Water cooling device and method for indium casting

Abstract

The present invention relates to a water-cooling device for indium casting, which includes a high-level tank, a low-level tank, a plurality of cooling plates, and a plurality of cooling water collecting tanks. The high-level tank is provided with a cooling water inlet, indium is cast and cooled in the cooling plate, the cooling water collecting tank corresponds to the cooling plate one by one and is located below the cooling plate, the high-level tank uses gravity or a centrifugal pump to transport low-temperature cooling water to each cooling plate through a pipeline, the cooling plate collects cooling water to the cooling water collecting tank through holes at the bottom of the plate, the cooling water collecting tank transports cooling water to the low-level tank through a pipeline, and the low-level tank transports cooling water to the high-level tank through a centrifugal pump. The present invention adopts an automatic circulating water cooling method to cast indium ingots, and the indium ingot can be cooled quickly. Compared with the cooling method of natural cooling in the prior art, while improving production efficiency, the purity of the indium ingot is guaranteed, and the indium ingot after demoulding has a smooth appearance without holes, shrinkage holes, cracks and other undesirable phenomena.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to the field of high-purity scattered metal preparation, and in particular to a water cooling device and method for indium casting. Background Art

[0002] Indium is an important rare metal. Due to its unique and excellent physical and chemical properties, it is widely used in the fields of electronic computers, energy, electronics, optoelectronics, semiconductors, national defense and military, and aerospace. Metal indium ingots are mainly used to produce ITO targets, special solders for integrated circuits, high-performance alloys, etc. According to the indium standard YS / T257-1998, the purity of the indium ingots obtained by casting must reach more than 99%, and the casting production line requirements are very strict. Most of the current indium ingot production companies still use natural cooling, which not only has low production efficiency, but also has a low purity pass rate of the cast indium ingots, a large weight error of each ingot, and poor consistency, which cannot meet subsequent production requirements. Therefore, improving the purity and appearance pass rate of metal indium ingots is an urgent problem to be solved, and the main link that determines the purity and appearance of metal indium ingots lies in its casting stage. Summary of the invention

[0003] The purpose of the present invention is to provide a water cooling device and method for indium casting which can cast and produce indium ingots that meet the purity and appearance requirements of the indium ingots.

[0004] To achieve the aforementioned objectives, the present invention adopts the following technical scheme: a water-cooling device for indium casting, which includes a high-level tank, a low-level tank, a plurality of cooling plates, and a plurality of cooling water collecting tanks. The high-level tank is provided with a cooling water inlet, indium is cast and cooled in the cooling plate, the cooling water collecting tank corresponds to the cooling plate one by one and is located below the cooling plate, the high-level tank utilizes gravity or a centrifugal pump to transport low-temperature cooling water to each cooling plate through a pipeline, the cooling plate collects cooling water into the cooling water collecting tank through holes at the bottom of the plate, the cooling water collecting tank transports cooling water to the low-level tank through a pipeline, and the low-level tank transports cooling water to the high-level tank through a centrifugal pump.

[0005] As a further improvement of the present invention, the water cooling device also includes a plurality of air cooling units, and the air cooling units are connected to the high-level tanks through a plurality of pipelines.

[0006] As a further improvement of the present invention, the cooling plate is divided into three parts, the middle part is a cooling module, and the two side parts are collection modules.

[0007] As a further improvement of the present invention, the cooling plate includes a plurality of support columns, and the support columns penetrate the cooling module horizontally or vertically; the cooling water can immerse the support columns.

[0008] As a further improvement of the present invention, the high-level tank is provided with three water pipelines: a first water pipeline, a second water pipeline, and a third water pipeline.

[0009] As a further improvement of the present invention, the first water supply pipeline is connected to the low-level tank, and the cooling water in the low-level tank is transported to the high-level tank through the first water supply pipeline by a centrifugal pump.

[0010] As a further improvement of the present invention, the third water pipeline is connected to the air-cooled unit, and the cooling water in the high-level tank is transported to the air-cooled unit through the third water pipeline to be reduced to ambient temperature and then transported back to the high-level tank.

[0011] As a further improvement of the present invention, an observation port is designed on the high-level tank.

[0012] As a further improvement of the present invention, the high-level tank, the cooling water collecting tank and the low-level tank are all made of PP board.

[0013] The present invention also provides a water cooling method for indium casting, using the above-mentioned water cooling device for indium casting, which comprises the following steps:

[0014] S1. Heat solid indium to liquid state and keep the temperature of liquid indium at 200±15℃, heat the casting mold to 10-15℃ lower than the temperature of liquid indium, place the heated casting mold on the support column in the cooling plate, and reset the electronic scale to zero; slowly pour the liquid indium into the casting mold; after casting each row of casting molds, cover the top of the casting mold with a heated graphite or titanium cover plate;

[0015] S2, cooling water is introduced into the cooling water inlet of the high-level tank, and the cooling water gradually enters the cooling plate through the pipe, the cooling water immerses the support column, and the cooling water is in direct contact with the casting mold. When the cooling water level in the cooling plate reaches the set height, the liquid level relay automatically cuts off the power and stops the cooling water. After a certain period of time, the liquid indium in the casting mold is cooled to a solid state, and the cooling water flows into the cold water collection tank from the hole at the bottom of the cooling plate;

[0016] S3, repeat S2 until the cooling water in the cooling water collecting tank reaches the set liquid level, and the cooling water in the cooling water collecting tank will automatically flow into the low-level tank through the pipeline by gravity;

[0017] S4. When the cooling water in the low-level tank reaches the specified liquid level, the water pump controlled by the liquid level relay starts to send the cooling water in the low-level tank into the high-level tank;

[0018] S5. The cooling water sent to the high-level tank is cooled by the air-inlet cooling unit and then re-input into the high-level tank through the water pump. At this time, the cooling water in the high-level tank has been cooled to room temperature, and the cooling water can enter the cooling disk again through the pipeline, thus completing the recycling of the cooling water.

[0019] The present invention adopts an automatic circulating water cooling method to cast the indium ingot, and the indium ingot can be cooled quickly. Compared with the natural cooling method of the prior art, the purity of the indium ingot is guaranteed while the production efficiency is improved. The indium ingot after demolding has a smooth appearance without holes, shrinkage holes, cracks and other undesirable phenomena, meeting the appearance requirements of the indium ingot with a smooth surface, and providing quality assurance for subsequent applications. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0020] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of an embodiment of a water-cooling device for indium casting of the present invention.

[0021] Figure 2 This is a structural diagram of a cooling plate in an embodiment of a water-cooling device for indium casting of the present invention.

[0022] Figure 3 This is a structural diagram of the high-level tank in an embodiment of the water-cooling device for indium casting of the present invention.

[0023] Figure 4 This is a structural diagram of the low-level tank in an embodiment of the water-cooling device for indium casting of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0024] The technical solution will be described clearly and completely below in conjunction with the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of them. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0025] In the description of the present invention, it is necessary to understand that the orientations or positional relationships indicated by terms such as “upper”, “lower”, “left”, “right”, “top” and “bottom” are based on the orientations or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings and are only for the convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying the description. They do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as a limitation on the present invention.

[0026] It should be understood that the present invention uses the terms "first", "second", etc. to describe various information, but these information should not be limited to these terms, and these terms are only used to distinguish the same type of information from each other. For example, without departing from the scope of the present invention, "first" information may also be referred to as "second" information, and similarly, "second" information may also be referred to as "first" information.

[0027] In the description of the present invention, it should be noted that, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, the terms "connected" and "connection" should be understood in a broad sense, for example, it can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; it can be a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; it can be a direct connection, or it can be an indirect connection through an intermediate medium, or it can be the internal communication of two components. For ordinary technicians in this field, the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention can be understood according to specific circumstances.

[0028] The present invention provides a water cooling device 100 for indium casting, see Figure 1 The water cooling device 100 includes a high-level tank 110, a low-level tank 120, a plurality of cooling plates 130, and a cooling water collecting tank 140. The high-level tank 110 is provided with a cooling water inlet 111. The cooling water collecting tank 140 corresponds to the cooling plate 130 one by one and is located below the cooling plate 130. Indium is cast and cooled in the cooling plate 130. The high-level tank 110 uses gravity or a centrifugal pump to transport low-temperature cooling water to each cooling plate 130 through a pipeline. The cooling plate 130 collects cooling water into the cooling water collecting tank 140 through the holes 133 at the bottom of the plate. The cooling water collecting tank 140 transports cooling water to the low-level tank 120 through a pipeline. The low-level tank 120 transports cooling water to the high-level tank 110 through a centrifugal pump 160.

[0029] The water cooling device 100 further includes a plurality of air cooling units 150, which are connected to the high-level tank 110 through a plurality of pipes. The air cooling units 150 can reduce the temperature of the cooling water from the high-level tank 110 to the ambient temperature under the action of wind and re-transport it to the high-level tank 110.

[0030] See also Figure 3 , 4 The high-level tank 110 is a hollow rectangular parallelepiped structure. An observation port 112 is designed at the center left position above the high-level tank 110. The purpose of setting the observation port 112 is to observe whether the high-level tank 110 can work normally and whether the cooling water therein is blocked or leaking. In some embodiments of the present invention, the high-level tank 110 can be provided with a lid with a handle to cover the observation port 112 when no observation operation is required to prevent dust and other foreign matter from falling into the high-level tank 110.

[0031] The high-level tank 110 is provided with three water pipelines - a first water pipeline 114, a second water pipeline 113, and a third water pipeline 115. The second water pipeline 113 is a tap water pipeline. The second water pipeline 113 is connected to the cooling water inlet 111. The tap water enters the second water pipeline 113 and the high-level tank 110 through the cooling water inlet 111 to provide the initial water resources for the water cooling device 100.

[0032] The first water delivery pipeline 114 is connected to the low-level tank 120 . The cooling water in the low-level tank 120 is transported to the high-level tank 110 through the first water delivery pipeline 114 by the centrifugal pump 160 .

[0033] The third water pipeline 115 is connected to the air cooling unit 150. The cooling water in the high-level tank 110 is transported to the air cooling unit 150 through the third water pipeline 115 to reduce the temperature to the ambient temperature and then transported back to the high-level tank 110, so as to achieve rapid cooling and recycling of the cooling water.

[0034] Please see attached Figure 2 The cooling plate 130 is an indium casting plate, which is in the shape of a rectangular parallelepiped without a cover and is welded from titanium metal plates. The cooling plate 130 is divided into three parts, which are separated by two titanium metal plates. The middle part is a cooling module 131, which is used to place and cool the casting mold (the casting mold is the place for indium casting, not shown in the figure), and the two side parts are collection modules 132; the function of the collection module 132 is to collect the liquid metal dripping from the bottom of the titanium spoon during the casting operation, so as to realize the recycling of the dripping metal.

[0035] The cooling plate 130 includes a plurality of support columns 134, which extend horizontally or vertically through the cooling module 131 or the collecting module 132. The support columns 134 are used to support the casting mold. The cooling water can immerse the support columns 134, so that the casting mold placed in the cooling module 131 is in direct contact with the cooling water, thereby being cooled by the cooling water.

[0036] The liquid level of the cooling water in the cooling plate 130 is controlled by a liquid level relay (not shown in the figure). The induction line of the liquid level relay measures the liquid level height, and the water addition will automatically stop when the set liquid level height is reached.

[0037] The bottom of the cooling plate 130 has a plurality of holes 133 for drainage.

[0038] The cooling water collecting tank 140 is located directly below the cooling plate 130 and is used to collect the cooling water discharged from the cooling plate 130. The overall shape of the cooling water collecting tank 140 is a rectangular parallelepiped without a cover. In order to facilitate observation of whether the cooling water in the cooling water collecting tank 140 is blocked, the cooling water collecting tank 140 is designed as a coverless structure. In some embodiments of the present invention, the cooling water collecting tank 140 may also be provided with a rectangular tank cover with a handle. When the cooling water collecting tank 140 is not in use, the tank cover can cover the cooling water collecting tank 140 to prevent debris from entering the cooling water collecting tank 140.

[0039] At least one water outlet interface is designed below the cooling water collecting tank 140 so that the cooling water in the cooling water collecting tank 140 can flow naturally to the low-level tank 120 by gravity.

[0040] The low-level tank 120 is a rectangular parallelepiped structure. An observation window 121 is designed above it, and its purpose is to observe whether the water flowing from the cooling water collecting tank 140 into the low-level tank 120 is blocked or leaking during the casting process. In some embodiments of the present invention, the low-level tank 120 can be equipped with a lid with a handle to cover the observation window 121 when no observation operation is required to prevent dust and other foreign matter from falling into the low-level tank 120.

[0041] The low-level tank 120 is designed with at least one water supply interface so that the cooling water in the low-level tank 120 can be transported to the high-level tank 110 by the centrifugal pump 160, thereby realizing the recycling of water resources.

[0042] Taking into account the requirements of water storage, acid resistance, corrosion resistance, economy and practicality, the high-level tank 110, the low-level tank 120 and the cooling water collecting tank 140 are all made of PP plates.

[0043] Between different components of the water cooling device 100, a ball valve or a solenoid valve is provided to control whether the cooling water is connected. The ball valve and the solenoid valve are uniformly controlled by a control component (not shown in the figure).

[0044] The present invention also provides a water cooling method for indium casting, using the above-mentioned water cooling device 100 for indium casting, which includes the following steps:

[0045] S1. Heat solid indium to liquid state and keep the temperature of liquid indium at 200±15°C, heat the casting mold to 10-15°C lower than the temperature of liquid indium, place the heated casting mold on the support column 134 in the cooling plate, and reset the electronic scale to zero; slowly pour the liquid indium into the casting mold; after casting a row of casting molds, cover the top of the casting mold with a heated graphite or titanium cover plate;

[0046] S2, cooling water is introduced into the cooling water inlet 111 of the high-level tank 110, and the cooling water gradually enters the cooling plate 130 through the pipeline, and the cooling water immerses the support column 134, and the cooling water is in direct contact with the casting mold. When the cooling water level in the cooling plate 130 reaches the set height, the liquid level relay automatically cuts off the power and stops the cooling water. After a certain period of time, the liquid indium in the casting mold is cooled to a solid state, and the cooling water flows into the cold water collection tank 140 from the hole at the bottom of the cooling plate 130;

[0047] S3, repeat S2 until the cooling water in the cooling water collecting tank 140 reaches the set liquid level, and the cooling water in the cooling water collecting tank 140 automatically flows into the low-level tank through the pipeline by gravity;

[0048] S4, when the cooling water in the low-level tank reaches a specified liquid level, the water pump controlled by the liquid level relay starts to send the cooling water in the low-level tank 120 into the high-level tank 110;

[0049] S5, the cooling water sent to the high-level tank 110 is cooled by the air-inlet cooling unit 150 and then re-input into the high-level tank 110 through the water pump. At this time, the cooling water in the high-level tank 110 has been cooled to room temperature, and the cooling water can enter the cooling disk 130 again through the pipeline, thus completing the recycling of the cooling water.

[0050] After cooling, the casting mold in the cooling plate is transferred to the silicone pad of the product demoulding operation table for demoulding. The obtained indium ingot product has a bright surface, without yellowing, holes, stratification and other undesirable phenomena, and has a high purity, meeting the domestic and international indium ingot appearance standards.

[0051] The present invention adopts an automatic circulating water cooling method to cast the indium ingot, and the indium ingot can be cooled quickly. Compared with the natural cooling method of the prior art, the purity of the indium ingot is guaranteed while the production efficiency is improved. The indium ingot after demolding has a smooth appearance without holes, shrinkage holes, cracks and other undesirable phenomena, meeting the appearance requirements of the indium ingot with a smooth surface, and providing quality assurance for subsequent applications.

[0052] Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been disclosed for illustrative purposes, those skilled in the art will appreciate that various modifications, additions and substitutions are possible, without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention as disclosed in the accompanying claims.

Claims

1. A water cooling device for indium casting, characterized in that: The water cooling device comprises a high-level tank, a low-level tank, a plurality of cooling plates, and a plurality of cooling water collecting tanks. The high-level tank is provided with a cooling water inlet. Indium is cast and cooled in the cooling plate. The cooling water collecting tank corresponds to the cooling plate one by one and is located below the cooling plate. The high-level tank uses gravity or a centrifugal pump to transport low-temperature cooling water to each cooling plate through a pipeline. The cooling plate collects cooling water into the cooling water collecting tank through holes at the bottom of the plate. The cooling water collecting tank transports cooling water to the low-level tank through a pipeline. The low-level tank transports cooling water to the high-level tank through a centrifugal pump. The water cooling device also includes a plurality of air cooling units, which are connected to the high-level tank through a plurality of pipes; The cooling plate is divided into three parts, the middle part is the cooling module, and the two sides are the collection modules; The cooling plate includes a plurality of support columns, the support columns extending horizontally or vertically through the cooling module; The water cooling method for indium casting adopts the water cooling device for indium casting, and comprises the following steps: S1. Heat solid indium to liquid state and keep the temperature of liquid indium at 200±15℃, heat the casting mold to 10-15℃ lower than the temperature of liquid indium, place the heated casting mold on the support column in the cooling plate, and reset the electronic scale to zero; slowly pour the liquid indium into the casting mold; after casting each row of casting molds, cover the top of the casting mold with a heated graphite or titanium cover plate; S2, cooling water is introduced into the cooling water inlet of the high-level tank, and the cooling water gradually enters the cooling plate through the pipe, the cooling water immerses the support column, and the cooling water is in direct contact with the casting mold. When the cooling water level in the cooling plate reaches the set height, the liquid level relay automatically cuts off the power and stops the cooling water. After a certain period of time, the liquid indium in the casting mold is cooled to a solid state, and the cooling water flows into the cooling water collection tank from the hole at the bottom of the cooling plate; S3, repeat S2 until the cooling water in the cooling water collecting tank reaches the set liquid level, and the cooling water in the cooling water collecting tank will automatically flow into the low-level tank through the pipeline by gravity; S4. When the cooling water in the low-level tank reaches the specified liquid level, the water pump controlled by the liquid level relay starts to send the cooling water in the low-level tank into the high-level tank; S5. The cooling water sent to the high-level tank is cooled by the air-cooled unit and then re-input into the high-level tank through the water pump. At this time, the cooling water in the high-level tank has been cooled to room temperature, and the cooling water can enter the cooling disk again through the pipeline, thus completing the recycling of the cooling water.

2. The water cooling device for indium casting according to claim 1, characterized in that: The high-level tank is provided with three water pipelines, including a first water pipeline, a second water pipeline, and a third water pipeline.

3. The water cooling device for indium casting according to claim 2, characterized in that: The first water delivery pipeline is connected to the low-level tank, and the cooling water in the low-level tank is transported to the high-level tank through the first water delivery pipeline by the action of a centrifugal pump.

4. The water cooling device for indium casting according to claim 3, characterized in that: The second water delivery pipeline is communicated with the cooling water inlet.

5. The water cooling device for indium casting according to claim 4, characterized in that: The third water supply pipeline is connected to the air-cooled unit. The cooling water in the high-level tank is transported to the air-cooled unit through the third water supply pipeline to reduce the temperature to the ambient temperature and then transported to the high-level tank again.

6. The water cooling device for indium casting according to claim 1, characterized in that: An observation port is designed on the high position tank.

7. A water cooling method for indium casting, using the water cooling device for indium casting according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that: It includes the following steps: S1. Heat solid indium to liquid state and keep the temperature of liquid indium at 200±15℃, heat the casting mold to 10-15℃ lower than the temperature of liquid indium, place the heated casting mold on the support column in the cooling plate, and reset the electronic scale to zero; slowly pour the liquid indium into the casting mold; after casting each row of casting molds, cover the top of the casting mold with a heated graphite or titanium cover plate; S2, cooling water is introduced into the cooling water inlet of the high-level tank, and the cooling water gradually enters the cooling plate through the pipe, the cooling water immerses the support column, and the cooling water is in direct contact with the casting mold. When the cooling water level in the cooling plate reaches the set height, the liquid level relay automatically cuts off the power and stops the cooling water. After a certain period of time, the liquid indium in the casting mold is cooled to a solid state, and the cooling water flows into the cooling water collection tank from the hole at the bottom of the cooling plate; S3, repeat S2 until the cooling water in the cooling water collecting tank reaches the set liquid level, and the cooling water in the cooling water collecting tank will automatically flow into the low-level tank through the pipeline by gravity; S4. When the cooling water in the low-level tank reaches the specified liquid level, the water pump controlled by the liquid level relay starts to send the cooling water in the low-level tank into the high-level tank; S5. The cooling water sent to the high-level tank is cooled by the air-cooled unit and then re-input into the high-level tank through the water pump. At this time, the cooling water in the high-level tank has been cooled to room temperature, and the cooling water can enter the cooling disk again through the pipeline, thus completing the recycling of the cooling water.

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