliminates the need to attach the retaining bolts for the insulation material directly to the housing on-site. This also eliminates the time-consuming process of marking the positions for the retaining bolts on the housing, thus reducing the assembly time of the thermal processing equipment. Furthermore, the use of thermal insulation modules allows for increased prefabrication and greater automation in the insulation manufacturing process. For example, the attachment of the retaining elements, the insulation material, and / or the cover plate can be largely robot-assisted.

[0010] According to one embodiment of the invention, the support element and / or the cover plate can be designed in a trough shape. This trough shape allows the support element to extend over the end faces of the thermal insulation material, thus making it easier to process even non-rigid thermal insulation materials.

[0011] According to another embodiment of the invention, the support element and / or the cover plate can project beyond the thermal insulation material on at least two adjacent sides of the thermal insulation module. With this embodiment of the thermal insulation module, an overlapping arrangement of the cover plates of directly adjacent thermal insulation modules is possible, thereby protecting the thermal insulation material from the direct influence of the furnace atmosphere in a simple structural manner, i.e., without the need for additional measures.

[0012] According to a further embodiment of the invention, the thermal insulation material can be arranged in at least two layers offset from each other. By offsetting the layers of the thermal insulation material, the straight-line heat transfer can be interrupted at the joints of the thermal insulation, thereby further reducing heat loss.

[0013] Alternatively and / or additionally, for the same reason, an embodiment of the invention may provide that the thermal insulation modules of one layer are arranged offset from the thermal insulation modules of a subsequent layer, so that the joints between thermal insulation modules of one layer are offset from joints between thermal insulation modules of the subsequent layer.

[0014] However, according to a simpler embodiment of the invention, it can generally be provided that the thermal insulation modules are arranged in multiple layers within the thermal insulation, which can also achieve a reduction in the heat loss of the thermal insulation.

[0015] To ensure a more uniform formation of weld points, according to one embodiment of the invention, the back of the support element may have at least one recess.

[0016] To better understand the invention, it is explained in more detail with reference to the following figures.

[0017] They each show, in simplified, schematic form: Fig. 1 A thermal processing unit in side view; Fig. 2 An exploded view of a thermal insulation module in oblique view; Fig. 3. A section of thermal insulation; Fig. 4 A cross-section through a section of thermal insulation; Fig. 5. An excerpt from one design variant of the thermal insulation; Fig. 6 The back side of a variant of the thermal insulation module.

[0018] It should be noted at the outset that in the differently described embodiments, identical parts are provided with the same reference numerals or component designations, and the disclosures contained in the entire description can be applied analogously to identical parts with the same reference numerals or component designations. Furthermore, the positional designations chosen in the description, such as top, bottom, side, etc., refer to the figure directly described and illustrated, and these positional designations must be applied analogously to the new position if the position changes.

[0019] In Fig. Figure 1 is a simplified representation of a thermal processing device 1. The thermal processing device 1 comprises a heating device 2. The heating device 2 can be, for example, an electrically heated convection oven or an oven with burner heating. The heating device 2 can generally be a so-called stationary oven or a continuous oven, i.e., an industrial oven. An industrial oven is defined as a space enclosed by walls in which heat is supplied to an object 3, in particular to carry out processes within the object 3 or on its surface. The object 3 can be a product, such as a sheet or circuit board, a block, etc., or a raw material, such as a metal, etc.The process can, for example, be the melting of object 3 or a specific reaction in, on, or with object 3, such as a phase transformation, the hardening of a metallic object 3, the tempering of object 3, etc. This list is merely illustrative and should not be considered exhaustive. Generally, the heating device 2 can be used in the thermal processing unit 1 to process object 3 thermally, i.e., at elevated temperature, in batches or continuously.

[0020] An industrial furnace within the meaning of the invention is in particular a furnace that is used in metallurgy or in the processing of inorganic objects or objects that are or have been manufactured exclusively from inorganic raw materials.

[0021] It should also be noted, by way of example, that the thermal processing unit 1 can be used for objects made of aluminum or an aluminum alloy, or generally non-ferrous metals or steel.

[0022] The heating device 1 comprises at least one heating element 4. The heating element 4 can, for example, have or consist of one or more resistance heating elements. However, the heating element 4 can also be designed differently. Since such heating elements 4 are known for industrial furnaces, reference is made to the relevant prior art for further details.

[0023] The item 3 can be transported through the thermal processing unit 1 on a conveying device 5 during the thermal treatment. Since this conveying device 5 can also be designed in accordance with the prior art, reference is also made to the relevant prior art.

[0024] The thermal processing unit 1 can include further components, such as a cooling or rapid cooling unit 6. The cooling or rapid cooling unit 6 can be arranged directly downstream of the heating device 2 or separately as an independent unit. In the Fig. In the thermal processing unit 1 shown in Figure 1, it is arranged in the conveying direction 7 of the object 3 through the thermal processing unit 1 (immediately) after the heating device 2. For industrial furnace types that are operated in batches, the cooling or rapid cooling unit 6 can be arranged as a processing station separate from the heating device 2.

[0025] The thermal processing device 1, in particular the heating device 2, has a housing 8 formed from at least one housing wall 9, in particular several housing walls 9. The housing wall 9 / housing walls 9 is / are preferably made of or consist of a metal.

[0026] A thermal insulation 11 is arranged on an outer and / or preferably inner surface 10 of the housing wall 9 / housing walls 9 in at least one section of the heating device 2 or the thermal processing unit 1, in particular directly on the surface 10 of the housing wall 9 / housing walls 9. The section is located in a region of the heating device 2 or the thermal processing unit 1 where the temperature load on the thermal insulation 11 does not exceed a predefined temperature, for example, a continuous operating temperature of 90% of the maximum operating temperature of the thermal insulation 11, e.g., a maximum temperature of 1000 °C, and particularly in a region with convection. However, the thermal insulation 11 can also be arranged on the entire outer and / or inner surface 10 of the housing wall 9 / housing walls 9 or in several separate sections of the outer and / or inner surface 10 of the housing wall 9 / housing walls 9.

[0027] The thermal insulation 11 comprises several thermal insulation modules 12. One embodiment of such a thermal insulation module 12 is shown in Fig. 2 shown in exploded view.

[0028] The thermal insulation module 12 comprises a support element 13, retaining elements 14, a thermal insulation material 15, and a cover plate 16, or consists of these components. The thermal insulation module 12 has a width 17, a length 18, and a height 19. The width 17, the length 18, and the height 19 are preferably dimensioned such that the arrangement of the thermal insulation modules 12 on the housing 8 achieves the highest possible number of identical parts.

[0029] Since all thermal insulation modules 12 of a thermal insulation 11 of the thermal processing device 1 are preferably identical in design, only one thermal insulation module 12 will be described in more detail below. These descriptions can therefore also be applied to the other thermal insulation modules 12 of the thermal insulation 11. However, for geometric reasons, the thermal insulation 11 can also include thermal insulation modules 12 with smaller dimensions.

[0030] The support element 13 (also referred to as the base element) preferably has a shape adapted to the shape of the surface 10 of the housing wall 9 to which the thermal insulation module 12 is attached. For example, the support element 13 can be plate-shaped, and in particular, flat. However, the support element 13 can also have a curved shape to better adapt to the round shapes of the housing 8 of the heating device 2 or the thermal processing unit 1.

[0031] Preferably the support element 13 consists of a metal sheet, in particular a steel sheet.

[0032] The support element 13 serves, on the one hand, to arrange the other components of the thermal insulation module 12 and, on the other hand, to arrange or fasten the thermal insulation module 12 to the respective housing wall 9 of the thermal processing device 1 or the heating device 2. The attachment of the support element 13 to the housing wall 9 is preferably material-bonded, in particular by welding, but can alternatively or additionally also be form-fitted and / or force-fitted.

[0033] The retaining elements 14 are preferably designed as retaining bolts. In particular, they are bolt-shaped, e.g. as screw bolts or as bolts with a bayonet fitting on the outwardly projecting bolt end 20 (the bolt end 20 projects beyond the cover plate 16, as can be seen from the Fig. (as can be seen in sections 2 to 4). However, the retaining elements 14 can also be designed differently, for example in an angled shape.

[0034] The retaining elements 14 are connected to the support element 13, in particular by a material bond, preferably by welding. Alternatively or additionally, the retaining elements 14 can also be connected to the support element 13 by a form-fit and / or force-fit connection.

[0035] The number of retaining elements 14 per thermal insulation module 12 depends (among other things) on the size of the thermal insulation module 12.

[0036] The retaining elements 14 preferably have a length that allows them to project beyond the cover plate 16 as described above. In other embodiments, the retaining elements 14 may also be shorter and not extend through the cover plate 16.

[0037] The thermal insulation material 15 consists of a refractory or high-temperature-resistant material. It is, for example, in the form of felt-like insulating mats, but can also be designed in other ways. For example, graphite fiber felt, ceramic fiber felt, silicate fiber felt, etc., can be used as thermal insulation material 15.

[0038] The thermal insulation material 15 can be arranged in one or more layers within the thermal insulation module 12. Each layer of the thermal insulation material 15 is preferably formed in one piece, so that there are no butt joints between the layers within the thermal insulation module 12 that run perpendicular to the support element 13.

[0039] The inner (or outer, depending on whether the thermal insulation module 12 is arranged inside or outside the housing wall 9) closure is formed by the cover plate 16 (also referred to as the inner housing plate or outer housing plate). The cover plate 16 is preferably a metal sheet, in particular a steel sheet. Preferably, it is formed in one piece and is sized such that the thermal insulation material 15 is completely covered by the cover plate 16 when viewed from the inside (or outside).

[0040] The cover plate 16 is preferably attached to the thermal insulation module 12 by means of metallic or ceramic screw nuts or fastening clips or plate-shaped fastening elements which are screwed onto the retaining elements 114 or connected by means of a bayonet fitting, etc.

[0041] According to one embodiment of the thermal insulation module 12, the thermal insulation material 15 can be covered laterally on at least two adjacent end faces by side cover plates 21. The side cover plates 21 can also be designed as a frame in their entirety.

[0042] The side cover plates 21 are preferably made of a metal sheet, in particular a steel sheet.

[0043] With regard to their width in the direction of the height 19 of the thermal insulation module 12, the side cover plates 21 are preferably dimensioned so that they cover the entire module depth between the support element 13 and the cover plate 16.

[0044] According to one embodiment, the support element 13 and / or the cover plate 16 can be designed in a trough shape, thus at least partially accommodating the thermal insulation material 15 within the formed trough. If the support element 13 and the cover plate 16 are designed in a trough shape, their end faces can abut each other or at least partially overlap.

[0045] According to a further embodiment of the thermal insulation module 12, the support element 13 and / or the cover plate 16 can project beyond the thermal insulation material 15 on at least two adjacent end faces of the thermal insulation module 12. In the embodiment described in the Fig. In the illustrated version 2, the support element 13 protrudes above the thermal insulation material 15 on the left and above in the illustrated view.

[0046] These designs of the support element 13 and / or cover plate 16 enable an overlapping arrangement of thermal insulation modules 12 arranged directly next to each other in the thermal insulation 11, as is also the case, for example, with Fig. As can be seen in section 4. This makes the formation of overlapping joints possible.

[0047] As from Fig. 3 and better Fig. As can be seen in Figure 4, the support element 13 can also be designed with bends 22 to form the overlap. It is possible that the overlapping or bent section of the support element 13 is thinner than the rest of the support element 13, so that the overlapping sections of the thermal insulation modules 12 are formed in the same plane as the remaining sections of the support elements 13.

[0048] If, as an alternative or in addition to the overlapping of the support elements 13, the cover plates 16 are designed with overlapping sections, the designs for the overlapping of the support elements 13 can be transferred to the cover plates 16.

[0049] What's next? Fig. As can be seen in Figure 2, one embodiment of the thermal insulation module 12 may include openings 23, e.g., slot-shaped openings 23, in the side areas of the support element 13, for example, adjacent to the sections intended for the overlap areas. These openings 23 allow for better compensation or prevention of the mechanical stress on the thermal insulation modules 12 within the thermal insulation 11 due to temperature cycling. Furthermore, the openings allow for predefining the welding location and dimensions, e.g., the length, of the weld seam, thus simplifying the installation of the thermal insulation modules 12 for the thermal insulation of the housing 8. This also makes it easier to achieve a design without continuous weld seams.

[0050] As from Fig. As can be seen in Figure 4, according to one embodiment of the thermal insulation module 12, the thermal insulation material 15 can be arranged in at least two layers offset from one another. In the illustrated embodiment, the thermal insulation module 12 has three layers of thermal insulation material 15 adjoining the support element 13, which are laterally offset from four further layers of thermal insulation material 15 arranged on top of these layers. However, the number of layers is not to be understood as limiting for the purposes of the invention. This offset of the layers also results in an offset of the butt joints between the layers, thereby preventing straight-line heat transfer and thus improving the thermal insulation efficiency of the thermal insulation module 12.

[0051] The lateral offset can be between 10% and 30%, in particular between 15% and 25% of the width 17 of the thermal insulation module 12.

[0052] It is possible to provide this offset of layers within a thermal insulation module 12. According to another embodiment of the thermal insulation 11, which is shown in sections in Fig. As shown in Figure 5, the straight-line heat transfer through the thermal insulation 11 can also be prevented by arranging the thermal insulation modules 12 in multiple layers, with the individual layers offset from each other. The third layer of thermal insulation modules 12, shown with a dashed line, is shown in Figure 5. Fig. 5 is intended to indicate that the number of layers is not limited to two or three, but that more than two or three layers of thermal insulation modules 12 can also be provided in the thermal insulation 11.

[0053] This multi-layered thermal insulation modules 12 can also be provided without lateral offset of the thermal insulation modules 12.

[0054] As from Fig. 4 further identified, according to another embodiment of the thermal insulation module 12, it can be provided that a further plate-shaped element 24 is arranged between the support element 13 and the thermal insulation material 15.

[0055] According to another, in Fig. In the embodiment of the thermal insulation module 12 shown in Figure 6, the rear side 25 of the support element 13 may have at least one recess 26. The recess 26 may be used to form the material-bonded connection between the support element 13 and the housing wall 9 (see Figure 6). Fig.1) can be used. For example, the molten filler material can flow in during welding to form the weld joint. It is also possible that the filler material is introduced into the recess 26 before the thermal insulation module 12 is joined to the housing wall 9 and is only "activated," i.e., melted, during the joining process itself.

[0056] It should be noted at this point that the formation of the material-bonded connection between thermal insulation module 12 and housing wall 9 can also take place without additional material.

[0057] The thermal insulation module 12 is designed to line at least one section of the housing 8 of a thermal processing device 1 with thermal insulation 11. For this purpose, a first thermal insulation module 12 is attached to the housing 9 of the thermal processing device 1 by means of the support element 13. Then, another thermal insulation module 12 is positioned abutting the first thermal insulation module 12 on the housing 8 of the thermal processing device 1 and attached to the housing 8 of the thermal processing device 1 by means of the support element 13. These steps – positioning another thermal insulation module 12 abutting the previously attached thermal insulation module 12 and attaching this thermal insulation module 12 to the housing 8 of the thermal processing device 1 by means of the support element 13 – are repeated until at least one layer of thermal insulation modules 12 is arranged in the section of the housing 8 of the thermal processing device 1.

[0058] The examples shown illustrate possible design variants, although it should be noted that combinations of the individual design variants are also possible.

[0059] Finally, for the sake of clarity, it should be noted that, for a better understanding of the structure, the thermal processing unit 1 and the thermal insulation module 12 are not necessarily shown to scale. Reference symbol list 1 Thermal processing unit 2 Heating device 3. Item 4 heating elements 5 Conveyor device 6 Rapid cooling device 7 Direction of conveyance 8 cases 9 Housing wall 10 surface 11 Thermal insulation 12 thermal insulation modules 13 Support element 14 retaining element 15 Thermal insulation material 16 Cover plate 17 width 18 Length 19 Height 20 bolt ends 21 Side cover plate 22 bend 23 Breakthrough 24 Element 25 Back 26 In-depth study QUOTES INCLUDED IN THE DESCRIPTION

[0000] This list of documents cited by the applicant was automatically generated and is included solely for the reader's convenience. The list is not part of the German patent or utility model application. The DPMA accepts no liability for any errors or omissions. Cited patent literature

[0000] EP 0 072 081 A1

[0003] DE 202 08 140 U1

[0005] Cited non-patent literature

[0000] https: / / www.silca-online.de / fileadmin / 2.pdf / 03.produktdatenblaetter-ht-de / PDB-Verankerungen.pdf

[0004]

Claims

[1] Thermal insulation module (12) for forming thermal insulation (11) for a thermal processing device (1), characterized by , that the thermal insulation module (12) has a support element (13) on which retaining elements (14) are arranged, wherein a thermal insulation material (15) is arranged on the retaining elements (14) and a cover plate (16) is arranged on the thermal insulation material (15). [2] Thermal insulation module (12) according to claim 1, characterized by , that the support element (13) and / or the cover plate (16) is / are shaped like a trough. [3] Thermal insulation module (12) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized by , that the support element (13) and / or the cover plate (16) extends beyond the thermal insulation material (15) on at least two adjacent sides of the thermal insulation module (12). [4] Thermal insulation module (12) according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized by, that the thermal insulation material (15) is arranged in at least two layers offset from each other. [5] Thermal insulation module (12) according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized by that the back side (25) of the support element (13) has at least one recess (26). [6] Thermal processing device (1) with a housing on which at least in sections a thermal insulation (11) is arranged, characterized by , that the thermal insulation (11) is formed from thermal insulation modules (12) according to one of claims 1 to 5. [7] Thermal processing device (1) according to claim 6, characterized by that the thermal insulation modules (12) are arranged in multiple layers. [8] Thermal processing device (1) according to claim 6 or 7, characterized by, that the thermal insulation modules (12) of one layer are arranged offset from the thermal insulation modules (12) of a subsequent layer, so that the joints between thermal insulation modules (12) of one layer are offset from joints between thermal insulation modules (12) of the subsequent layer.

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