Plasma spheroidizing method and device for high-temperature fusible powder material

Abstract

The invention relates to the technical field of powder material preparation, in particular to a high-temperature fusible powder material plasma spheroidizing method and device.The high-temperature fusible powder material plasma spheroidizing device comprises a spheroidizing chamber, the spheroidizing chamber is connected with a quenching chamber, and the quenching chamber is connected with a powder collecting chamber; the powder feeding assembly is arranged at an inlet of the spheroidizing chamber; the temperature control assembly comprises a heating mechanism and an inner wall adjusting mechanism; the cooling assembly is arranged in the quenching chamber, and the cooling assembly is used for reducing the temperature of the quenching chamber; according to the plasma spheroidizing device, the volume of the spheroidizing chamber can be dynamically adjusted through the inner wall adjusting mechanism, adaptive adjustment can be conducted according to different metal powder, and therefore the plasma spheroidizing rate of specific metal powder is increased under the same preparation condition.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of powder material preparation, and specifically to a plasma spheroidization method and device for high-temperature fusible powder materials. Background Art

[0002] With the surge in demand for high-purity, narrow particle size distribution spherical metal powders in the high-end manufacturing field, traditional preparation methods (such as hydrogen reduction method, mechanical ball milling method) are difficult to obtain micro-nano powders with high sphericity and narrow particle size distribution. The plasma spheroidization technology, relying on the characteristics of high temperature and high energy density, can achieve rapid melting of powder particles and spherical solidification driven by surface tension, and is the core technical direction to break through the existing preparation bottleneck.

[0003] The existing plasma spheroidization devices have the following obvious disadvantages: (1) The energy loss of the powder is fast after entering the spheroidization chamber; (2) The heat preservation performance of the spheroidization chamber is poor, and the heat loss efficiency is high, which greatly affects the powder spheroidization effect. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The purpose of the present invention is to provide a plasma spheroidization method and device for high-temperature fusible powder materials to solve the problems raised in the above background art.

[0005] To achieve the above purpose, the present invention provides the following technical solutions: A plasma spheroidization device for high-temperature fusible powder materials, comprising: A spheroidization chamber, the spheroidization chamber is connected to a rapid cooling chamber, and the rapid cooling chamber is connected to a powder collection chamber; A powder feeding assembly, the powder feeding assembly is arranged in the spheroidization chamber, and the powder feeding assembly is used to input raw material particles into the spheroidization chamber; A temperature control assembly, the temperature control assembly is arranged in the spheroidization chamber, the temperature control assembly includes a heating mechanism and an inner wall adjusting mechanism, the heating mechanism is used to heat the raw material particles in the spheroidization chamber and form metal droplets, and the inner wall adjusting mechanism is used to adjust the volume size of the spheroidization chamber; A cooling assembly, the cooling assembly is arranged in the rapid cooling chamber, and the cooling assembly is used to reduce the temperature of the rapid cooling chamber; An energy recovery assembly, the energy recovery assembly includes a heat exchange mechanism and a heat preservation mechanism, the heat exchange mechanism is used to collect the heat generated by the operation of the cooling assembly, and the heat preservation mechanism is used to use the energy collected by the heat exchange mechanism to heat-insulate the spheroidization chamber.

[0006] Preferably, the powder feeding assembly includes a powder feeding gun, the powder feeding gun is connected to a powder feeding pipe, the powder feeding pipe is inserted into the spheroidization chamber, and the powder feeding gun is used to input raw material particles into the spheroidization chamber by using air flow.

[0007] Preferably, the heating mechanism includes a plasma generator, and the nozzle of the plasma generator is disposed in the spheroidizing chamber.

[0008] Preferably, the inner wall adjusting mechanism includes a fixed disk, a moving disk, a connecting rod, an adjusting push rod, an adjusting block, and a magnetic attracting block. The fixed disk is disposed in the spheroidizing chamber. The fixed disk is provided with a plurality of adjusting grooves. One end of the connecting rod is connected to the adjusting groove, and the other end of the connecting rod is connected to the moving disk. The adjusting push rod is disposed in one of the adjusting grooves and is used to push the connected connecting rod to move in the adjusting groove. Each connecting rod is connected with an adjusting block, and adjacent adjusting blocks are connected to each other through the magnetic attracting block.

[0009] Preferably, the cooling assembly includes a compressor, a condenser, a throttle valve, and an evaporator. The compressor is connected to the condenser through a pipeline. The condenser is connected to the throttle valve through a pipeline. The throttle valve is connected to the evaporator through a pipeline. The evaporator is connected to the compressor through a pipeline. When the refrigerant enters the evaporator, it will vaporize in the evaporator and absorb the heat in the quenching chamber.

[0010] Preferably, the heat exchange mechanism includes a heat exchanger and a storage tank. The heat exchange tube of the heat exchanger is connected to the shell of the condenser. The heat exchanger exchanges heat through water circulation, and the circulated water is stored in the storage tank.

[0011] Preferably, the heat preservation mechanism includes a reheating tank, a heating rod, a circulation pump, a connection box, a telescopic water pipe, and a heating water pipe. The reheating tank is connected to the storage tank through a water pump. The heating rod is connected to the reheating tank. The connection box is connected to the connecting rod. The circulation pump is used to drive the water flow to circulate between the connection box and the reheating tank. Each connection box is connected to each other through a telescopic water pipe. The connection box is connected with a heating water pipe, and the heating water pipe is disposed in the adjusting block.

[0012] A method of use, for using the above-mentioned high-temperature fusible powder material plasma spheroidizing device, includes the following steps: A. According to the spheroidizing requirements, adjust the volume of the spheroidizing chamber through the inner wall adjusting mechanism; B. Heat the raw material particles conveyed by the powder feeding assembly through the heating mechanism and form metal droplets; C. The metal droplets enter the quenching chamber for cooling and then enter the powder collection chamber.

[0013] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of the present invention are as follows: When the particles are spherical and irregular, the present invention can adjust the volume of the spheroidization chamber through the inner wall adjustment mechanism. When the volume becomes smaller, the plasma arc can be made relatively concentrated, with a high energy density per unit volume, reduced energy loss, improved powder spheroidization effect, and the heat exchange mechanism is used to recover the energy generated by the operation of the cooling component, and the recovered energy is used for heat preservation of the spheroidization chamber through the heat preservation mechanism, reducing the heat loss of the spheroidization chamber, thereby improving the heat absorption efficiency of the powder; The present invention can dynamically adjust the volume of the spheroidization chamber through the inner wall adjustment mechanism to adaptively adjust for different metal powders, thereby improving the plasma spheroidization rate of specific metal powders under the same preparation conditions. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0014] Figure 1 Schematic three-dimensional structure of the present invention Figure 1 ; Figure 2 Schematic three-dimensional structure of the present invention Figure 2 ; Figure 3 Schematic three-dimensional structure of the present invention Figure 3 ; Figure 4 Schematic internal structure diagram of the spheroidization chamber of the present invention (the spheroidization chamber and the rapid cooling chamber are treated with perspective); Figure 5 Schematic structure diagram of the inner wall adjustment mechanism of the present invention; Figure 6 Schematic position structure diagram of the adjusting block and the moving disk of the present invention; Figure 7 Schematic structure diagram of the connecting rod, adjusting block and magnetic attraction block of the present invention; Figure 8 Schematic position structure diagram of the connecting rod, connecting box and heating water pipe of the present invention (the inside of the connecting box and the adjusting block are both treated with perspective).

[0015] In the figure: 1 spheroidization chamber, 2 rapid cooling chamber, 3 powder collection chamber, 4 powder feeding gun, 5 plasma generator, 6 fixed disk, 7 moving disk, 8 connecting rod, 9 adjusting push rod, 10 adjusting block, 11 magnetic attraction block, 12 compressor, 13 condenser, 14 throttle valve, 15 evaporator, 16 heat exchanger, 17 storage tank, 18 reheating tank, 19 heating rod, 20 circulation pump, 21 connecting box, 22 telescopic water pipe, 23 heating water pipe, 601 adjusting groove, 701 moving groove. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0016] The following will clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention with reference to the accompanying drawings in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present invention, rather than all the embodiments. All other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art based on the embodiments of the present invention without creative efforts shall fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

[0017] Please refer to Figures 1-8 , the present invention provides a technical solution: A plasma spheroidizing device for high-temperature fusible powder materials, as shown in the attached Figure 1 of the specification, includes: A spheroidizing chamber 1 for heating the powder and forming metal droplets. The spheroidizing chamber 1 is connected to a rapid cooling chamber 2 for cooling the metal droplets to accelerate their spheroidization. The rapid cooling chamber 2 is connected to a powder collection chamber 3 for storing the spheroidized powder; A powder feeding assembly disposed at the inlet of the spheroidizing chamber 1 for inputting raw material particles into the spheroidizing chamber 1; A temperature control assembly disposed in the spheroidizing chamber 1, including a heating mechanism and an inner wall adjusting mechanism. The heating mechanism is used to heat the raw material particles in the spheroidizing chamber 1 and form metal droplets, and the inner wall adjusting mechanism is used to adjust the volume of the spheroidizing chamber 1; A cooling assembly disposed in the rapid cooling chamber 2 for reducing the temperature of the rapid cooling chamber 2; An energy recovery assembly including a heat exchange mechanism and a heat preservation mechanism. The heat exchange mechanism is used to collect the heat generated by the operation of the cooling assembly, and the heat preservation mechanism is used to insulate the spheroidizing chamber 1 with the energy collected by the heat exchange mechanism.

[0018] The powder feeding assembly includes a powder feeding gun 4 for inputting the powder into the spheroidizing chamber 1 by using a high-speed gas flow. The powder feeding gun 4 is externally connected to a feeder for mixing the powder and the gas flow, so that the gas flow carries the powder for movement. The feeder is a commonly used technical means in the art and will not be described in detail here. In this embodiment, the high-speed gas flow is argon, nitrogen or a mixed gas flow (including argon and nitrogen), the powder is tungsten powder, the powder feeding gun 4 is connected to a powder feeding pipe inserted into the spheroidizing chamber 1, and the powder feeding gun 4 is used to input the raw material particles into the spheroidizing chamber 1 by using the gas flow.

[0019] The heating mechanism includes a plasma generator 5. In this embodiment, the plasma generator 5 is connected to an argon input pipe. The plasma generator 5 provides a high-frequency electric field to ionize argon and output a high-temperature plasma flow. The high-temperature plasma can quickly melt the surface of the powder particles, causing a change in their surface tension and resulting in the particles becoming spherical. The nozzle of the plasma generator 5 is disposed in the spheroidizing chamber 1.

[0020] The inner wall adjusting mechanism includes a fixed disk 6, a moving disk 7, a connecting rod 8, an adjusting push rod 9, an adjusting block 10 and a magnetic attraction block 11. In this embodiment, the fixed disk 6 is fixedly connected to the bottom of the spheroidizing chamber 1. A plurality of adjusting grooves 601 are formed around the fixed disk 6. One end of the connecting rod 8 is slidably connected to the adjusting groove 601. The moving disk 7 is provided with a moving groove 701. The other end of the connecting rod 8 is slidably connected to the moving groove 701 of the moving disk 7. An adjusting push rod 9 is arranged in one of the adjusting grooves 601. The end of the adjusting push rod 9 in the spheroidizing chamber 1 is also made of high-temperature resistant ceramic material. The telescopic end of the adjusting push rod 9 is fixedly connected to one of the connecting rods 8. The adjusting push rod 9 is used to push the connected connecting rod 8 to move in the adjusting groove 601. Each connecting rod 8 is connected with an adjusting block 10, and adjacent adjusting blocks 10 are mutually attached through the magnetic attraction block 11.

[0021] The cooling assembly includes a compressor 12, a condenser 13, a throttle valve 14 and an evaporator 15. The compressor 12 is connected to the condenser 13 through a pipeline. The compressor 12 is used to compress the low-temperature and low-pressure gaseous refrigerant into a high-temperature and high-pressure gas. The high-temperature and high-pressure gas flows into the condenser 13. The condenser 13 cools the gas to convert it into a liquid refrigerant. The condenser 13 is connected to the throttle valve 14 through a pipeline. The throttle valve 14 is connected to the evaporator 15 through a pipeline. After the liquid refrigerant passes through the throttle valve 14, the pressure drops suddenly and the temperature also drops, becoming a low-temperature and low-pressure liquid, and enters the evaporator 15. The evaporator 15 is connected to the compressor 12 through a pipeline. When the low-temperature and low-pressure refrigerant enters the evaporator 15, it will vaporize in the evaporator 15, absorb the heat in the quenching chamber 2, evaporate into a gas, and then return to the compressor 12.

[0022] The heat exchange mechanism includes a heat exchanger 16 and a storage tank 17. The heat exchanger 16 is used to recover the heat generated by the refrigerant circulating in the condenser 13. The heat exchange tube of the heat exchanger 16 is connected to one side of the shell of the condenser 13. The heat exchanger 16 exchanges heat through water circulation, and the circulated water is stored in the storage tank 17.

[0023] The heat preservation mechanism includes a reheating tank 18, a heating rod 19, a circulation pump 20, a connection box 21, a telescopic water pipe 22, and a heating water pipe 23. The reheating tank 18 is interconnected with the storage tank 17 through a water pump. The heating rod 19 is connected to the reheating tank 18 and is used to heat the water in the reheating tank 18. The connection box 21 is connected to the connecting rod 8. The circulation pump 20 is used to drive the water flow to circulate between the connection box 21 and the reheating tank 18. The connection boxes 21 are interconnected with each other through the telescopic water pipe 22. The connection box 21 is provided with a water inlet chamber and a water outlet chamber. The water inlet chamber is communicated with the water inlet of the heating water pipe 23. The water outlet of the heating water pipe 23 is arranged in the water outlet chamber. The water outlet chamber is connected with the telescopic water pipe 22. The telescopic water pipe 22 is used to communicate the water inlet chamber and the water outlet chamber of different connection boxes 21 with each other. The circulation pump 20 is communicated with the water inlet chamber of one of the connection boxes 21 through a telescopic pipe. The water outlet chamber of the connection box 21 connected to the circulation pump 20 is communicated with the reheating tank 18 through a telescopic pipe. The telescopic water pipe 22 is a stainless steel corrugated pipe. The corrugations are omitted in the attached Figure 5 description of the specification and the attached Figure 6 description of the specification. The connection box 21 is connected with a heating water pipe 23. The heating water pipe 23 passes through the connecting rod 8 and is arranged in the adjusting block 10.

[0024] Working principle: When in use, according to the spheroidization requirements (requirements for the purity, spheroidization rate, and particle size of the spheroidized powder), the push rod 9 is adjusted to control the connecting rod 8 to move along the adjusting groove 601, thereby driving the moving disk 7 to move. When the moving disk 7 moves, the adjusting block 10 will be driven by the connecting rod 8 to adjust the volume of the spheroidization chamber 1; when in use, the powder is input into the spheroidization chamber 1 through the powder feeding gun 4. The powder is heated by the plasma generator 5 to form metal droplets, and then enters the rapid cooling chamber 2 for spheroidization; When the rapid cooling chamber 2 is working, the heat exchanger 16 will recover part of the heat in the condenser 13 through the water circulation. The circulated warm water will be stored in the storage tank 17. The warm water is input into the reheating tank 18 by turning on the water pump and heated by the heating rod 19, and then input into the connection box 21. The warm water in the connection box 21 will circulate through the heating water pipe 23, so that the adjusting block 10 always has a good heat preservation effect.

[0025] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, those of ordinary skill in the art can understand that various changes, modifications, substitutions, and variations can be made to these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirits of the present invention. The scope of the present invention is defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A plasma spheroidization device for high-temperature fusible powder materials, characterized in that, Comprising: A spheroidizing chamber, the spheroidizing chamber is connected to a rapid cooling chamber, and the rapid cooling chamber is connected to a powder collection chamber; A powder feeding assembly, the powder feeding assembly is arranged in the spheroidizing chamber, and the powder feeding assembly is used to input raw material particles into the spheroidizing chamber; A temperature control assembly, the temperature control assembly is arranged in the spheroidizing chamber, the temperature control assembly includes a heating mechanism and an inner wall adjusting mechanism, the heating mechanism is used to heat the raw material particles in the spheroidizing chamber and form metal droplets, and the inner wall adjusting mechanism is used to adjust the volume of the spheroidizing chamber; A cooling assembly, the cooling assembly is arranged in the rapid cooling chamber, and the cooling assembly is used to reduce the temperature of the rapid cooling chamber; An energy recovery assembly, the energy recovery assembly includes a heat exchange mechanism and a heat preservation mechanism, the heat exchange mechanism is used to collect the heat generated by the operation of the cooling assembly, and the heat preservation mechanism is used to use the energy collected by the heat exchange mechanism to heat-preserve the spheroidizing chamber.

2. The plasma spheroidization device for a high-temperature fusible powder material according to claim 1, wherein: The powder feeding assembly includes a powder feeding gun, the powder feeding gun is connected to a powder feeding pipe, the powder feeding pipe is inserted into the spheroidizing chamber, and the powder feeding gun is used to input raw material particles into the spheroidizing chamber by using air flow.

3. The plasma spheroidization device for high-temperature fusible powder materials according to claim 1, characterized in that: The heating mechanism includes a plasma generator, and the nozzle of the plasma generator is arranged in the spheroidizing chamber.

4. A plasma spheroidization device for a high-temperature fusible powder material according to claim 1, characterized in that: The inner wall adjusting mechanism includes a fixed disk, a moving disk, a connecting rod, an adjusting push rod, an adjusting block and a magnetic attracting block, the fixed disk is arranged in the spheroidizing chamber, the fixed disk is provided with a plurality of adjusting grooves, one end of the connecting rod is connected to the adjusting groove, the other end of the connecting rod is connected to the moving disk, the adjusting push rod is arranged in one of the adjusting grooves, the adjusting push rod is used to push the connected connecting rod to move in the adjusting groove, each connecting rod is connected with an adjusting block, and adjacent adjusting blocks are connected to each other through the magnetic attracting block.

5. The plasma spheroidization device for a high-temperature fusible powder material according to claim 4, characterized in that: The cooling assembly includes a compressor, a condenser, a throttle valve and an evaporator, the compressor is connected to the condenser through a pipeline, the condenser is connected to the throttle valve through a pipeline, the throttle valve is connected to the evaporator through a pipeline, the evaporator is connected to the compressor through a pipeline, and when the refrigerant enters the evaporator, it will vaporize in the evaporator and absorb the heat in the rapid cooling chamber.

6. The plasma spheroidization device for a high-temperature fusible powder material according to claim 5, characterized in that: The heat exchange mechanism includes a heat exchanger and a storage tank, the heat exchange pipe of the heat exchanger is connected to the shell of the condenser, the heat exchanger exchanges heat through water circulation, and the circulated water is stored in the storage tank.

7. The plasma spheroidization device for a high-temperature fusible powder material according to claim 6, characterized in that: The heat preservation mechanism includes a reheating tank, a heating rod, a circulation pump, a connection box, a telescopic water pipe and a heating water pipe, the reheating tank is connected to the storage tank through a water pump, the heating rod is connected to the reheating tank, the connection box is connected to the connecting rod, the circulation pump is used to drive the water flow to circulate between the connection box and the reheating tank, each connection box is connected to each other through a telescopic water pipe, the connection box is connected with a heating water pipe, and the heating water pipe is arranged in the adjusting block.

8. A method of use, for using the plasma spheroidization device for high-temperature fusible powder materials according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that, Including the following steps: A. According to the spheroidizing requirement, adjust the volume of the spheroidizing chamber through the inner wall adjusting mechanism; B. Heat the raw material particles conveyed by the powder feeding assembly through the heating mechanism and form metal droplets; C. After the metal droplets enter the quenching chamber for cooling, they enter the powder collection chamber.

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