A microwave plasma apparatus for purifying metals

Abstract

The application belongs to the technical field of microwave metallurgy, and particularly relates to a microwave plasma metal purification device, which comprises a rack, a microwave cavity body fixed to the inner side of the rack, the microwave cavity body being close to the top end of the rack, an upper sealing assembly arranged at the top end of the microwave cavity body, an observation assembly arranged on the upper sealing assembly, a vacuum pumping assembly connected to the outer side of the upper sealing assembly, the vacuum pumping assembly being in communication with the microwave cavity body, a lower sealing assembly arranged at the bottom end of the microwave cavity body, an air passage assembly arranged on the lower sealing assembly, a lifting and translating assembly fixedly connected to the bottom wall of the inner side of the rack and arranged at the bottom end of the lower sealing assembly, a containing assembly and a heating assembly arranged in the microwave cavity body and in communication with the air passage assembly, and a control system electrically connected to the lifting and translating assembly, the containing assembly and the heating assembly and fixedly connected to the outer side wall of the rack. The application can meet the demand for low energy consumption, environmental friendliness and high production efficiency in metal smelting.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the field of microwave metallurgy technology, and particularly relates to a microwave plasma purification device for metals. Background Technology

[0002] Traditional metal smelting faces significant challenges due to its high energy consumption, long processes, and environmental unfriendliness, necessitating the search for simpler, lower-energy, and more environmentally friendly methods to adapt to modern development. In recent years, with the continuous development of plasma technology, significant breakthroughs have been achieved in utilizing the high chemical reactivity of plasma for metal smelting. Plasma alloy smelting technology has also gained increasing attention, and plasma melting technology has been widely applied in material processing and metal purification and refining. Microwave plasma boasts high energy conversion efficiency, produces uniform and stable plasma distribution, and can ignite over a wider pressure range. Under certain conditions, it can highly ionize and dissociate gases, generating numerous active particles known as active plasma. This allows for the removal of most impurities, especially non-metallic impurities, even at relatively low experimental temperatures. Furthermore, the microwave plasma generator itself lacks internal electrodes, eliminating gas contamination and electrode corrosion, thus improving the purity of molten metal and extending its service life. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The purpose of this invention is to provide a microwave plasma metal purification device to solve the above-mentioned problems and achieve the goal of meeting the requirements of low energy consumption, environmental friendliness, and improved production efficiency in metal smelting.

[0004] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention provides the following solution:

[0005] A microwave plasma metal purification device includes a frame, a microwave cavity fixedly connected to the inner side of the frame, the microwave cavity being near the top of the frame, an upper sealing assembly being disposed at the top of the microwave cavity, an observation assembly being disposed on the upper sealing assembly, a vacuum assembly being connected to the upper sealing assembly and communicating with the microwave cavity, a lower sealing assembly being disposed at the bottom of the microwave cavity, a venting assembly being disposed on the lower sealing assembly, a lifting and translating assembly being disposed at the bottom of the lower sealing assembly, the lifting and translating assembly being fixedly connected to the inner bottom wall of the frame, a receiving assembly and a heating assembly being disposed inside the microwave cavity, and the venting assembly communicating with the receiving assembly;

[0006] The lifting and translating assembly, the receiving assembly, and the heating assembly are electrically connected to a control system, which is fixedly connected to the frame.

[0007] Preferably, the upper sealing assembly includes an upper sealing head, which is fixedly connected to the microwave cavity via an upper sealing flange. The upper sealing head is connected to a vacuum tube, which is connected to the vacuum assembly and the microwave cavity. The observation assembly is fixedly connected to the outer wall of the upper sealing head.

[0008] Preferably, the lower sealing assembly includes a lower sealing head, which is detachably connected to the microwave cavity via a lower sealing flange. The top end of the lower sealing head is fixedly connected to the receiving assembly, and the bottom end of the lower sealing head is slidably connected to the lifting and translating assembly. The venting assembly is disposed on the lower sealing head.

[0009] Preferably, the lifting and translating assembly includes two slide rails fixedly connected to the bottom wall inside the frame, the two slide rails are vertically arranged, a lifting bracket is slidably connected between the two slide rails, an electric push rod is arranged between the two slide rails, the bottom end of the electric push rod is fixedly connected to the bottom wall inside the frame, and the telescopic end of the electric push rod is fixedly connected to the bottom surface of the lifting bracket.

[0010] Two horizontally arranged guide rails are fixedly connected to the top surface of the lifting bracket. The two guide rails are parallel and symmetrical. At least two rollers are slidably connected to each guide rail. The rollers are installed at the bottom end of the lower sealing head. Limit blocks are fixedly connected to both ends of the guide rails.

[0011] Preferably, the heating assembly includes a plurality of horn antennas fixedly connected to the inner side wall of the microwave cavity. The plurality of horn antennas are arranged at equal intervals around the periphery. One end of each horn antenna extends through the side wall of the microwave cavity and is fixedly connected to a microwave head. The plurality of microwave heads are externally connected to a circulating water cooling control device. The microwave head is electrically connected to a high-voltage switching power supply, and the high-voltage switching power supply is fixedly connected inside the frame.

[0012] Preferably, the housing assembly includes a furnace tube fixedly connected inside the microwave cavity, with insulation material fixedly connected circumferentially to the outer wall of the furnace tube, a lower insulation module detachably connected to the bottom opening of the furnace tube, the bottom end of the lower insulation module being fixedly connected to the top end of the lower sealing head, a sagger being fixedly connected to the top end of the lower insulation module, the sagger communicating with the ventilation assembly, and an upper insulation module fixedly connected to the top opening of the furnace tube.

[0013] Preferably, the upper insulation module has two through holes, and the observation component includes an infrared thermometer and a camera. Both the infrared thermometer and the camera are fixedly connected to the outer wall of the upper sealing head. The infrared thermometer is set with one of the through holes, and the camera is set with the other through hole.

[0014] Preferably, the ventilation assembly includes an air inlet pipe, the air outlet of the air inlet pipe is connected to the crucible, and the air inlet of the air inlet pipe extends out of the lower sealing head and is connected to an air supply section.

[0015] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following advantages and technical effects:

[0016] This invention uses microwave plasma as a high-temperature heat source, which has high energy conversion efficiency and produces a uniform and stable plasma distribution. It features high temperature, concentrated energy, adjustable power, controllable atmosphere, no gas pollution, and low noise. The plasma atmosphere can be artificially controlled to be an oxidizing atmosphere, a reducing atmosphere, or an inert atmosphere, and the atmosphere is pure, making it suitable for high-quality smelting of various metals.

[0017] The lower sealing assembly at the bottom of the microwave cavity of this invention is equipped with a venting assembly, through which the gas required for metal purification can be introduced to control the atmosphere of the microwave cavity and to blow some smelting processes. The microwave cavity of this invention is externally connected to a vacuum pumping assembly, which can realize vacuum distillation to purify metals. The lower sealing assembly can be moved up and down by a lifting and translating assembly, which can seal and open the microwave cavity and facilitate the loading and unloading of materials. The upper sealing assembly at the top of the microwave cavity of this invention is equipped with an observation assembly. During the metal smelting process, the operator can accurately obtain material temperature data and observe the real-time image inside the microwave cavity through the observation assembly, and obtain timely feedback on smelting temperature and material condition. Attached Figure Description

[0018] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention or the prior art, the drawings used in the embodiments will be briefly described below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0019] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the present invention;

[0020] Figure 2 This is a top view of the microwave cavity of the present invention;

[0021] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the control system structure of the present invention.

[0022] The components include: 1. Infrared thermometer; 2. Camera; 3. Upper sealing head; 4. Upper sealing flange; 5. Upper insulation module; 6. Furnace tube; 7. Insulation material; 8. Air inlet pipe; 9. Sagger; 10. Horn antenna; 11. Microwave head; 12. Lower insulation module; 13. High-voltage switching power supply; 14. Lower sealing flange; 15. Lower sealing head; 16. Air inlet; 17. Roller; 18. Guide rail; 19. Lifting bracket; 20. Slide rail; 21. Electric push rod; 22. Frame; 23. Circulating water cooling control device; 24. Vacuum tube; 25. Microwave cavity; 26. Display; 27. Control system. Detailed Implementation

[0023] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present invention, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0024] To make the above-mentioned objects, features and advantages of the present invention more apparent and understandable, the present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments.

[0025] Reference Figures 1-3 This invention provides a microwave plasma metal purification device, including a frame 22, a microwave cavity 25 fixedly connected to the inner side of the frame 22, the microwave cavity 25 being close to the top of the frame 22, an upper sealing component being provided at the top of the microwave cavity 25, an observation component being provided on the upper sealing component, a vacuum component being connected to the outside of the upper sealing component, the vacuum component being in communication with the microwave cavity 25, a lower sealing component being provided at the bottom of the microwave cavity 25, a venting component being provided on the lower sealing component, a lifting and translating component being provided at the bottom of the lower sealing component, the lifting and translating component being fixedly connected to the inner bottom wall of the frame 22, and a receiving component and a heating component being provided inside the microwave cavity 25, the venting component being in communication with the receiving component;

[0026] The lifting and translating components, the housing components, and the heating components are electrically connected to a control system 27, which is fixedly connected to the frame 22.

[0027] The microwave cavity 25 has a 15-sided polygon structure, which provides metal walls in 15 directions. The midlines of each side converge at the center of the 15-sided polygon and intersect at opposite angles. A heating component is set along the midline of each side. This unique microwave source setting concentrates energy at the center of the microwave cavity 25, maximizing power and avoiding uneven temperature caused by microwave reflection. The lifting and translating components, the housing components, and the heating components are electrically connected to a control system 27. The control system 27 uses a PLC controller and is electrically connected to a display 26. The display 26 can display specific information inside the microwave cavity. By working with the control system 27, it is convenient to adjust the temperature and gas environment of the microwave cavity 25.

[0028] The scheme is further optimized. The upper sealing assembly includes an upper sealing head 3, which is fixedly connected to the microwave cavity 25 through an upper sealing flange 4. The upper sealing head 3 is connected to a vacuum tube 24, which is connected to the vacuum assembly and the microwave cavity 25. The observation assembly is fixedly connected to the outer wall of the upper sealing head 3.

[0029] The vacuum pumping unit can evacuate the microwave cavity 25 and perform vacuum distillation purification on the smelted metal materials.

[0030] Further optimization of the scheme: the lower sealing assembly includes a lower sealing head 15, which is detachably connected to the microwave cavity 25 via a lower sealing flange 14. The top end of the lower sealing head 15 is fixedly connected to the receiving assembly, and the bottom end of the lower sealing head 15 is slidably connected to the lifting and translating assembly. The venting assembly is set on the lower sealing head 15.

[0031] The scheme is further optimized. The lifting and translation component includes two slide rails 20 fixedly connected to the bottom wall inside the frame 22. The two slide rails 20 are vertically arranged. A lifting bracket 19 is slidably connected between the two slide rails 20. An electric push rod 21 is arranged between the two slide rails 20. The bottom end of the electric push rod 21 is fixedly connected to the bottom wall inside the frame 22. The telescopic end of the electric push rod 21 is fixedly connected to the bottom surface of the lifting bracket 19.

[0032] Two horizontally arranged guide rails 18 are fixedly connected to the top surface of the lifting bracket 19. The two guide rails 18 are parallel and symmetrical. At least two rollers 17 are slidably connected on each guide rail 18. The rollers 17 are installed at the bottom end of the lower sealing head 15. Limit blocks are fixedly connected to both ends of the guide rail 18.

[0033] After the metal material is placed into the receiving component, the roller 17 slides on the horizontally set guide rail 18 to the limit block, and the electric push rod 21 is started to slowly rise, sending the metal material to be smelted into the microwave cavity 25 until the lower sealing head 15 is close to the lower sealing flange 14. The diameter of the lower sealing head 15 is smaller than the distance between the two slide rails 20. The lower sealing head 15 can be raised or lowered by using the lifting and translation component, which can seal and open the microwave cavity 25, and facilitate the loading and unloading of materials.

[0034] The design is further optimized. The heating component includes several horn antennas 10 fixedly connected to the inner wall of the microwave cavity 25. The horn antennas 10 are evenly spaced around the perimeter. One end of each horn antenna 10 extends through the side wall of the microwave cavity 25 and is fixedly connected to a microwave head 11. A circulating water cooling control device 23 is connected to the outside of each microwave head 11. The microwave head 11 is electrically connected to a high-voltage switching power supply 13. The high-voltage switching power supply 13 is fixedly connected inside the frame 22.

[0035] The microwave cavity 25 has a 15-sided polygonal structure, with a microwave head 11 and a horn antenna 10 respectively arranged along the midline of each side. The number of high-voltage switching power supplies 13 is the same as that of the microwave heads 11. This unique microwave source arrangement concentrates energy in the center of the microwave cavity 25, maximizing power and avoiding uneven temperature caused by microwave reflection. Due to the special nature of microwave heating, the temperature is concentrated on the material. After insulation by the insulation material 7, very little temperature is conducted into the microwave cavity 25, preventing the internal temperature of the microwave cavity 25 from becoming too high. The microwave plasma generator itself does not come into contact with the material. The generated microwave plasma acts as a high-temperature heat source, and the plasma atmosphere can be artificially controlled to be an oxidizing atmosphere, a reducing atmosphere, or an inert atmosphere for rapid heating of the material. The circulating water cooling control device 23 is externally connected to the microwave head 11 to prevent the microwave head 11 from overheating and being damaged.

[0036] The scheme is further optimized. The housing components include a furnace tube 6 fixedly connected inside the microwave cavity 25. The outer wall of the furnace tube 6 is circumferentially fixedly connected with insulation material 7. The bottom opening of the furnace tube 6 is detachably connected to a lower insulation module 12. The bottom end of the lower insulation module 12 is fixedly connected to the top end of the lower sealing head 15. The top end of the lower insulation module 12 is fixedly connected to a crucible 9. The crucible 9 is connected to the ventilation component. The top opening of the furnace tube 6 is fixedly connected to an upper insulation module 5.

[0037] Turn on the high-voltage switching power supply 13, and microwave plasma is generated through the microwave head 11 to rapidly heat the material. The insulation material 7 prevents heat loss. The microwave plasma generated by the microwave head 11 of the heating device serves as a high-temperature heat source, and the plasma atmosphere can be artificially controlled to be an oxidizing atmosphere, a reducing atmosphere, or an inert atmosphere to rapidly heat the material.

[0038] To further optimize the design, the upper insulation module 5 has two through holes. The observation components include an infrared thermometer 1 and a camera 2. Both the infrared thermometer 1 and the camera 2 are fixedly connected to the outer wall of the upper sealing head 3. The infrared thermometer 1 is set to correspond to one of the through holes, and the camera 2 is set to correspond to the other through hole.

[0039] During the metal smelting process, workers can accurately obtain material temperature data through infrared thermometer 1 and observe real-time images inside the cavity through camera 2, obtaining timely feedback on smelting temperature and material conditions. Both infrared thermometer 1 and camera 2 are fixedly connected to the outer wall of the upper sealing head 3, maintaining a safe distance from the material; microwave heating is a self-heating method that absorbs microwaves, concentrating the temperature on the material.

[0040] Further optimization of the scheme: the ventilation component includes an air inlet pipe 8, the air outlet of the air inlet pipe 8 is connected to the crucible 9, and the air inlet 16 of the air inlet pipe 8 extends out of the lower sealing head 15 and is connected to the air supply unit.

[0041] The gas required for smelting and purification can be introduced through the air inlet 16 to control the atmosphere in the chamber and to blow some smelting processes.

[0042] The working process of this embodiment is as follows:

[0043] The staff put the metal material to be smelted into the sagger 9, and then pushed the lower sealing head 15. The lower sealing head 15 moved to the limit block on the guide rail 18 along with the roller 17. The electric push rod 21 was started to rise slowly until the lower sealing head 15 was close to the lower sealing flange 14, and the metal material to be smelted was sent into the microwave cavity 25.

[0044] At this point, the operator activates the vacuum pump to evacuate the microwave cavity 25. Then, according to the required metal smelting atmosphere, the target gas is introduced through the inlet 16. Next, the high-voltage switching power supply 13 is turned on, generating microwave plasma through the microwave head 11 to rapidly heat the material. The top of the microwave cavity 25 is sealed with a temperature measuring and observation device, an infrared thermometer 1 and a camera 2. During the metal smelting process, the operator can accurately obtain material temperature data through the infrared thermometer and observe real-time images inside the cavity through the camera, receiving timely feedback on smelting temperature and material conditions.

[0045] In the description of this invention, it should be understood that the terms "longitudinal", "lateral", "up", "down", "front", "rear", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inner", "outer", etc., indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing this invention, and are not intended to indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be construed as a limitation of this invention.

[0046] The embodiments described above are merely preferred embodiments of the present invention and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. Various modifications and improvements made by those skilled in the art to the technical solutions of the present invention without departing from the spirit of the present invention should fall within the protection scope defined by the claims of the present invention.

Claims

1. A microwave plasma metal purification device, characterized in that, The device includes a frame (22), a microwave cavity (25) is fixedly connected to the inner side of the frame (22), the microwave cavity (25) is close to the top of the frame (22), an upper sealing assembly is provided at the top of the microwave cavity (25), an observation assembly is provided on the upper sealing assembly, a vacuum assembly is connected to the upper sealing assembly, the vacuum assembly is connected to the microwave cavity (25), a lower sealing assembly is provided at the bottom of the microwave cavity (25), a venting assembly is provided on the lower sealing assembly, a lifting and translating assembly is provided at the bottom of the lower sealing assembly, the lifting and translating assembly is fixedly connected to the bottom wall inside the frame (22), a receiving assembly and a heating assembly are provided inside the microwave cavity (25), and the venting assembly is connected to the receiving assembly. The lifting and translating assembly, the receiving assembly and the heating assembly are electrically connected to a control system (27), and the control system (27) is fixedly connected to the frame (22); The upper sealing assembly includes an upper sealing head (3), which is fixedly connected to the microwave cavity (25) via an upper sealing flange (4). The upper sealing head (3) is connected to a vacuum tube (24), which is connected to the vacuum assembly and the microwave cavity (25). The observation assembly is fixedly connected to the outer wall of the upper sealing head (3). The lower sealing assembly includes a lower sealing head (15), which is detachably connected to the microwave cavity (25) via a lower sealing flange (14). The top end of the lower sealing head (15) is fixedly connected to the receiving assembly, and the bottom end of the lower sealing head (15) is slidably connected to the lifting and translating assembly. The venting assembly is disposed on the lower sealing head (15). The housing assembly includes a furnace tube (6) fixedly connected inside the microwave cavity (25). The outer side wall of the furnace tube (6) is circumferentially fixedly connected with insulation material (7). The bottom opening of the furnace tube (6) is detachably connected to a lower insulation module (12). The bottom end of the lower insulation module (12) is fixedly connected to the top end of the lower sealing head (15). The top end of the lower insulation module (12) is fixedly connected to a sagger (9). The sagger (9) is connected to the ventilation assembly. The top opening of the furnace tube (6) is fixedly connected to an upper insulation module (5). The heating assembly includes several horn antennas (10) fixedly connected to the inner sidewall of the microwave cavity (25). The several horn antennas (10) are arranged at equal intervals around the periphery. One end of each horn antenna (10) extends out of the sidewall of the microwave cavity (25) and is fixedly connected to a microwave head (11). A circulating water cooling control device (23) is connected to the outside of each microwave head (11). The microwave head (11) is electrically connected to a high-voltage switching power supply (13). The high-voltage switching power supply (13) is fixedly connected inside the frame (22).

2. The microwave plasma metal purification device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The lifting and translation assembly includes two slide rails (20) fixedly connected to the bottom wall inside the frame (22). The two slide rails (20) are vertically arranged. A lifting bracket (19) is slidably connected between the two slide rails (20). An electric push rod (21) is arranged between the two slide rails (20). The bottom end of the electric push rod (21) is fixed to the bottom wall inside the frame (22), and the telescopic end of the electric push rod (21) is fixed to the bottom surface of the lifting bracket (19). Two horizontally arranged guide rails (18) are fixedly connected to the top surface of the lifting bracket (19). The two guide rails (18) are parallel and symmetrically arranged. At least two rollers (17) are slidably connected on each guide rail (18). The rollers (17) are installed at the bottom end of the lower sealing head (15). Limit blocks are fixedly connected to both ends of the guide rail (18).

3. The microwave plasma metal purification device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The upper insulation module (5) has two through holes. The observation component includes an infrared thermometer (1) and a camera (2). The infrared thermometer (1) and the camera (2) are both fixedly connected to the outer wall of the upper sealing head (3). The infrared thermometer (1) is set with one of the through holes, and the camera (2) is set with the other through hole.

4. The microwave plasma metal purification device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The ventilation assembly includes an air inlet pipe (8), the air outlet of which is connected to the crucible (9), and the air inlet (16) of the air inlet pipe (8) extends out of the lower sealing head (15) and is connected to an air supply unit.

Images