Seawater mineral processing pipeline descaling device and descaling system

Abstract

The present invention discloses a descaling device for a seawater mineral processing pipeline. The descaling device is arranged in the pipeline and moves along the pipeline under the push of the ore slurry in the pipeline. The descaling device includes a drive shaft and two or more descaling discs mounted on the drive shaft, and the diameters of the descaling discs decrease in sequence along the direction of travel of the descaling device. The drive shaft is provided with a drive device for driving the descaling discs to rotate around the drive shaft. A plurality of cutters are evenly distributed along the circumferential direction on the side of the descaling discs close to the direction of travel of the descaling device. In addition, a descaling system for a seawater mineral processing pipeline composed of the descaling device is disclosed. The system also includes a pipeline monitoring device. The system can monitor the pressure in the pipeline in real time, thereby determining whether there is scaling in the pipeline, and clean the scale layer in the pipeline through the above-mentioned descaling device, so that the ore slurry in the pipeline is transported more smoothly.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of pipeline descaling equipment, and in particular to a seawater mineral processing pipeline descaling device and a descaling system. Background Art

[0002] Currently, some mineral processing plants, such as the SINO Iron Ore Processing Plant in Australia and the Shougang Peru Iron Ore Processing Plant, are located on coastal areas with little to no rainfall year-round. These plants typically use desalinated water, a costly process that significantly reduces overall plant efficiency. Consequently, some plants, such as the Shougang Peru Iron Ore Processing Plant, have adopted seawater processing, achieving some success. However, due to the high concentration of potassium, sodium, and chloride ions in seawater, the plant's pipelines can form thick scale layers over time. This can gradually reduce the pipe's internal diameter and increase internal pressure, reducing its transport capacity and increasing energy consumption. Severe scale buildup can even cause pipe blockages or bursts.

[0003] In the past, pipe descaling was mainly done manually, either by tapping the pipe's exterior or removing sections of the pipe to scrape the interior. These manual descaling methods were not only time-consuming and labor-intensive, but also difficult to guarantee effective descaling. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The present invention provides a seawater mineral processing pipeline descaling device and a descaling system which have simple structure, convenient operation and good descaling effect.

[0005] In order to achieve the above-mentioned objectives, on the one hand, the present invention provides a seawater mineral processing pipeline descaling device, which is arranged in the pipeline and moves along the pipeline under the push of the ore slurry in the pipeline; the descaling device includes a drive shaft and two or more descaling discs mounted on the drive shaft, and the diameters of the descaling discs decrease successively along the moving direction of the descaling device; a drive device is provided on the drive shaft to drive the descaling discs to rotate around the drive shaft; a plurality of cutters are evenly distributed along the circumferential direction on the side of the descaling disc close to the moving direction of the descaling device.

[0006] Furthermore, preferably, the distance between the center line of the cutter and the edge of the descaling tray is 2 cm to 5 cm.

[0007] Furthermore, preferably, a pressure gauge is provided between the cutter and the descaling disc, and the pressure gauge is electrically connected to the driving device.

[0008] In addition, preferably, a flow hole is provided between two adjacent cutters on the descaling disc.

[0009] In addition, preferably, a positioning device is also provided on the driving shaft.

[0010] In addition, preferably, one side surface of the descaling tray is an arcuate surface, and the other side surface of the descaling tray is a plane; and the thickness of the descaling tray gradually decreases from the center to the edge.

[0011] In addition, preferably, the descaling disc is made of elastic alloy.

[0012] In addition, preferably, two descaling discs are sleeved on the driving shaft, wherein the diameter of one of the descaling discs is 95% of the inner diameter of the pipe, and the diameter of the other descaling disc is 98% of the inner diameter of the pipe.

[0013] Furthermore, preferably, the length of the descaling device does not exceed one thirtieth of the minimum turning radius of the pipeline.

[0014] On the other hand, the present invention also provides a seawater mineral processing pipeline descaling system, including a scale layer monitoring device and the above-mentioned seawater mineral processing pipeline descaling device; the scale layer monitoring device includes a flow meter, a pressure gauge and a signal control unit arranged on the pipeline, and the signal control unit monitors the values ​​of the flow meter and the pressure gauge in real time, and adjusts the conveying speed of the slurry in the pipeline according to the values.

[0015] According to the above description and practice, the seawater mineral processing pipeline descaling device of the present invention is to install more than two descaling discs on the drive shaft, and the descaling discs are driven by the drive device to rotate around the drive shaft. In addition, a cutter is arranged on the side of the descaling disc to perform descaling operations on the mineral processing pipeline. The descaling device can move forward along the pipeline under the push of the slurry in the pipeline and perform descaling operations. It can not only squeeze and crush the scale layer in the pipe wall along the length of the pipeline, but also rotate circumferentially to grind the harder scale layer, greatly improving the descaling effect, while not affecting the transportation of the slurry. On the other hand, the seawater mineral processing pipeline descaling system of the present invention can monitor the pressure in the mineral processing pipeline in real time, and then determine whether there is a scale layer in the pipeline, so as to facilitate timely adjustment of the transportation speed of the slurry in the pipeline and avoid the phenomenon of pipeline blockage or pipe burst; when the presence of a scale layer is detected, the scale layer in the pipeline can be removed by the descaling device in the descaling system, so that the transportation of the slurry is smoother. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] Figure 1 This is a schematic structural diagram of a seawater mineral processing pipeline descaling device according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

[0017] Figure 2 This is a schematic side structural diagram of a descaling disc according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

[0018] Figure 3 This is a structural diagram of a seawater mineral processing pipeline descaling system according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

[0019] In the picture:

[0020] 1. Descaling device, 11. Drive shaft, 12. Descaling disc, 121. Cutter, 122. Pressure gauge, 123. Flow hole, 13. Drive device, 14. Positioning device;

[0021] 2. Pipeline;

[0022] 3. Scale layer monitoring device, 31. Flow meter, 32. Pressure gauge. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0023] The exemplary embodiments will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the exemplary embodiments can be embodied in many forms and should not be construed as limited to the examples set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete and will fully convey the concepts of the exemplary embodiments to those skilled in the art. The described features, structures, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments.

[0024] In addition, the accompanying drawings are only schematic illustrations of the present disclosure and are not necessarily drawn to scale. The same reference numerals in the figures represent the same or similar parts, and their repeated description will be omitted. It should be noted that in the present disclosure, the terms "including", "configured with", and "set on" are used to express open-ended inclusion and mean that in addition to the listed elements / components / etc., there may be additional elements / components / etc.; the terms "first", "second", etc. are used only as labels and are not intended to limit the number or order of their objects; the terms "center", "upper", "lower", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "inner", "outer", etc. indicate directions or positional relationships based on the directions or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific direction, be constructed and operate in a specific direction, and therefore should not be understood as limiting the present invention.

[0025] Unless otherwise specified or limited, the terms "mounted," "connected," and "connected" should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to fixed, removable, or integral connections; mechanical or electrical connections; direct or indirect connections through an intermediary; and internal communication between two components. Those skilled in the art will understand the specific meanings of these terms in the present invention based on the specific circumstances.

[0026] Example 1

[0027] In an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, a seawater beneficiation pipeline descaling device is provided, which is applied to a mine that uses seawater for beneficiation operations. Figure 1 This is a schematic structural diagram of a seawater mineral processing pipeline descaling device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2 This is a schematic side structural diagram of a descaling disc according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

[0028] like Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the seawater mineral processing pipeline descaling device of this embodiment is disposed within the pipeline 2 during use and moves along the pipeline 2 under the propulsion of the slurry within the pipeline 2. The end of the descaling device 1 near the slurry outlet is referred to as the front end of the descaling device 1, and the end of the descaling device 1 near the slurry inlet is referred to as the rear end of the descaling device 1. The descaling device 1 primarily comprises a drive shaft 11 and two or more descaling discs 12 sleeved on the drive shaft 11. The diameters of the descaling discs 12 decrease sequentially along the direction of travel of the descaling device 1, i.e., the diameter of the descaling discs near the front end of the descaling device 1 is smaller than the diameter of the descaling discs near the rear end of the descaling device 1. A drive device 13 is also provided on the drive shaft 11 for driving the descaling discs 12 to rotate about the drive shaft 11. Furthermore, a plurality of cutters 121 are evenly distributed along the circumferential direction on the side surfaces of the descaling discs 12 near the front end of the descaling device 1 for cleaning the scale layer within the pipeline 2.

[0029] It is undeniable that the diameter of the descaling disc 12 is smaller than the inner diameter of the pipe 2. In this embodiment, two descaling discs 12 are provided. The diameter of the descaling disc 12 near the front end of the descaling device 1 is 95% of the inner diameter of the pipe 2, and the diameter of the descaling disc 12 near the rear end of the descaling device 1 is 98% of the inner diameter of the pipe 2. This design enables the descaling device 1 to clean the scale layer in the pipe 2 in two steps, thereby reducing the resistance of the scale layer to the descaling device 1.

[0030] Specifically, the drive device 13 includes a power supply, a motor and a controller. The power supply here can be a mobile battery fixed on the drive shaft 11, or a power cord can be used to connect the power grid in the factory to power the drive device 13. In this embodiment, the mobile battery power supply method is selected. The descaling disc 12 is connected to the drive shaft 11 for rotation. The motor of the drive device 13 is built into the drive shaft 11 and drives the descaling disc 12 to rotate around the drive shaft 11. The drive shaft 11 is made of metal, and the mobile battery is fixedly connected to the drive shaft 11. The weight of the two is much greater than the weight of the two descaling discs 12. Therefore, when the descaling disc 12 rotates, the drive shaft 11 itself will not rotate. In addition, it is also possible to install a counterweight on the drive shaft 11 to increase its own weight to ensure that when the motor in the drive shaft 11 drives the descaling disc 12 to rotate, the drive shaft 11 itself will not rotate. For example, by installing heavy lead blocks at both ends of the drive shaft 11, the stability of the drive shaft 11 is increased while the weight of the entire descaling device 1 is increased, thereby increasing the momentum of the descaling device 1 during movement and enabling the descaling operation to proceed more smoothly.

[0031] In this embodiment, one side of the descaling disc 12 is an arcuate surface, the other side is a plane, and the thickness of the descaling disc 12 gradually decreases from the center to the edge. Preferably, the arcuate side of the descaling disc 12 faces the rear end of the descaling device 1.

[0032] In this embodiment, each descaling disc 12 is equipped with four cutters 121. The centers of the four cutters 121 are located on the same circumference and are evenly spaced along the circumference. Of course, the number of cutters 121 can be increased or decreased as needed. Specifically, the cutters 121 are cylindrical structures with a conical portion, a tapered top, and the cutting material at the apex is diamond. The tail of the cutter 121 is fixedly connected to the flat side of the descaling disc 12, with its apex facing the front end of the descaling device 1. Furthermore, a pressure gauge 122 is installed between the cutter 121 and the descaling disc 12 for real-time monitoring of the pressure exerted on the cutter 121 by the scale layer. The pressure gauge 122 is also electrically connected to the controller of the drive device 13. When the pressure gauge 122 reading exceeds a preset threshold, a high-pressure alarm is triggered and a signal is sent to the controller of the drive device 13, causing the motor of the drive device 13 to start operating, driving the descaling disc 12 to rotate. At this time, the cutter 121 moves forward along the pipe 2 while also performing circumferential motion, which can exert lateral force on the harder scale layer, making it easier to clean it. When the value of the pressure gauge 122 is less than the preset threshold, the driving device 13 will not drive the descaling disc 12 to rotate.

[0033] Furthermore, a flow hole 123 is provided between adjacent cutters 121 on the descaling disc 12 to facilitate the passage of slurry and fallen scale, ensuring that the descaling device 1 is not clogged by the removed scale. Furthermore, if the descaling device 1 becomes stuck in the pipe 2, the slurry in the pipe 2 can continue to flow forward through the flow hole 123 without obstructing its flow. In this embodiment, the flow hole 123 is also provided with an oblique cut to assist in removing scale from the pipe 2.

[0034] The two descaling discs 12 can be driven independently, that is, the two descaling discs 12 are controlled by different controllers and can rotate independently; or they can be driven together, that is, the two descaling discs 12 are controlled by the same controller and rotate at the same time. In this case, the flow holes 123 on the two descaling discs 12 need to be staggered.

[0035] In order to obtain the position of the descaling device 1 in the pipeline 2, a positioning device 14 is also fixedly installed on the drive shaft 11. The positioning device 14 can be a radar locator, and its positioning signal is connected to the control room of the mine's mineral processing operation, and its position information can be displayed in real time on the screen of the control room.

[0036] In addition, in order to prevent the descaling device 1 from encountering an extremely hard scale layer and being stuck in the pipe 2 and unable to move forward, the descaling disc 12 is preferably made of an elastic alloy. When the descaling device 1 encounters a scale layer that cannot be removed, the descaling disc 12 will naturally bend under the push of the slurry, allowing the descaling device 1 to pass through the hard scale layer here and move forward smoothly to continue the descaling operation.

[0037] It should be noted that the entire length of the descaling device 1 should not exceed one thirtieth of the minimum turning radius of the pipeline 2 to ensure that the descaling device 1 can move smoothly in the pipeline 2 .

[0038] When the descaling device 1 is in use, it is first placed into the pipe 2 via the slurry input port, with the cutter 121 facing the direction of the slurry flow. The slurry delivery pump is then activated, and the descaling device 1, propelled by the slurry, moves forward along the pipe 2 and performs descaling operations. The movement of the descaling device 1 relies on the slurry's own thrust, requiring no additional power. During movement, the cutter 121 breaks up the scale layer on the inner wall of the pipe 2 and uses the edge of the descaling disc 12 to squeeze and break the scale layer, causing the relatively soft scale layer to fall off the inner wall of the pipe 2. When encountering a harder scale layer, the drive device 13 also drives the descaling disc 12 to rotate about the drive shaft 11, causing the cutter 121 to rotate about the drive shaft, thereby applying a lateral force to the scale layer, further breaking it up and improving the descaling effect. If the descaling device 1 is stuck by a hard scale layer at this point, the descaling disc 12 will naturally bend under the push of the slurry, allowing it to pass over the hard scale layer and continue forward to clean scale layers in other areas.

[0039] Example 2

[0040] In an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, a seawater beneficiation pipeline descaling system is provided, which is applied to a mine that uses seawater for beneficiation operations. Figure 3 This is a structural diagram of a seawater mineral processing pipeline descaling system according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

[0041] Please refer to Figures 1 to 3 The seawater mineral processing pipeline descaling system in this embodiment primarily consists of a scale monitoring device 3 and the descaling device 1 described in Example 1. The scale monitoring device 3 includes a flow meter 31, a pressure gauge 32, and a signal control unit (not shown) mounted on the pipeline 2. The signal control unit monitors the values ​​of the flow meter 31 and pressure gauge 32 in real time and adjusts the slurry delivery rate within the pipeline accordingly. Furthermore, the signal control unit is electrically connected to the mineral processing control room, enabling communication between the two.

[0042] Specifically, during the mineral processing operation, it is necessary to ensure that the slurry is transported at the calibrated flow rate. The signal control unit detects the value of the flow meter 31 and sends it to the control room. The control room adjusts the speed of the slurry delivery pump based on the value to ensure that the slurry is transported at the calibrated flow rate. At this time, by monitoring the value of the pressure gauge 32, it is possible to detect whether there is scaling in the pipeline 2. If a scale layer is generated in the pipeline 2, the inner diameter of the pipeline 2 will decrease, while the slurry is still transported at the calibrated flow rate. Therefore, the flow rate of the slurry in the pipeline increases, causing the pressure inside the pipeline 2 to increase. That is, at the calibrated flow rate, an increase in the value of the pressure gauge 32 means that there is a scale layer in the pipeline 2.

[0043] When the value on pressure gauge 32 exceeds a certain threshold, such as 120% of the pressure at the rated flow rate, the signal control unit sends an alarm to the control room, halting slurry delivery and preventing pipe bursts caused by excessive pressure. This automatic detection and system shutdown method is highly automated and effectively prevents pipe blockages and even bursts caused by thickening scale layers.

[0044] After detecting the presence of a scale layer in the pipeline 2, the descaling device 1 can be placed into the pipeline 2 from the slurry input end, and the slurry delivery pump is started, so that the descaling device 1 moves forward along the pipeline 2 under the push of the slurry and performs the descaling operation.

[0045] Other embodiments of the present disclosure will readily occur to those skilled in the art after considering the specification and practicing the invention disclosed herein. This application is intended to cover any variations, uses, or adaptations of the present disclosure that follow from the general principles of the present disclosure and include common knowledge or customary techniques in the art not disclosed herein. The description and examples are to be considered as exemplary only, with the true scope and spirit of the present disclosure being indicated by the claims.

Claims

1. A seawater mineral processing pipeline descaling device, characterized in that: The descaling device is arranged in the pipeline and moves along the pipeline under the push of the slurry in the pipeline; The descaling device includes a drive shaft and two or more descaling discs sleeved on the drive shaft, wherein the diameter of the descaling disc near the front end of the descaling device is smaller than the diameter of the descaling disc near the rear end of the descaling device; The driving shaft is provided with a driving device for driving the descaling disk to rotate around the driving shaft; One side of the descaling disc is an arcuate surface, and the other side of the descaling disc is a flat surface. The thickness of one side of the arcuate surface of the descaling disc gradually decreases from the center to the edge. The arcuate surface faces the conveying direction of the slurry. A plurality of cutters are evenly distributed along the circumferential direction on the side of the descaling disc close to the traveling direction of the descaling device. A pressure gauge is also provided between the cutter and the descaling disc, and the pressure gauge is electrically connected to the driving device. in When the value of the pressure gauge exceeds a preset threshold, the driving device drives the descaling disc to rotate; when the value of the pressure gauge is less than the preset threshold, the driving device does not drive the descaling disc to rotate.

2. The seawater mineral processing pipeline descaling device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The distance between the center line of the cutter and the edge of the descaling disc is 2 cm to 5 cm.

3. The seawater mineral processing pipeline descaling device according to claim 1, characterized in that: An overflow hole is provided between two adjacent cutters on the descaling disc.

4. The seawater mineral processing pipeline descaling device according to claim 1, characterized in that: A positioning device is also provided on the driving shaft.

5. The seawater mineral processing pipeline descaling device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that: The descaling disc is made of elastic alloy.

6. The seawater mineral processing pipeline descaling device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that: Two descaling discs are sleeved on the driving shaft, wherein the diameter of one of the descaling discs is 95% of the inner diameter of the pipeline, and the diameter of the other descaling disc is 98% of the inner diameter of the pipeline.

7. The seawater mineral processing pipeline descaling device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that: The length of the descaling device does not exceed one thirtieth of the minimum turning radius of the pipeline.

8. A seawater mineral processing pipeline descaling system, characterized in that: It comprises a scale layer monitoring device and a seawater beneficiation pipeline descaling device according to any one of claims 1 to 7; The scale layer monitoring device includes a flow meter, a pressure gauge and a signal control unit arranged on the pipeline. The signal control unit monitors the values ​​of the flow meter and the pressure gauge in real time and adjusts the conveying speed of the slurry in the pipeline according to the values.

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