A gate plugging material throwing device and method

Abstract

The application provides a gate plugging material throwing device and method, which comprises hoisting equipment, a lifting hook of the hoisting equipment is connected with a throwing device through a cable, the throwing device comprises a throwing tank, the throwing tank is filled with plugging material, an upper portion of the throwing tank is provided with a top cover, an upper side of the top cover is provided with a flow sensor, one side of the top cover is provided with a pressure sensor, a linkage rod is arranged in the throwing tank, a stirring mechanism is arranged on the linkage rod, the linkage rod is driven by a motor, and a throwing hole is arranged in an upper portion side wall of the throwing tank. The throwing device can avoid wide net throwing due to unknown specific water leakage points, improve plugging efficiency and effect, and avoid a large amount of wasted throwing material.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of hydraulic engineering, and in particular to a device and method for throwing out gate sealing material. Background Technology

[0002] Gates are a crucial component of hydraulic engineering metal structures, and their safe and stable operation is essential for the normal functioning of the entire project. After prolonged operation, power station gates frequently experience leakage. Gate leakage not only results in the loss of hydraulic resources but also increases drainage time during unit maintenance, delaying related progress. Furthermore, large leaks can cause frequent start-ups and shutdowns of maintenance pumps, leading to damage. Therefore, gate sealing is of paramount importance for the normal operation and maintenance of hydropower station units. However, traditional gate sealing methods typically involve directly throwing sealing material onto the water-facing surface of the gate. The material falls under its own weight in the water, and as it approaches the leak, the water flow carries it to the vicinity, gradually accumulating to achieve the sealing effect. In this process, to achieve the desired sealing effect, a large amount of sealing material must be attracted to the leak at once. Therefore, a large amount of material needs to be thrown at once, inevitably resulting in a significant amount of material being wasted and sinking to the riverbed under its own weight. Therefore, it is necessary to develop an efficient and simple throwing device to accurately deliver the sealing material, avoid excessive loss of the sealing material, and complete the gate sealing work. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a gate sealing material throwing device and method, which avoids the use of a wide net throwing method due to the unknown specific leakage point, improves the sealing efficiency and effect, and avoids a large amount of waste of throwing material.

[0004] To solve the above-mentioned technical problems, the technical solution adopted by the present invention is: a gate sealing material throwing device, including a lifting device, the hook of the lifting device is connected to the throwing device through a cable, the throwing device includes a throwing tank, the throwing tank is filled with sealing material, the upper opening of the throwing tank is provided with a top cover, a flow sensor is provided on the upper side of the top cover, a pressure sensor is provided on one side of the top cover, a linkage rod is provided inside the throwing tank, a stirring mechanism is provided on the linkage rod, the linkage rod is driven by a motor, and a throwing hole is provided on the upper middle side wall of the throwing tank.

[0005] In a preferred embodiment, the diameter of the throwing hole is 25~35mm.

[0006] In a preferred embodiment, the sealing material filled in the throwing tank is coal slag particles coated with bentonite.

[0007] In a preferred embodiment, a protective box is provided on the upper side of the top cover, and the motor is installed inside the protective box.

[0008] In a preferred embodiment, the stirring mechanism includes several annular rubber brushes, which are connected to a linkage rod via a connecting rod.

[0009] In a preferred embodiment, a counterweight is provided at the bottom of the throwing tank.

[0010] In a preferred embodiment, the lower outer side of the top cover is provided with an external thread, and the upper inner side of the throwing tank is provided with an internal thread that matches the external thread, so that the top cover and the throwing tank are connected by threads.

[0011] In a preferred embodiment, the lifting equipment is a tower crane.

[0012] The present invention also provides an operating method for a gate sealing material throwing device, comprising the following steps: Step 1: Rotate the top cover of the throwing tank down, fill the inside of the throwing tank with sealing material, making sure the height of the sealing material is lower than the height of the lowest throwing hole, and then put the top cover back on. Step 2: The lifting equipment will lower the throwing device into the water and move it to the approximate area of ​​the leak. Adjust the depth and horizontal position of the throwing device, and monitor the data of the flow sensor and pressure sensor. When the flow and pressure data show significant fluctuations or abnormalities, it is determined that the turbulent area of ​​the leak has been entered. Continue to move the throwing device, and determine the throwing point by the degree of abnormality of the flow sensor and pressure sensor values ​​within the depth range of this area. Stop moving the throwing device. Step 3: Start the motor. The motor drives the linkage rod to rotate, which in turn drives the stirring mechanism to rotate. This keeps the material inside the throwing tank in a suspended state. The material is thrown out of the throwing tank by the water flow. The sealing material flows out through the throwing hole and flows with the water to the leak point to perform gate sealing work. Step 4: After the material is thrown, the lifting equipment will bring the throwing equipment back to the water surface, completing the throwing operation.

[0013] The gate sealing material throwing device and method provided by the present invention have the following beneficial effects: 1. This invention, through the cooperation of lifting equipment, flow sensors, and pressure sensors, positions the throwing device precisely near the gate's leakage point, accurately delivering the sealing material to that point. This avoids the need for widespread, net-like throwing due to an unknown leakage location, significantly saving sealing time, improving sealing efficiency and effectiveness, and preventing substantial waste of throwing materials.

[0014] 2. The throwing device in this invention can carry a quantitative and effective amount of sealing material to the vicinity of the leak point, avoiding the problems of blind throwing leading to huge amounts of sealing material, low throwing efficiency, and unsatisfactory sealing effect. It greatly saves the material used for throwing and sealing, improves the efficiency and effect of sealing, and greatly increases the utilization rate.

[0015] 3. By setting counterweights, the interference of water pressure and leakage rate at underwater leakage points can be overcome, greatly improving the accuracy of the throwing equipment and the efficiency of plugging leaks.

[0016] 4. In this invention, the electric motor inside the throwing device drives the linkage rod so that the rubber brush rotates, which helps the sealing material to always be in a suspended state, and makes it easier to use water flow to make the sealing material flow to the leakage point.

[0017] 5. Compared with existing gate sealing methods, the throwing device in this invention greatly improves efficiency and effectiveness, saves sealing materials, saves time for power plant staff, improves work efficiency, and facilitates the maintenance of units behind the gate and the use of maintenance pumps. Attached Figure Description

[0018] The present invention will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments: Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the present invention; Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the throwing equipment. Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the internal structure of the throwing equipment; Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a ring-shaped rubber brush; In the diagram: 1. Lifting equipment; 2. Cable; 3. Throwing tank; 4. Top cover; 5. Flow sensor; 6. Pressure sensor; 7. Linkage rod; 8. Motor; 9. Protection box; 10. Annular rubber brush; 11. Connecting rod; 12. Counterweight; 101. Hook; 301. Throwing hole. Detailed Implementation

[0019] like Figures 1-3 As shown, a gate sealing material throwing device includes a lifting device 1. In this embodiment, the lifting device 1 is a tower crane. The hook 101 of the lifting device 1 is connected to the throwing device through a cable 2. The horizontal position and depth position of the throwing device can be adjusted by the lifting device 1.

[0020] The throwing equipment includes a throwing tank 3, which is filled with sealing material. In practice, the sealing material is bentonite-coated coal slag particles. The sealing material has been graded and sorted according to the test results, and the gradation of the sealing material follows the Andreasen formula. m i = ( d / d max ) n Sorting is performed using ×100, where m i For diameter less than d The cumulative mass fraction of particles,d max The best results are achieved when n is 1.2 times the size of the largest gap at the leak point and n is between 0.6 and 0.8.

[0021] The upper opening of the throwing tank 3 is equipped with a top cover 4. The lower outer side of the top cover 4 has external threads, and the upper inner side of the throwing tank 3 has internal threads that engage with the external threads. The top cover 4 is threadedly connected to the throwing tank 3, facilitating the opening and closing of the top cover 4. A flow sensor 5 is installed on the upper side of the top cover 4, and a pressure sensor 6 is installed on one side of the top cover 4. The flow sensor 5 collects flow data by measuring the water flow through the top cover of the throwing equipment. The pressure sensor 6 mainly collects the water pressure in its vicinity, thereby determining the area of ​​leakage. The flow sensor 5 and the pressure sensor 6 are connected to the control and monitoring equipment on the dam crest via cables, facilitating real-time monitoring of flow and pressure data near the throwing equipment. This solves the problem of workers observing leakage points from behind the gate and improves work efficiency.

[0022] The throwing tank 3 is equipped with a linkage rod 7, which has a stirring mechanism. The linkage rod 7 is driven by a motor 8, which is located on the top cover 4. The output shaft of the motor 8 is connected to the linkage rod 7, and the linkage rod 7 is rotatably mounted on the top cover 4 via bearings. The upper middle side wall of the throwing tank 3 has a throwing hole 301. The linkage rod 7 is driven by the motor 8 to rotate, which in turn drives the stirring mechanism to stir the sealing material, causing the sealing material to be suspended in the throwing tank 3. Under the action of turbulence in the leakage area, the sealing material overflows from the throwing hole 301 and flows towards the gate leakage point under the action of water flow.

[0023] Because the plugging material particles are coated with bentonite, which has a certain viscosity and slow expansion properties when exposed to water, and because the surface of the throwing tank 3 is evenly distributed with throwing holes 301, when the throwing tank 3 sinks into the water, water enters the throwing tank 3 evenly. Under the action of external water pressure and the micro-adhesion effect of the plugging material particles, the particles are not easy to freely overflow without the action of external force, ensuring that the plugging material is sufficient before the plugging action.

[0024] Upon reaching the leak point, the motor 8 drives the linkage rod 7 to rotate, which in turn drives the stirring mechanism to stir the sealing material. This causes the sealing material to be suspended in the throwing tank 3. At this time, the internal force exerted on the particles by the stirring mechanism is much greater than the micro-adhesion force between the particles and the external water pressure. Under the throwing action of the stirring mechanism, the particles will overflow from the throwing hole 301 to achieve the sealing effect.

[0025] In this embodiment, the diameter of the throwing hole 301 is 25-35 mm. Since the particle size of the thrown material is controlled by the size of the throwing hole 301, if the throwing hole is too small, the particles overflowing from the throwing tank 3 will also be too small. If the gate leakage gap is too large, the small particles will not be able to achieve the desired sealing effect; if the throwing hole 301 is too large, there is a risk that particles will overflow directly from the throwing device before the throwing tank 3 is lowered and the throwing operation begins. Therefore, the size of the throwing tank 3 should be selected based on the size of the gate leakage gap. Taking the Gezhouba Dam gate as an example, most leakage points have a gap size of around 15 mm, so the throwing hole 301 should be twice the gap size, ideally 30 mm.

[0026] The top cover 4 is provided with a protective box 9, and the motor 8 is installed inside the protective box 9. The motor 8 is waterproofed by the protective box 9.

[0027] In this embodiment, as Figure 4 As shown, the stirring mechanism includes several annular rubber brushes 10, which are connected to the linkage rod 7 via a connecting rod 11.

[0028] Preliminary tests on the strength of coal slag showed that the strength of the coal slag particles suitable for throwing is approximately between 200 and 300 N. This invention uses bentonite to coat the coal slag material. Bentonite is relatively soft; if a conventional mixer is used, the metal stirring rod will damage the integrity of the particles. Therefore, a ring-shaped rubber brush 10 was chosen as the mixing tool.

[0029] The annular rubber brush 10 can agitate and separate the sealing material while applying a horizontal force to it, allowing the sealing material to achieve a greater horizontal flow velocity and increasing the success rate of sealing.

[0030] Preferably, the bottom of the throwing tank 3 is provided with a counterweight 12. By setting the counterweight 12, the throwing tank 3 can be kept stable, so that the linkage rod 7 in the throwing device can rotate the circular rubber brush 10 at a uniform and stable speed, maintaining the throwing process efficiently and stably.

[0031] A method for operating a gate sealing material throwing device, characterized by comprising the following steps: Before the formal deployment of the plugging equipment, a point-type velocity meter was used to measure and record the velocity variations at different water depths below the gate. The location with the largest velocity variation was the location of the gate's leak, which was also the deployment point for the equipment. The recorded velocity variation and water depth range at this location could serve as the basis for the formal deployment. Since the point-type velocity meter could not transmit real-time data, the equipment needed to be pulled up for data extraction. However, the flow and pressure sensors installed on the deployment equipment could transmit data in real time. Therefore, the underwater data was first obtained using the point-type velocity meter as the basis for the formal deployment.

[0032] Assuming that the above tests determine the location of the leak at approximately 20m underwater, where the flow velocity exceeds 0.50 m / s, then during the actual application of the sealant, we should closely monitor the flow velocity and pressure data returned by flow sensor 5 and pressure sensor 6. Once the pressure exceeds 200 kPa and the flow velocity exceeds 0.50 m / s, we should immediately start the motor to apply the sealant.

[0033] Step 1: Rotate the top cover 4 of the throwing tank 3 down, fill the throwing tank 3 with sealing material, and fill the sealing material to a height lower than the lowest throwing hole 301. Then put the top cover 4 back on.

[0034] Step 2: The lifting equipment 1 lowers the throwing device into the water and moves it to the approximate area of ​​the leak. The depth and horizontal position of the throwing device are adjusted, and the data of the flow sensor 5 and pressure sensor 6 are monitored. When the flow and pressure data show significant fluctuations or abnormalities, it is determined that the turbulent area of ​​the leak has been entered. The throwing device is then moved further. The throwing point is determined by the degree of abnormality of the values ​​of the flow sensor 5 and pressure sensor 6 within the depth range of this area. The movement of the throwing device is then stopped.

[0035] Step 3: Start the motor 8. The motor 8 drives the linkage rod 7 to rotate. The linkage rod 7 drives the stirring mechanism to rotate, so that the material inside the throwing tank 3 is always in a suspended state. The material is thrown out of the throwing tank 3 by the action of the water flow speed. The sealing material flows out through the throwing hole 301 and flows with the water to the leak point to perform gate sealing work.

[0036] Step 4: After the material is thrown, the lifting equipment 1 will bring the throwing equipment back to the water surface, thus completing the throwing operation.

[0037] The original method of sealing the gate leak involved using coal ash, which was directly dumped from the top of the dam, horizontally near the gate. The coal ash was not graded or sorted. In this process, the coal ash first slowly settled under gravity. As it approached the leak point, the free flow at the leak point created a horizontal velocity. This velocity carried the coal ash towards the leak point during its descent, directly (larger particles first) getting stuck there, while smaller particles filled the gaps between the larger particles, gradually achieving a sealing effect. However, this method has the following problems: ① The coal ash was not graded or sorted, making the sealing process random and the effectiveness unreliable; ② Although there was a horizontal velocity near the leak point, this velocity was too low. The coal ash was only attracted when it was very close to the gate, resulting in a very high coal ash loss rate.

[0038] This invention utilizes a lifting device in conjunction with flow and pressure sensors to precisely position the throwing device near the gate's leakage point, accurately delivering the sealing material to that point. This avoids the need for widespread, net-like throwing due to an unknown leak location, significantly saving sealing time, improving efficiency and effectiveness, and preventing substantial waste of material.

[0039] The throwing device in this invention can carry a quantitative and effective amount of sealing material to the vicinity of the leak point, avoiding the problems of blind throwing that leads to huge amounts of sealing material, low throwing efficiency, and unsatisfactory sealing effect. It greatly saves the material used for throwing and sealing, improves the efficiency and effect of sealing, and greatly increases the utilization rate.

[0040] By setting counterweights, the interference of water pressure and leakage velocity at underwater seepage points can be overcome, greatly improving the accuracy of the throwing equipment and the efficiency of plugging leaks.

[0041] In this invention, the electric motor inside the throwing device drives the linkage rod, which makes the rubber brush rotate so that the sealing material is always in a suspended state, and it is beneficial to use water flow to better direct the sealing material to the leakage point.

[0042] Compared with existing gate sealing methods, the throwing device in this invention greatly improves efficiency and effectiveness, saves sealing materials, saves time for power plant staff, improves work efficiency, and facilitates the maintenance of units behind the gate and the use of maintenance pumps.

Claims

1. A gate sealing material throwing device, characterized in that, The equipment includes a lifting device (1), the hook (101) of the lifting device (1) is connected to the throwing device via a cable (2), the throwing device includes a throwing tank (3), the throwing tank (3) is filled with sealing material, the upper opening of the throwing tank (3) is provided with a top cover (4), the top cover (4) is provided with a flow sensor (5) on the upper side, the top cover (4) is provided with a pressure sensor (6) on one side, the throwing tank (3) is provided with a linkage rod (7), the linkage rod (7) is provided with a stirring mechanism, the linkage rod (7) is driven by a motor (8), and the middle upper side wall of the throwing tank (3) is provided with a throwing hole (301).

2. The gate sealing material throwing device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The diameter of the throwing hole (301) is 25~35mm.

3. The gate sealing material throwing device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The sealing material filled in the throwing tank (3) is coal slag particles wrapped with bentonite.

4. The gate sealing material throwing device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The top cover (4) is provided with a protective box (9) on the upper side, and the motor (8) is installed inside the protective box (9).

5. The gate sealing material throwing device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The stirring mechanism includes several annular rubber brushes (10), which are connected to the linkage rod (7) via a connecting rod (11).

6. The gate sealing material throwing device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The bottom of the throwing tank (3) is equipped with a counterweight (12).

7. The gate sealing material throwing device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The top cover (4) has an external thread on the lower outer side, and the throwing tank (3) has an internal thread on the upper inner side. The top cover (4) and the throwing tank (3) are connected by threads.

8. The gate sealing material throwing device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The lifting equipment (1) is a tower crane.

9. A method for operating a gate sealing material throwing device, characterized in that, Operating the apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 8 includes the following steps: Step 1: Rotate down the top cover (4) of the throwing tank (3), fill the inside of the throwing tank (3) with sealing material, the height of the filling sealing material is lower than the height of the lowest throwing hole (301), and then put the top cover (4) back on. Step 2: The lifting equipment (1) is used to put the throwing device into the water and move it to the approximate area of ​​the leak. The depth and horizontal position of the throwing device are adjusted, and the data of the flow sensor (5) and pressure sensor (6) are monitored. When the flow data and pressure data show obvious fluctuations or abnormalities, it is determined that the turbulent area of ​​the leak point has been entered. The throwing device is moved further. The throwing point is determined by the degree of abnormality of the values ​​of the flow sensor (5) and pressure sensor (6) within the depth range of this area. The movement of the throwing device is then stopped. Step 3: Start the motor (8). The motor (8) drives the linkage rod (7) to rotate. The linkage rod (7) drives the stirring mechanism to rotate, so that the material inside the throwing tank (3) is always in a suspended state. The material is thrown out of the throwing tank (3) by the action of the water flow speed. The sealing material flows out through the throwing hole (301) and flows with the water flow to the leak point to carry out the gate sealing work. Step 4: After the material is thrown, the lifting equipment (1) will bring the throwing equipment back to the water surface to complete the throwing operation.

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