Apparatus and method for determining characteristics of volatile matter coke

Abstract

The application discloses a device and a method for determining the characteristics of volatile component coke residue, and the device comprises a workbench, a camera, a pressing block, a driving mechanism, a first sensor and a computer. The tabletop of the workbench is provided with a sample station area for placing a volatile component crucible. The camera is used for shooting the volatile component crucible from the top. The pressing block can vertically enter the volatile component crucible to apply pressure to the coke residue. The driving mechanism is connected with the pressing block to drive the vertical movement of the pressing block. The first sensor is arranged on a first target component of the driving mechanism and is used for feeding back the force change of the first target component during the movement of the pressing block. The computer is electrically connected with the camera and the first sensor respectively and is provided with an image analysis module and a force analysis module. The device and the method provided by the application are beneficial to improving the efficiency and the accuracy of the determination of the characteristics of the volatile component coke residue.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of coal quality analysis technology, and in particular to an apparatus and method for determining the characteristics of volatile coke residue. Background Technology

[0002] Volatile matter is a key indicator for coal classification. The volatile matter yield can roughly determine the degree of coal metamorphism; the volatile matter yield and coke residue characteristics can preliminarily determine the coal's processing and utilization properties and its calorific value. Volatile matter and coke residue characteristics refer to the adhesion and coking properties of the residue left at the bottom of the crucible after volatile matter determination. The characteristics of the residue are classified into eight categories according to industry regulations, and their serial numbers are the coke residue characteristic codes. Generally, categories 1-2 are considered to have no adhesion, categories 3-4 to be weakly adhesive, and categories 5-8 to be strongly adhesive. The coke residue characteristics mainly reflect whether the coal will stick together during combustion.

[0003] Currently, the method for determining the characteristics of volatile coke residue is still manual, that is, by touching the sample with fingers and observing it with the eyes. This manual method has drawbacks such as low work efficiency and easy to make mistakes. Therefore, how to improve the efficiency and accuracy of the determination of volatile coke residue characteristics has become a technical problem that urgently needs to be solved by those skilled in the art. Summary of the Invention

[0004] This invention provides the following technical solution:

[0005] An apparatus for determining the characteristics of volatile coke residue, comprising:

[0006] The workbench has a sample work area on its surface for placing volatile crucibles.

[0007] A camera is used to take an overhead view of the volatiles crucible;

[0008] A briquette, which can be vertically inserted into the volatile matter crucible to apply pressure to the coke residue;

[0009] A drive mechanism, connected to the pressure block, is used to drive the pressure block to move vertically;

[0010] A first sensor is disposed on a first target component of the drive mechanism and is used to provide feedback on the force changes of the first target component during the movement of the pressure block;

[0011] The computer is electrically connected to the camera and the first sensor, and is equipped with an image analysis module and a force analysis module.

[0012] Optionally, in the above-described device, the drive mechanism includes:

[0013] A column, wherein the column is provided with a vertically extending slide rail;

[0014] The cantilever has one end slidably connected to the slide rail and the other end connected to the pressure block via a vertical rod.

[0015] Optionally, in the above-described device, the drive mechanism includes:

[0016] A slider is located at the end of the cantilever away from the vertical rod and is slidably connected to the slide rail;

[0017] The screw is vertically arranged and forms a lead screw and nut transmission mechanism with the slider;

[0018] An electric motor is used to drive the screw to rotate.

[0019] Optionally, in the above-described device, the output shaft of the motor is vertically arranged, and one end of the screw is fixedly connected to the output shaft.

[0020] Optionally, in the above-described device, the motor is electrically connected to the computer.

[0021] Optionally, in the above device, there are two sample workstation areas, with the camera located above one of the sample workstation areas and the pressure block located above the other sample workstation area.

[0022] Optionally, the above-described device further includes a transfer mechanism for transferring the volatile crucible from the sample station area below the camera to the sample station area below the pressure block.

[0023] Optionally, in the above-described apparatus, the transfer mechanism includes:

[0024] A telescopic cylinder is fixedly connected to the worktable, and the movable rod of the telescopic cylinder is parallel to the surface of the worktable.

[0025] The crucible holder is fixedly connected to the movable rod of the telescopic cylinder.

[0026] Optionally, the above device further includes a second sensor electrically connected to the computer. The second sensor is disposed on the pressure block or the second target component of the drive mechanism and is used to provide feedback on the positional change of the pressure block or the second target component. The second target component remains relatively fixed to the pressure block during the movement of the pressure block.

[0027] A method for determining the characteristics of volatile coke residue, using an apparatus for determining the characteristics of volatile coke residue as disclosed in any of the foregoing claims, the method comprising the following steps:

[0028] The camera is controlled to take an overhead shot of the volatile crucible placed on the workbench to obtain an image of the coke residue; the coke residue image is compared with a standard image in the model library to obtain a preliminary judgment result, which includes up to four coke residue feature types;

[0029] The drive mechanism is controlled to make the pressing block descend vertically and compact the coke residue in the volatile crucible. The force fed back by the first sensor during the descent of the pressing block is recorded to obtain force feedback information.

[0030] The result that best matches the force feedback information is selected from the preliminary judgment results to obtain the final judgment result.

[0031] The present invention can achieve the following beneficial effects: the device provided by the present invention can realize the mechanical automation of the volatile coke residue characteristic determination work, which is more efficient and easier to guarantee accuracy compared with the traditional method of relying on manual determination. Attached Figure Description

[0032] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention or the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only embodiments of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on the provided drawings without creative effort.

[0033] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of an apparatus for determining the characteristics of volatile coke residue provided in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0034] The diagram is marked as follows:

[0035] 1. Telescopic cylinder; 2. Camera; 3. Vertical rod; 4. Crucible rack; 5. Volatile crucible; 6. Column; 7. Motor. Detailed Implementation

[0036] 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.

[0037] See Figure 1This invention provides an apparatus for determining the characteristics of volatile matter in coke residue, comprising a worktable (unmarked), a camera 2, a pressing block (unmarked), a drive mechanism, a first sensor (not shown), and a computer (not shown). The worktable has a sample work area for placing a volatile matter crucible 5, which is the crucible used to determine the volatile matter content of coal. The sample work area is a designated area on the worktable for placing the volatile matter crucible 5. Placing the volatile matter crucible 5 in the sample work area allows it to coordinate with other components of the apparatus, enabling the coke residue inside the crucible to undergo corresponding operations. The camera 2 is used to capture overhead images of the volatile matter crucible 5, which is open, allowing the camera 2 to photograph the coke residue inside. The drive mechanism is connected to the pressure block to drive it to move vertically. The pressure block can enter the volatile matter crucible 5 vertically to apply pressure to the coke residue. That is, the pressure block moves vertically under the drive mechanism. The main function of the pressure block is to move downwards into the volatile matter crucible 5 and press the coke residue. A first sensor is set on the first target component of the drive mechanism to provide feedback on the force changes of the first target component during the movement of the pressure block. The force changes of the first target component should be able to reflect the degree of resistance to movement after the pressure block comes into contact with the coke residue. Its main function is to provide feedback on the hardness of the coke residue. The computer is electrically connected to the camera 2 and the first sensor, respectively. The computer is equipped with an image analysis module and a force analysis module. The image analysis module is used to compare the images captured by the camera 2 with the pre-stored image models, thereby making a preliminary determination of the type of volatile matter coke residue characteristics. The force analysis module is used to analyze the force fed back by the first sensor, so that the computer can further determine the type of volatile matter coke residue characteristics based on the force information during the coke residue's compression process.

[0038] The device provided by this invention enables the mechanized automation of the determination of volatile matter and coke residue characteristics. Compared to the traditional method relying on manual determination, it offers higher efficiency and ensures greater accuracy. See also Figure 1In this embodiment, two sample workstations are set on the workbench surface. The camera 2 is located above one of the sample workstations, and the pressure block is located above the other sample workstation. The device also includes a transfer mechanism for transferring the volatile matter crucible 5 from the sample workstation below the camera 2 to the sample workstation below the pressure block. During operation, the worker places the volatile matter crucible 5 in the sample workstation below the camera 2. After the camera 2 takes a picture, the transfer mechanism automatically transfers the volatile matter crucible 5 to the sample workstation below the pressure block. Then, the pressure block is vertically inserted into the volatile matter crucible 5 under the action of the drive mechanism. After pressing the coke residue, it returns to its original height under the action of the drive mechanism. The reason for setting up a sample station area below the camera 2 and another below the pressure block is to reduce unnecessary movements of the camera 2 and the pressure block. Of course, in other embodiments, only one sample station area can be set up, in which case the transfer mechanism can be omitted. For example, if the sample station area is only set up below the camera 2, the pressure block can move vertically and horizontally under the action of the drive mechanism. In this way, after the camera 2 takes a picture, the pressure block can be moved above the volatile matter crucible 5 by the action of the drive mechanism. As another example, if the sample station area is only set up below the pressure block, and a drive device is provided for the camera 2, the camera 2 can move to the area between the pressure block and the volatile matter crucible 5. After taking a picture, the drive device will then move the camera 2 away to avoid affecting the subsequent movement of the pressure block.

[0039] See Figure 1In this embodiment, the transfer mechanism includes: a telescopic cylinder 1, fixedly connected to the worktable, with the movable rod of the telescopic cylinder 1 parallel to the surface of the worktable; and a crucible rack 4, fixedly connected to the movable rod of the telescopic cylinder 1. The crucible rack 4 can reciprocate in a straight line under the drive of the telescopic cylinder 1, thereby transferring the volatile crucible 5 from the sample station area below the camera 2 to the sample station area below the pressing block. Specifically, the telescopic cylinder 1 can be a pneumatic cylinder, a hydraulic cylinder, or an electric cylinder. The structure of the crucible rack 4 can be varied. In a preferred embodiment, after the volatile crucible 5 is placed on the crucible rack 4, the bottom of the volatile crucible 5 contacts the surface of the worktable, so that when the pressing block presses down on the coke residue inside the volatile crucible 5, the worktable directly supports the volatile crucible 5. The connection structure between the volatile matter crucible 5 and the crucible holder 4 can be selected in several forms. For example, this connection structure only drives the volatile matter crucible 5 in a single stroke of the movable rod; that is, the telescopic cylinder 1 is only responsible for transferring the volatile matter crucible 5 from the sample station area below the camera 2 to the sample station area below the pressure block, and is not responsible for bringing the volatile matter crucible 5 back to the sample station area below the camera 2. Another example is that this connection structure drives the volatile matter crucible 5 in both strokes of the movable rod; that is, the telescopic cylinder 1 is responsible not only for transferring the volatile matter crucible 5 from the sample station area below the camera 2 to the sample station area below the pressure block, but also for bringing the volatile matter crucible 5 back to the sample station area below the camera 2. Figure 1 As shown, in this embodiment, the crucible rack 4 is set as a positioning plate with through holes. The volatile crucible 5 passes through the through holes of the positioning plate and is placed on the worktable. When the movable rod of the telescopic cylinder 1 moves back and forth, the volatile crucible 5 can move back and forth with the positioning plate.

[0040] In a preferred embodiment, the drive mechanism includes a column 6 and a cantilever (not marked in the figure). The column 6 is provided with a vertically extending slide rail. One end of the cantilever is slidably connected to the slide rail, and the other end is connected to the pressure block via a vertical rod 3. The length of the vertical rod 3 should be such that when the pressure block moves to the bottom of the volatile matter crucible 5, the cantilever will not contact the top of the volatile matter crucible 5. Of course, in other embodiments, the drive mechanism can be configured with other structural forms, as long as it can drive the pressure block to move vertically.

[0041] The drive unit of the drive mechanism has various structural forms to choose from, such as... Figure 1As shown, in this embodiment, the driving mechanism includes: a slider, disposed at the end of the cantilever away from the vertical rod 3, and slidably connected to the slide rail; a screw, vertically disposed and forming a screw-nut transmission mechanism with the slider; and a motor 7, used to drive the screw to rotate. That is, in this embodiment, the cantilever moves up and down along the slide rail under the driving action of the motor 7. Preferably, the motor 7 is configured to be a reversible motor, which simplifies the transmission structure between the motor 7 and the screw. For example, the output shaft of the motor 7 is vertically disposed, and one end of the screw is fixedly connected to the output shaft. Of course, the motor 7 and the screw can also be connected through a transmission mechanism with a reversing function. When the motor 7 rotates in one direction, the reversing function of the transmission mechanism realizes the forward and reverse rotation of the screw. To improve the automation level of the device, the motor 7 is preferably configured to be electrically connected to a computer, so that the computer can automatically identify the operating parameters of the motor 7.

[0042] In a preferred embodiment, the device further includes a second sensor electrically connected to a computer. The second sensor is disposed on a second target component of the pressing block or driving mechanism and is used to provide feedback on position changes of the pressing block or the second target component. The second target component remains relatively fixed to the pressing block during its movement. The computer can obtain the height position change of the pressing block through the second sensor. The position information of the pressing block can be used to control its movement and to record the position of the pressing block when specific feedback force information is received. For example, when the motor 7 drives the cantilever to move downwards, the motor 7 rotates at high speed before the pressing block reaches the top of the volatile matter crucible 5, causing the pressing block to descend rapidly. After the pressing block reaches the top of the volatile matter crucible 5, the motor 7 rotates at low speed, causing the pressing block to slowly enter the volatile matter crucible 5. As the pressing block descends, the position to which the pressing block moves when the force fed back by the first sensor first increases is recorded. This position information can help determine the characteristics of the volatile matter coke residue.

[0043] According to industry standards for coal quality analysis, the characteristics of volatile matter in coke residue are classified into the following eight types:

[0044] Type I: Powdered state – entirely powdery, with no particles adhering to each other;

[0045] Class II: Adhesive – It turns into powder or is essentially powder when touched with a finger, with larger clumps turning into powder with a light touch;

[0046] Class III: Weak adhesion – can be easily broken into pieces with a light press of the finger;

[0047] Class IV: Non-melting and bonded – It can only be broken into pieces when pressed with a finger; the upper surface of the charred residue is dull and the lower surface has a silvery-white luster.

[0048] Type V: Non-expanding molten bonding - The coke slag is flat and blocky, the boundaries of coal particles are not easy to distinguish, the upper surface has a distinct silvery-white metallic luster, and the lower surface has a more obvious silvery-white luster.

[0049] Type VI: Micro-expansion fused bond – cannot be crushed with fingers, has a silvery-white metallic luster on both the upper and lower surfaces and small expansion bubbles (or small air bubbles);

[0050] Category VII: Expanded, molten, and sticky – The upper and lower surfaces of the coke residue have a silvery-white metallic luster and are obviously expanded, but the height does not exceed 15 mm;

[0051] Class VIII: Strong expansion and fusion bonding - The upper and lower surfaces of the coke slag have silvery-white metallic coke slag, which is obviously expanded and has a height greater than 15mm.

[0052] The determination of the characteristics of volatile coke residue involves identifying which of the eight types the analyzed sample belongs to. Based on the apparatus for determining the characteristics of volatile coke residue of this invention, this invention provides a method for determining the characteristics of volatile coke residue, which includes the following steps:

[0053] The camera 2 is used to take an overhead shot of the volatile matter crucible 5 placed on the workbench to obtain an image of the coke residue.

[0054] The image of coke residue is compared with the standard image in the model library to obtain a preliminary judgment result, which includes up to four coke residue feature types.

[0055] The control drive mechanism causes the press block to descend vertically and compact the coke residue in the volatile crucible 5. The force fed back by the first sensor during the descent of the press block is recorded to obtain force feedback information.

[0056] The results that best match the force feedback information are selected from the preliminary judgment results to obtain the final judgment result.

[0057] It should be noted that the model library containing standard images was pre-built and imported into the computer. When building the model library, eight standard coal samples were first selected. The coke residue characteristics of these eight standard coal samples were known and corresponded to the above eight categories respectively. Then, the above eight standard coal samples were tested according to the volatile matter determination method specified in the industry. After the test, the coke residue in the volatile matter crucible 5 was photographed to obtain the standard images.

[0058] The coke residue image is compared with standard images in the model library. This involves comparing the coke residue image with the standard images corresponding to eight standard coal samples, and using the image with the highest similarity to the standard image as the preliminary judgment result. As can be seen from the characteristics of the eight types mentioned above, some types are easily uniquely identified by images. For these types, when the above method reaches the image comparison step, the preliminary judgment result will only contain one coke residue feature type. In this case, further steps are unnecessary. Therefore, in a preferred embodiment, the above method includes: when the preliminary judgment result contains only one coke residue feature type, the preliminary judgment result is used as the final judgment result.

[0059] For types that are difficult to uniquely determine from images, such as the aforementioned types IV, V, VI, and VII, the computer sorts the coke residue images from high to low based on their similarity to the standard images corresponding to the eight standard coal samples. The coke residue characteristic types of the standard coal samples corresponding to the top few (the specific number can be preset by the program, generally not exceeding four) similarities are taken together as the preliminary judgment result.

[0060] It should be noted that, due to the limitations of the test specifications on the amount of coal sample used in the volatile matter determination test, the amount of coke residue will not be too large. Compacting the coke residue in the volatile matter crucible 5 with briquettes means that the briquettes descend to a predetermined distance from the bottom surface of the inner cavity of the volatile matter crucible 5. This predetermined distance is generally set to 2mm to 3mm. The force fed back by the first sensor can be either force or torque. In order to make the above force feedback information a parameter to assist in determining the characteristic type of coke residue, the force fed back by the first sensor should meet certain conditions during the process of the briquettes descending and compacting the coke residue. These certain conditions are that the force gradually increases from an initial predetermined value.

[0061] See Figure 1 In this embodiment, the first sensor provides feedback on the torque of the motor 7. The motor 7 drives the slider to move along the column 6 via a screw. The slider is fixedly connected to the vertical rod 3 via a cantilever. When the slider descends to the bottom of the screw, the pressure block at the lower end of the vertical rod 3 descends to a preset distance from the bottom surface of the inner cavity of the volatile matter crucible 5, at which point the pressure block compacts the coke residue inside the volatile matter crucible 5. During operation, driven by the motor 7, the pressure block descends with the vertical rod 3 at a constant speed until the slider descends to the bottom of the screw. During this process, if the resistance experienced by the pressure block increases, the motor 7 increases the torque to maintain the descending speed of the pressure block. The computer obtains the torque value of the motor 7 when the slider descends to each position through the sensor. After the slider descends to the bottom of the screw, the computer obtains the force feedback information of the entire descent process and automatically determines the type of coke residue characteristics based on this force feedback information. For example, in a specific embodiment, the computer determines the type of coke residue characteristics according to the following table based on the force feedback information:

[0062]

[0063] It should be noted that the percentages in the table above refer to the ratio between the actual output torque of the motor and the rated torque of the motor. For example, if the rated torque of motor 7 is 5 Nm, then 50% of the motor torque means that the actual output torque of motor 7 is 2.5 Nm. It should be understood that when motors 7 with different rated torques are used, the percentages and percentage ranges corresponding to each coke residue characteristic type in the table above will be different, but this will not affect the working principle of the method for determining the characteristics of volatile coke residue.

[0064] The various embodiments in this specification are described in a progressive manner, with each embodiment focusing on the differences from other embodiments. The same or similar parts between the various embodiments can be referred to each other.

[0065] The above description of the disclosed embodiments enables those skilled in the art to make or use the invention. Various modifications to these embodiments will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be implemented in other embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Therefore, the invention is not to be limited to the embodiments shown herein, but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

Claims

1. An apparatus for determining the characteristics of volatile coke residue, characterized in that, include: The workbench has a sample work area on its surface for placing volatile crucibles. A camera is used to take an overhead view of the volatiles crucible; A briquette, which can be vertically inserted into the volatile matter crucible to apply pressure to the coke residue; A drive mechanism, connected to the pressure block, is used to drive the pressure block to move vertically; A first sensor is disposed on a first target component of the drive mechanism and is used to provide feedback on the force changes of the first target component during the movement of the pressure block; A computer, electrically connected to the camera and the first sensor, is equipped with an image analysis module and a force analysis module. The image analysis module is used to compare the image captured by the camera with a pre-stored image model to make a preliminary determination of the type of volatile coke residue characteristics. The force analysis module is used to analyze the force fed back by the first sensor, so that the computer can further determine the type of volatile coke residue characteristics based on the force information during the coke residue's compression process. The sample work area is divided into two sections, with the camera located above one of the sample work areas and the pressure block located above the other sample work area. It also includes a transfer mechanism for transferring the volatile crucible from the sample station area below the camera to the sample station area below the pressure block; It also includes a second sensor electrically connected to the computer. The second sensor is disposed on the pressure block or the second target component of the drive mechanism and is used to provide feedback on the positional change of the pressure block or the second target component. The second target component remains relatively fixed to the pressure block during the movement of the pressure block.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that, The drive mechanism includes: A column, wherein the column is provided with a vertically extending slide rail; The cantilever has one end slidably connected to the slide rail and the other end connected to the pressure block via a vertical rod.

3. The apparatus according to claim 2, characterized in that, The drive mechanism includes: A slider is located at the end of the cantilever away from the vertical rod and is slidably connected to the slide rail; The screw is vertically arranged and forms a lead screw and nut transmission mechanism with the slider; An electric motor is used to drive the screw to rotate.

4. The apparatus according to claim 3, characterized in that, The output shaft of the motor is vertically arranged, and one end of the screw is fixedly connected to the output shaft.

5. The apparatus according to claim 3, characterized in that, The motor is electrically connected to the computer.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that, The transfer mechanism includes: A telescopic cylinder is fixedly connected to the worktable, and the movable rod of the telescopic cylinder is parallel to the surface of the worktable. The crucible holder is fixedly connected to the movable rod of the telescopic cylinder.

7. A method for determining the characteristics of volatile coke residue, characterized in that, Using the apparatus for determining the characteristics of volatile coke residue as described in any one of claims 1 to 6, the method comprises the following steps: The camera is controlled to take an overhead shot of the volatile crucible placed on the worktable to obtain an image of the coke residue. The coke residue image is compared with the standard images in the model library to obtain a preliminary judgment result, which includes up to four of the coke residue feature types corresponding to the eight standard coal samples. The drive mechanism is controlled to make the pressing block descend vertically and compact the coke residue in the volatile crucible. The force fed back by the first sensor during the descent of the pressing block is recorded to obtain force feedback information. The result that best matches the force feedback information is selected from the preliminary judgment results to obtain the final judgment result.

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