A plasma spheroidization method and device for high-temperature fusible powder materials

Abstract

The present invention relates to the technical field of powder material preparation, and in particular to a method and device for plasma spheroidization of high-temperature fusible powder materials. The high-temperature fusible powder material plasma spheroidization device comprises: a spheroidization chamber, the spheroidization chamber being connected to a quenching chamber, which is connected to a powder collecting chamber; a powder feeding assembly, which is arranged at the entrance of the spheroidization chamber; a temperature control assembly, which comprises a heating mechanism and an inner wall adjustment mechanism; a cooling assembly, which is arranged in the quenching chamber and is used to reduce the temperature of the quenching chamber; and an energy recovery assembly, which comprises a heat exchange mechanism and a heat preservation mechanism. The present invention can dynamically adjust the volume of the spheroidization chamber through the inner wall adjustment mechanism, and can perform adaptive adjustment for different metal powders, thereby improving the plasma spheroidization rate of specific metal powders under the same preparation conditions.

Description

Technical Field

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

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

[0003] The existing plasma spheroidization device has the following obvious disadvantages: (1) the powder loses energy quickly after entering the spheroidization chamber; (2) the spheroidization chamber has poor thermal insulation performance and high heat loss efficiency, which greatly affects the powder spheroidization effect. Summary of the Invention

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

[0005] To achieve the above object, the present invention provides the following technical solutions:

[0006] A high-temperature fusible powder material plasma spheroidization device, comprising:

[0007] a spheroidizing chamber, wherein the spheroidizing chamber is connected to a quenching chamber, and the quenching chamber is connected to a powder collecting chamber;

[0008] A powder feeding assembly, the powder feeding assembly being arranged in the spheroidizing chamber and being used for feeding raw material particles into the spheroidizing chamber;

[0009] a temperature control assembly disposed in the spheroidizing chamber, comprising a heating mechanism and an inner wall adjustment mechanism, wherein the heating mechanism is used to heat the raw material particles in the spheroidizing chamber to form metal droplets, and the inner wall adjustment mechanism is used to adjust the volume of the spheroidizing chamber;

[0010] A cooling assembly is provided in the quenching chamber and is used to reduce the temperature of the quenching chamber;

[0011] An energy recovery component includes a heat exchange mechanism and a heat preservation mechanism. The heat exchange mechanism is used to collect heat generated by the operation of the cooling component, and the heat preservation mechanism is used to use the energy collected by the heat exchange mechanism to keep the spheroidization chamber warm.

[0012] 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 spheroidizing chamber, and the powder feeding gun is used to input the raw material particles into the spheroidizing chamber by using airflow.

[0013] Preferably, the heating mechanism includes a plasma generator, and the nozzle of the plasma generator is arranged in the spheroidization chamber.

[0014] Preferably, the inner wall adjustment mechanism includes a fixed disk, a movable disk, a connecting rod, an adjusting push rod, an adjusting block and a magnetic block. The fixed disk is arranged in the spheroidizing chamber. The fixed disk is provided with a plurality of adjusting slots. One end of the connecting rod is connected to the adjusting slot, and the other end of the connecting rod is connected to the movable disk. The adjusting push rod is provided in one of the adjusting slots. The adjusting push rod is used to push the connecting rod connected thereto to move in the adjusting slot. Each of the connecting rods is connected to an adjusting block, and adjacent adjusting blocks are connected to each other through the magnetic block.

[0015] 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, and 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 room.

[0016] Preferably, 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 performs heat exchange through water circulation, and the circulated water is stored in the storage tank.

[0017] Preferably, the insulation mechanism includes a reheat tank, a heating rod, a circulation pump, a connecting box, a telescopic water pipe and a heating water pipe. The reheat tank is connected to the storage tank through a water pump, the heating rod is connected to the reheat tank, the connecting box is connected to the connecting rod, the circulation pump is used to drive the water flow to circulate between the connecting box and the reheat tank, and the various connecting boxes are connected to each other through telescopic water pipes. The connecting box is connected to a heating water pipe, and the heating water pipe is arranged in the regulating block.

[0018] A method for using the high-temperature fusible powder material plasma spheroidization device described above comprises the following steps:

[0019] A. According to the spheroidization requirements, the volume of the spheroidization chamber is adjusted through the inner wall adjustment mechanism;

[0020] B, heating the raw material particles conveyed by the powder feeding assembly through a heating mechanism to form metal droplets;

[0021] C, the metal droplets enter the quenching chamber for cooling and then enter the powder collection chamber.

[0022] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following advantages: when the spherical shape of the particles is irregular, the volume of the spheroidization chamber can be adjusted through the inner wall adjustment mechanism. When the volume becomes smaller, the plasma arc can be relatively concentrated, the energy density per unit volume is high, and energy loss is reduced, thereby improving the powder spheroidization effect. In addition, a 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, thereby reducing heat loss in the spheroidization chamber and improving the heating efficiency of the powder. The present invention can dynamically adjust the volume of the spheroidization chamber through the inner wall adjustment mechanism and can perform adaptive adjustment for different metal powders, thereby improving the plasma spheroidization rate of specific metal powders under the same preparation conditions. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0023] Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of the present invention Figure 1 ;

[0024] Figure 2 Schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of the present invention Figure 2 ;

[0025] Figure 3 Schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of the present invention Figure 3 ;

[0026] Figure 4 Schematic diagram of the internal structure of the spheroidizing chamber of the present invention (the spheroidizing chamber and the quenching chamber are shown in perspective);

[0027] Figure 5 This is a schematic structural diagram of the inner wall adjustment mechanism of the present invention;

[0028] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the position structure of the adjustment block and the movable disk of the present invention;

[0029] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the connecting rod, adjustment block and magnetic block of the present invention;

[0030] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the position structure of the connecting rod, connecting box and heating water pipe of the present invention (the interior of the connecting box and the adjustment block are both shown in perspective).

[0031] In the figure: 1 spheroidizing chamber, 2 quenching chamber, 3 powder collecting chamber, 4 powder feeding gun, 5 plasma generator, 6 fixed plate, 7 movable plate, 8 connecting rod, 9 adjusting push rod, 10 adjusting block, 11 magnetic block, 12 compressor, 13 condenser, 14 throttle valve, 15 evaporator, 16 heat exchanger, 17 storage tank, 18 reheat tank, 19 heating rod, 20 circulating pump, 21 connecting box, 22 telescopic water pipe, 23 heating water pipe, 601 adjusting tank, 701 movable tank. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0032] The following will clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without making creative efforts are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0033] See also Figure 1-8 , the present invention provides a technical solution:

[0034] A high temperature fusible powder material plasma spheroidization device, as shown in the attached manual Figure 1 Shown, including:

[0035] Spheroidizing chamber 1, spheroidizing chamber 1 is used to heat the powder and form metal droplets. Spheroidizing chamber 1 is connected to quenching chamber 2, quenching chamber 2 is used to cool the metal droplets to accelerate their spheroidization. Quenching chamber 2 is connected to powder collecting chamber 3, powder collecting chamber 3 is used to store spheroidized powder;

[0036] A powder feeding assembly is provided at the entrance of the spheroidizing chamber 1 and is used to feed raw material particles into the spheroidizing chamber 1;

[0037] The temperature control component is arranged in the spheroidizing chamber 1. The temperature control component includes a heating mechanism and an inner wall adjustment mechanism. The heating mechanism is used to heat the raw material particles in the spheroidizing chamber 1 and form metal droplets. The inner wall adjustment mechanism is used to adjust the volume of the spheroidizing chamber 1;

[0038] A cooling component is provided in the quenching chamber 2 and is used to reduce the temperature of the quenching chamber 2;

[0039] The energy recovery component 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 component, and the heat preservation mechanism is used to use the energy collected by the heat exchange mechanism to keep the spheroidization chamber 1 warm.

[0040] The powder feeding assembly includes a powder feeding gun 4, which is used to use a high-speed airflow to input the powder into the spheroidizing chamber 1. The powder feeding gun 4 is externally connected to a feeder, which is used to mix the powder and the airflow, so that the airflow carries the powder to move. The feeder is a commonly used technical means in this field and will not be described in detail here. In this embodiment, the high-speed airflow is argon, nitrogen or a mixed airflow (including argon and nitrogen), the powder is tungsten powder, and the powder feeding gun 4 is connected to a powder feeding pipe, which is inserted into the spheroidizing chamber 1. The powder feeding gun 4 is used to use the airflow to input the raw material particles into the spheroidizing chamber 1.

[0041] The heating mechanism includes a plasma generator 5. In this embodiment, the plasma generator 5 is connected to an argon gas input pipe. The plasma generator 5 ionizes the argon gas and outputs a high-temperature plasma flow by providing a high-frequency electric field. The high-temperature plasma can quickly melt the surface of the powder particles, causing their surface tension to change, resulting in the particles becoming spherical. The nozzle of the plasma generator 5 is arranged in the spheroidization chamber 1.

[0042] The inner wall adjustment mechanism includes a fixed disk 6, a movable disk 7, a connecting rod 8, an adjusting push rod 9, an adjusting block 10 and a magnetic block 11. In this embodiment, the fixed disk 6 is fixedly connected to the bottom of the spheroidizing chamber 1, and a number of adjusting grooves 601 are opened around the fixed disk 6. One end of the connecting rod 8 is slidably connected to the adjusting groove 601, and the movable disk 7 is provided with a movable groove 701. The other end of the connecting rod 8 is slidably connected to the movable groove 701 of the movable disk 7. An adjusting push rod 9 is provided in one of the adjusting grooves 601. The adjusting push rod 9 is located at one end of the spheroidizing chamber 1 and 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 connecting rod 8 connected thereto to move in the adjusting groove 601. Each connecting rod 8 is connected to an adjusting block 10, and adjacent adjusting blocks 10 are fitted together by magnetic blocks 11.

[0043] 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, low-pressure gas refrigerant into a high-temperature, high-pressure gas. The high-temperature, high-pressure gas flows into the condenser 13. The condenser 13 converts the gas into a liquid refrigerant by cooling. 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 sharply and the temperature also drops, becoming a low-temperature, low-pressure liquid and entering the evaporator 15. The evaporator 15 is connected to the compressor 12 through a pipeline. When the low-temperature, low-pressure refrigerant enters the evaporator 15, it will vaporize in the evaporator 15, absorb heat in the quenching chamber 2, evaporate into gas, and then return to the compressor 12.

[0044] 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 pipe 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.

[0045] The heat preservation mechanism includes a reheat tank 18, a heating rod 19, a circulation pump 20, a connecting box 21, a telescopic water pipe 22 and a heating water pipe 23. The reheat tank 18 is connected to the storage tank 17 through a water pump, the heating rod 19 is connected to the reheat tank 18, the heating rod 19 is used to heat the water in the reheat tank 18, the connecting box 21 is connected to the connecting rod 8, the circulation pump 20 is used to drive the water flow to circulate between the connecting box 21 and the reheat tank 18, and each connecting box 21 is connected to each other through a telescopic water pipe 22. The connecting box 21 is provided with an inlet. The water cavity and the water outlet cavity, the water inlet cavity and the water inlet of the heating water pipe 23 are interconnected, the water outlet of the heating water pipe 23 is arranged in the water outlet cavity, the water outlet cavity is connected with a telescopic water pipe 22, the telescopic water pipe 22 is used to connect the water inlet cavity and the water outlet cavity of different connection boxes 21 to each other, the circulating pump 20 is connected to the water inlet cavity of one of the connection boxes 21 through a telescopic pipe, and the water outlet cavity of the connection box 21 connected to the circulating pump 20 is connected to the reheat tank 18 through a telescopic pipe. The telescopic water pipe 22 is a stainless steel bellows. Figure 5 and instructions attached Figure 6 The corrugations are omitted, and the connecting box 21 is connected to a heating water pipe 23 , which passes through the connecting rod 8 and is arranged in the adjusting block 10 .

[0046] Working Principle: During use, according to the spheroidization requirements (the purity, spheroidization rate, and particle size of the powder after spheroidization), the push rod 9 is adjusted to control the connecting rod 8 to move along the adjustment groove 601, thereby driving the movable disk 7 to move. When the movable disk 7 moves, the connecting rod 8 drives the adjustment block 10 to adjust the volume of the spheroidization chamber 1. During use, the powder is fed 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 quenching chamber 2 for spheroidization.

[0047] When the quenching chamber 2 is working, the heat exchanger 16 will recover part of the heat in the condenser 13 through water circulation. The circulated warm water will be stored in the storage tank 17. By turning on the water pump, the warm water will be input into the reheat tank 18 and heated by the heating rod 19. Then, it will be input into the connecting box 21. The warm water in the connecting box 21 will circulate through the heating water pipe 23, so that the regulating block 10 always has a good insulation effect.

[0048] While embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that various changes, modifications, substitutions, and variations may be made to these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the invention, and that the scope of the invention is defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A high-temperature fusible powder material plasma spheroidization device, characterized in that: include: a spheroidizing chamber, wherein the spheroidizing chamber is connected to a quenching chamber, and the quenching chamber is connected to a powder collecting chamber; A powder feeding assembly, the powder feeding assembly being arranged in the spheroidizing chamber and being used for feeding raw material particles into the spheroidizing chamber; a temperature control assembly disposed in the spheroidizing chamber, comprising a heating mechanism and an inner wall adjustment mechanism, wherein the heating mechanism is used to heat the raw material particles in the spheroidizing chamber to form metal droplets, and the inner wall adjustment mechanism is used to adjust the volume of the spheroidizing chamber; A cooling assembly is provided in the quenching chamber and is used to reduce the temperature of the quenching chamber; An energy recovery component includes a heat exchange mechanism and a heat preservation mechanism. The heat exchange mechanism is used to collect heat generated by the operation of the cooling component, and the heat preservation mechanism is used to use the energy collected by the heat exchange mechanism to keep the spheroidization chamber warm.

2. The plasma spheroidization device for high-temperature fusible powder materials according to claim 1, characterized in that: The powder feeding assembly includes a powder feeding gun 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 airflow.

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 a nozzle of the plasma generator is arranged in the spheroidizing chamber.

4. The plasma spheroidization device for high-temperature fusible powder materials according to claim 1, characterized in that: The inner wall adjustment mechanism includes a fixed disk, a movable disk, a connecting rod, an adjustment push rod, an adjustment block and a magnetic block. The fixed disk is arranged in the spheroidizing chamber. The fixed disk is provided with a plurality of adjustment slots. One end of the connecting rod is connected to the adjustment slot, and the other end of the connecting rod is connected to the movable disk. The adjustment push rod is provided in one of the adjustment slots. The adjustment push rod is used to push the connecting rod connected thereto to move in the adjustment slot. Each of the connecting rods is connected to an adjustment block, and adjacent adjustment blocks are connected to each other through the magnetic block.

5. The plasma spheroidization device for high-temperature fusible powder materials 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, and 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 room.

6. The plasma spheroidization device for high-temperature fusible powder materials 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 high-temperature fusible powder materials according to claim 6, characterized in that: The insulation mechanism includes a reheat tank, a heating rod, a circulation pump, a connecting box, a telescopic water pipe and a heating water pipe. The reheat tank is connected to the storage tank through a water pump, the heating rod is connected to the reheat tank, the connecting box is connected to the connecting rod, the circulation pump is used to drive the water flow to circulate between the connecting box and the reheat tank, and the various connecting boxes are connected to each other through telescopic water pipes. The connecting box is connected to a heating water pipe, and the heating water pipe is arranged in the regulating block.

8. A method for using the high-temperature fusible powder material plasma spheroidization device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that: The steps include: A. According to the spheroidization requirements, the volume of the spheroidization chamber is adjusted through the inner wall adjustment mechanism; B, heating the raw material particles conveyed by the powder feeding assembly through a heating mechanism to form metal droplets; C, the metal droplets enter the quenching chamber for cooling and then enter the powder collection chamber.

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