System for monitoring shell temperature and inner wall thickness of converter in real time

Abstract

The invention provides a system for monitoring the shell temperature and the inner wall thickness of a converter in real time, and belongs to the technical field of intelligent monitoring of metallurgical equipment. The system comprises a thermal imager arranged at the slag tapping side of a converter body, a mobile line laser scanner arranged at a converter mouth and a digital twin system, the thermal imager shoots thermodynamic diagrams of all angles in the overturning process of the converter at a preset frequency, and the thermodynamic diagrams are combined with the tilting angles to generate a dynamic temperature cloud chart; the mobile line laser scanner drives a laser beam to spirally scan along the inner wall of the converter through a rotating mechanism to obtain dense point cloud data; calculating the actual thickness of each position of the converter based on the designed wall thickness and the actually measured point cloud data; and mapping the actual thickness and the dynamic temperature cloud atlas of each position of the converter to the converter three-dimensional model through a digital twin system to realize the visualization of the thickness and the temperature of the inner wall of the converter. According to the invention, the hardware cost of multi-sensor layout and the complexity of system maintenance are obviously reduced.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of intelligent monitoring of metallurgical equipment, and in particular to a system for real-time monitoring of the shell temperature and inner wall thickness of a converter. Background Art

[0002] As core equipment in steelmaking, converters are subject to long-term exposure to extreme environments of high temperature, high pressure, and strong chemical corrosion. Their outer shells and inner walls are susceptible to structural degradation due to localized overheating or wear and tear. In severe cases, this can lead to major safety incidents such as furnace failure. To ensure production safety and equipment lifespan, real-time and accurate monitoring of the converter's temperature distribution and wall thickness is essential.

[0003] Existing technologies primarily rely on temperature sensors and periodic shutdown inspections. Converter monitoring primarily employs two types of technologies: Temperature monitoring based on contact thermocouples or manual inspections, which can capture localized data but suffer from coverage blind spots and response delays. Second, wall thickness measurement through periodic shutdowns and manual inspections (such as ultrasonic waves) fails to reflect the dynamic wear experienced during continuous production. In recent years, non-contact temperature measurement technologies such as infrared thermal imaging have been introduced to improve temperature monitoring efficiency. However, existing solutions still lack the ability to integrate three-dimensional thickness modeling and multi-source data analysis, resulting in a lack of spatial continuity and comprehensive judgment basis for monitoring results.

[0004] Therefore, a system for real-time monitoring of the shell temperature and inner wall thickness of the converter is needed. Summary of the Invention

[0005] In view of this, the present invention provides a system for real-time monitoring of the shell temperature and inner wall thickness of the converter. By combining a single thermal imager with the converter tilting action and a laser thickness gauge, and combining digital twin technology, it can achieve rapid positioning of abnormal points, three-dimensional visualization and equipment life prediction.

[0006] To this end, the present invention provides the following technical solutions:

[0007] A system for real-time monitoring of converter shell temperature and inner wall thickness, comprising:

[0008] Thermal imagers deployed on the slag-discharging side of the converter body, mobile line laser scanners deployed at the converter mouth, and digital twin systems;

[0009] The thermal imager captures thermal images of various angles during the converter turning process at a preset frequency, and generates a dynamic temperature cloud map in combination with the tilting angle;

[0010] The mobile line laser scanner drives the laser beam to spirally scan along the inner wall of the converter through a rotating mechanism to obtain dense point cloud data;

[0011] Calculate the actual thickness of each position of the converter based on the designed wall thickness and measured point cloud data;

[0012] Through the digital twin system, the actual thickness and dynamic temperature cloud map of each position of the converter are mapped to the three-dimensional model of the converter to realize the visualization of the thickness and temperature of the inner wall of the converter.

[0013] Furthermore, it also includes:

[0014] When the system detects abnormal thickness of the converter inner wall and abnormal temperature of the converter outer shell, it will issue an early warning.

[0015] Furthermore, the abnormal temperature of the converter shell includes:

[0016] The temperature in a certain area exceeds 450℃ or the local temperature difference is greater than 150℃.

[0017] Furthermore, the abnormality of the converter inner wall thickness includes:

[0018] The thickness of the furnace bosh area is only 75% of the design value.

[0019] Furthermore, it also includes:

[0020] According to the dynamic temperature cloud map and thickness data and the actual thickness of each position of the converter, the converter repair plan is determined, including:

[0021] When the thickness of the furnace belly area is less than or equal to 75% of the design value, the system will give a prompt alarm and refractory spraying will be carried out after the next batch is completed.

[0022] Furthermore, the thermal imager captures thermal images of various angles during the converter turning process at a preset frequency, including:

[0023] The thermal imager communicates with the converter tilting control system to obtain the converter tilting angle in real time, including: 0°, 90°, and 180°;

[0024] And adjust the thermal imager scanning area according to the converter tilting angle:

[0025] 0° position (converter upright): scan the temperature of the converter front shell;

[0026] 90° position (converter horizontal): scan the converter bottom shell temperature;

[0027] 180° position (converter inverted): scan the shell temperature at the rear side of the converter;

[0028] At other tilt angles, a continuous temperature distribution map is generated through the image stitching algorithm.

[0029] Advantages and positive effects of the present invention:

[0030] This invention uses a single thermal imager combined with the periodic tilting motion of the converter to dynamically collect and capture temperature data from the entire surface of the equipment, significantly reducing the hardware cost of a multi-sensor layout and the complexity of system maintenance. Furthermore, based on three-dimensional thermal mapping and digital twin modeling technology, the converter's temperature distribution and abnormal areas can be intuitively visualized, significantly improving the efficiency of real-time diagnosis of the equipment's health status. By integrating real-time monitoring data, a scientific decision-making basis is provided for optimizing equipment maintenance strategies, effectively extending the converter's service life and ensuring safe production. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0031] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present invention or the technical solutions in the prior art, the following briefly introduces the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art. Obviously, the drawings described below are some embodiments of the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying any creative labor.

[0032] Figure 1 This is a structural diagram of the system for real-time monitoring of the converter shell temperature and inner wall thickness according to the present invention;

[0033] Figure 2 This is a visualization page showing the converter shell temperature and inner wall thickness using the digital twin system in Example 3 of the present invention;

[0034] Figure 3 This is a result diagram of the converter inner wall thickness distribution generated by the digital twin system in Example 3 of the present invention;

[0035] Figure 4 This is a diagram showing the classification of the thickness levels of the inner wall of the converter in Example 3 of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0036] In order to enable those skilled in the art to better understand the solutions of the present invention, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with the drawings in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the embodiments described 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 should fall within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0037] It should be noted that the terms "first", "second", etc. in the description and claims of the present invention and the above-mentioned drawings are used to distinguish similar objects and are not necessarily used to describe a specific order or sequence. It should be understood that the numbers used in this way can be interchanged where appropriate, so that the embodiments of the present invention described herein can be implemented in an order other than those illustrated or described herein. In addition, the terms "including" and "having" and any variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusions. For example, a process, method, system, product or device that includes a series of steps or units is not necessarily limited to those steps or units clearly listed, but may include other steps or units that are not clearly listed or inherent to these processes, methods, products or devices.

[0038] The present invention provides a system for real-time monitoring of the shell temperature and inner wall thickness of a converter, the structure of which is as follows: Figure 1 As shown, the real-time detection steps include:

[0039] S1. Monitor the converter shell temperature:

[0040] 1) Arrange thermal imagers and collect data:

[0041] An infrared thermal imager is fixedly installed on the slag discharge side of the converter body. The resolution of the infrared thermal imager is ≥640×480 and the temperature measurement range is 0~600℃. The multi-angle temperature collection of the converter shell is achieved through the flipping action of the converter tilting mechanism.

[0042] The thermal imager communicates with the converter tilting control system to obtain the converter tilting angle in real time, including: 0°, 90°, and 180°; and adjusts the thermal imager scanning area according to the converter tilting angle:

[0043] 0° position (converter upright): scan the temperature of the converter front shell;

[0044] 90° position (converter horizontal): scan the converter bottom shell temperature;

[0045] 180° position (converter inverted): scan the shell temperature at the rear side of the converter;

[0046] At other tilt angles, a continuous temperature distribution map is generated through the image stitching algorithm.

[0047] 2) Image fusion and alarm:

[0048] The temperature images of the converter at different angles are spatially registered with the converter 3D model to generate a complete converter shell temperature distribution map;

[0049] If the temperature in a certain area exceeds 450℃ or the local temperature difference is greater than 150℃, an audible and visual alarm will be triggered and the abnormal point will be marked.

[0050] S2. Monitoring of converter inner wall thickness;

[0051] 1) Laser thickness gauge configuration: A mobile line laser scanner is used at the converter furnace mouth. The laser beam is driven by a rotating mechanism to perform a spiral scan along the inner wall to obtain dense point cloud data.

[0052] 2) 3D modeling and thickness analysis;

[0053] Data preprocessing: De-noise and coordinate alignment of the point cloud data (converting the laser coordinate system to the converter global coordinate system) to generate a three-dimensional model of the inner wall surface.

[0054] Thickness calculation: Based on the designed wall thickness and the measured point cloud data, the actual thickness at each location is calculated and a heat map is generated. The thickness is distinguished by color: red indicates thickness < 80% of the designed value, and green indicates thickness ≥ 95% of the designed value.

[0055] S3. Visualize the test results of converter shell temperature and converter inner wall thickness based on the digital twin system;

[0056] Virtual-reality mapping: Build a three-dimensional digital twin of the converter, and simultaneously integrate temperature distribution, thickness thermodynamic map, and process parameters (such as oxygen blowing amount and liquid level changes).

[0057] Visual interaction: supports multi-view viewing, historical data backtracking, alarm record analysis, and provides maintenance decision suggestions: local repair welding or furnace shutdown overhaul.

[0058] Example 1: Temperature monitoring with a single thermal imager;

[0059] In this embodiment, a thermal imager is installed on the slag discharge side of the 150-ton converter, and full-angle coverage is achieved through the converter tilting mechanism (adjustable from 0 to 360 degrees).

[0060] Data collection:

[0061] Every time the converter completes a smelting cycle (about 30 minutes), it automatically pauses tilting at process nodes such as slag pouring and steel tapping, and stays at the 0°, 90°, and 180° positions for 10 seconds each, allowing the thermal imager to collect high-precision temperature data.

[0062] During the real-time tilting process, the thermal imager continuously shoots at a frequency of 5Hz and generates a dynamic temperature cloud map based on the tilting angle data.

[0063] Abnormal handling: In this embodiment, when it is detected that the temperature of the furnace bottom area (90° position) reaches 430°C, the system automatically pops up an alarm window and prompts the local temperature abnormality, and stores it in the historical database and takes a screenshot to save the high temperature abnormality picture.

[0064] Example 2: Thickness monitoring;

[0065] In this embodiment, a line laser sensor is used with a scanning rate of 2 kHz. It takes 5 minutes to complete a single full-furnace scan by rotating the converter (0.5 r / min).

[0066] After pre-processing, the data generates a thickness thermodynamic map. When the thickness of the furnace bosh area is only 75% of the design value, the system recommends refractory spraying after the next batch is completed.

[0067] Example 3: Using the digital twin system to visualize the real-time converter inner wall thickness and shell temperature, such as Figure 2 、 Figure 3 and Figure 4 As shown;

[0068] Figure 4 The thickness is divided into multiple levels and distinguished by color for visualization;

[0069] The converter shell temperature value at each point can be given in real time.

[0070] The UE4 engine is used to build a converter twin model, which updates data once a second and regularly displays the converter wall thickness and converter shell temperature values. When an abnormality occurs, an audible and visual alarm is triggered, and the location of the abnormal point is marked, providing the converter operator with information to judge and make decisions on the converter status. It also supports PC and mobile access.

[0071] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present invention, rather than to limit it. Although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the above embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that they can still modify the technical solutions described in the above embodiments, or replace some or all of the technical features therein with equivalents. However, these modifications or replacements do not cause the essence of the corresponding technical solutions to deviate from the scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention.

Claims

1. A system for real-time monitoring of converter shell temperature and inner wall thickness, characterized in that: include: Thermal imagers deployed on the slag-discharging side of the converter body, mobile line laser scanners deployed at the converter mouth, and digital twin systems; The thermal imager captures thermal images of various angles during the converter turning process at a preset frequency, and generates a dynamic temperature cloud map in combination with the tilting angle; The mobile line laser scanner drives the laser beam to spirally scan along the inner wall of the converter through a rotating mechanism to obtain dense point cloud data; Calculate the actual thickness of each position of the converter based on the designed wall thickness and measured point cloud data; Through the digital twin system, the actual thickness and dynamic temperature cloud map of each position of the converter are mapped to the three-dimensional model of the converter to realize the visualization of the thickness and temperature of the inner wall of the converter.

2. A system for real-time monitoring of converter shell temperature and inner wall thickness according to claim 1, characterized in that: Also includes: When the system detects abnormal thickness of the converter inner wall and abnormal temperature of the converter outer shell, it will issue an early warning.

3. A system for real-time monitoring of converter shell temperature and inner wall thickness according to claim 2, characterized in that: The abnormal temperature of the converter shell includes: The temperature in a certain area exceeds 450℃ or the local temperature difference is greater than 150℃.

4. A system for real-time monitoring of converter shell temperature and inner wall thickness according to claim 2, characterized in that: The abnormal thickness of the converter inner wall includes: The thickness of the furnace bosh area is only 75% of the design value.

5. A system for real-time monitoring of converter shell temperature and inner wall thickness according to claim 1, characterized in that: Also includes: According to the dynamic temperature cloud map and thickness data and the actual thickness of each position of the converter, the converter repair plan is determined, including: When the thickness of the furnace belly area is less than or equal to 75% of the design value, the system will give a prompt alarm and refractory spraying will be carried out after the next batch is completed.

6. A system for real-time monitoring of converter shell temperature and inner wall thickness according to claim 1, characterized in that: The thermal imager captures thermal images of various angles during the converter turning process at a preset frequency, including: The thermal imager communicates with the converter tilting control system to obtain the converter tilting angle in real time, including: 0°, 90°, and 180°; And adjust the thermal imager scanning area according to the converter tilting angle: 0° position (converter upright): scan the temperature of the converter front shell; 90° position (converter horizontal): scan the converter bottom shell temperature; 180° position (converter inverted): scan the shell temperature at the rear side of the converter; At other tilt angles, a continuous temperature distribution map is generated through the image stitching algorithm.

Images