All-electric melting centrifugal glass microsphere spheroidization system and preparation process

Abstract

The application discloses a full-electric melting centrifugal glass microsphere spheroidizing system and a preparation process. The system comprises a medium-frequency heating system, a glass liquid flow guide pipe, a molybdenum melting rotating disc system, an annular nozzle and a cooling and collecting system. The core process is that: the glass raw material is melted by the medium-frequency heating system, the glass liquid is thrown out to form initial liquid drops by the high-speed rotating molybdenum disc, and the liquid drops are secondarily sheared and broken by the annular nozzle spraying high-temperature high-speed inert gas, and finally the microbeads are obtained by rapid cooling and setting. The application realizes the integrated continuous production of the glass microbeads by the process combination of "full-electric melting + centrifugal + secondary shearing". The application has the advantages of compact structure, simple process, low energy consumption, no waste gas emission and no sulfide pollution of the product, and is especially suitable for the environmental protection production of special glass microbeads such as high refractive index.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of glass microsphere (sphere) manufacturing technology, specifically to a fully electrofused centrifugal glass microsphere spheroidization system and preparation process, applicable to the production of all glass microspheres (spheres). Background Technology

[0002] Traditional large-scale production of glass microspheres (spheres) mainly relies on the secondary flame method, which uses oxygen-enriched combustion of natural gas to heat and melt the material into spheres. While the technology is mature, it has the following inherent drawbacks: 1. Complex structure and process: It requires glass kiln vitrification, water quenching, drying, airflow (ball milling) crushing, and then spheroidization. The structure of the spheroidizing lance and spheroidizing furnace has a great impact on product quality, resulting in a wide particle size distribution and low product yield.

[0003] 2. High operating costs: It requires natural gas as fuel, and its thermal efficiency is relatively low. The thermal efficiency is only reflected in the moment when the material comes into contact with the flame. A large amount of heat is discharged with the exhaust gas, and the effective utilization rate is less than 30%. Combined with the cost caused by its complex process, the operating cost is high.

[0004] 3. Severe product contamination: Natural gas combustion causes spheroidization, and sulfides form on the surface of glass microspheres (spheres), which seriously affects product quality and requires post-treatment acid washing to remove them.

[0005] 4. Not environmentally friendly: The combustion of natural gas with oxygen produces a large amount of sulfides and nitrogen oxides, and secondary pollution is caused in order to remove pollutants from the products.

[0006] While there have been improvements in environmental protection and energy consumption in the production of glass microspheres, the process still relies on natural gas combustion for spheroidization. Therefore, a novel glass microsphere spheroidization technology is urgently needed. Summary of the Invention

[0007] To address the aforementioned problems, this invention provides an all-electro-fused centrifugal glass microsphere spheroidization system and its preparation process. Specifically, this includes: a medium-frequency heating system used to provide a molten heat source.

[0008] Specifically, the molten glass guide pipe is connected to the medium-frequency heating system and is used to transport molten glass.

[0009] Specifically, the molybdenum melting rotating disk system is located below the glass melt guide pipe. It is heated by the medium-frequency heating system and kept rotating at high speed. It is used to receive the glass melt transported by the glass melt guide pipe and use centrifugal force to throw the glass melt out to form initial droplets.

[0010] Specifically, the molybdenum melting rotary disk system can be replaced with a platinum gold rotary disk system or a molybdenum substrate with a platinum surface rotary disk system.

[0011] Specifically, an annular nozzle is arranged around the outer periphery of the molybdenum melting rotary disk system to spray a high-speed inert gas stream onto the ejected glass droplets, thereby performing secondary shearing and breaking of the glass droplets.

[0012] Specifically, the cooling and collection system, located below the annular nozzle, is used to rapidly cool, shape, and collect the glass microspheres after secondary shearing.

[0013] Specifically, the rotation speed of the molybdenum melting rotary disk system is 5000-15000 rpm, used to throw the molten glass into droplets of 0.1-0.8 mm.

[0014] Specifically, the radial distance between the annular nozzle and the molybdenum melting rotating disk is 50-100 mm, and the spraying direction of the annular nozzle forms a downward angle of 5-10° with the plane of the molybdenum melting rotating disk.

[0015] Specifically, the inert gas stream injected by the annular nozzle has a temperature of 800-1000℃, a pressure of 0.1-0.5MPa, and a flow velocity of 200-400m / s.

[0016] Specifically, the inert gas is argon or nitrogen, used to form a protective atmosphere during the melting and spheroidizing process to prevent oxidation of the molten glass and the molybdenum melting rotating disk.

[0017] Specifically, the cooling system has a cooling rate of ≥100℃ / s.

[0018] Specifically, the glass microsphere spheroidization process includes the following steps: S1 Melting Feeding: The glass raw material is melted into molten glass using a medium-frequency heating system and then transported to the molybdenum melting rotary table system through a molten glass guide pipe.

[0019] S2 Centrifugal Throw-out: Control the molybdenum melting rotating disk system to rotate at high speed at high temperature, and use centrifugal force to throw the glass liquid out along the guide lip to form the initial glass liquid droplets.

[0020] S3 Secondary Shearing: High-temperature, high-speed inert gas is sprayed through an annular nozzle to impact and shear the falling glass droplets, thereby adjusting the microsphere particle size distribution.

[0021] S4 Cooling and Shaping: The glass microspheres that have undergone secondary shearing are rapidly cooled using a cooling collection system to suppress crystallization and complete spheroidization and shaping.

[0022] Specifically, in step S3, the particle size qualification rate of glass microspheres is controlled by adjusting the distance between the annular nozzle and the molybdenum melting rotating disk, the gas pressure, and the flow rate.

[0023] It has the following beneficial effects: (1) Compact structure and simple process: It replaces the bulky traditional spheroidizing equipment, shortens the process, and replaces the original glass furnace vitrification + water quenching + drying + airflow (ball milling) crushing + spheroidizing. It directly and quickly vitrifies + spheroidizes in one step, and the required microsphere particle size is adjustable, resulting in high product yield.

[0024] (2) Low energy consumption and low carbon environmental protection: The process is greatly shortened, and natural gas combustion is not required, resulting in low energy consumption and truly achieving low carbon environmental protection. Attached Figure Description

[0025] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention or the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on the structures shown in these drawings without creative effort.

[0026] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a fully electrofused centrifugal glass microsphere spheroidization system according to the present invention; Reference numerals in the attached figures: 1-Medium frequency heating system, 2-Molten glass guide pipe, 3-Molybdenum melting rotating disk system, 4-Annular nozzle, 5-Cooling system, 6-Collection system. Detailed Implementation

[0027] It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention.

[0028] The following detailed description of the implementation method of the present invention is in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. The description is only a partial embodiment and not all embodiments. For clarity, representations and descriptions unrelated to the present invention are omitted in the drawings and description.

[0029] To provide a clearer understanding of the technical features, objectives, and beneficial effects of this invention, the following detailed description of the technical solution is provided. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a portion of the embodiments of this invention, not all of them, and should not be construed as limiting the scope of implementation of this invention. Based on the embodiments of this invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without inventive effort are within the protection scope of this invention.

[0030] Example 1 This embodiment provides a specific implementation plan for a fully electrofused centrifugal glass microsphere spheroidization system.

[0031] In this embodiment, the specific component parameters of an all-electro-fused centrifugal glass microsphere spheroidization system are as follows: In this embodiment, a 100kW medium-frequency induction power supply is selected for the medium-frequency heating system to maintain the molten glass and the high temperature of the molybdenum disk.

[0032] In this embodiment, the molybdenum melting rotary disk is made of high-purity molybdenum alloy and has a diameter of 200 mm. It is driven by a variable frequency motor with a rotation speed set to 8000 rpm.

[0033] In this embodiment, the annular nozzle is made of a high-temperature resistant alloy material and is arranged around the molybdenum disk.

[0034] In this embodiment, the distance between the inner edge of the nozzle and the edge of the molybdenum disk is set to 80mm, and the downward tilt angle of the nozzle is 8°.

[0035] In this embodiment, high-purity argon is selected as the working gas for the gas supply system.

[0036] In this embodiment, the specific process steps are as follows: S1 Melting Feeding: High-refractive-index glass raw materials (such as Ba-Ta-Si glass) are fed into the melting furnace of the medium-frequency heating system. At a high temperature of 2000℃, the raw materials are completely melted into a highly fluid glass liquid. The glass liquid flows through a preheated glass liquid guide pipe into the center of the molybdenum melting rotating disk below at a constant flow rate (e.g., 50 kg / h).

[0037] S2 Centrifugal Discharge: The molybdenum molten glass rotating disk receives the incoming molten glass under high-speed rotation (8000 rpm) and medium-frequency induction heating (maintaining the disk surface temperature at approximately 1400℃). Under the action of centrifugal force, the molten glass is evenly thrown outward along the guide lip at the edge of the rotating disk. During this process, the molten glass is stretched and initially broken, forming initial molten glass droplets with a particle size of approximately 0.5 mm.

[0038] S3 Secondary Shearing: The annular nozzle system is activated. High-purity argon gas is heated to 900℃ and uniformly ejected at a pressure of 0.3 MPa and a flow rate of approximately 300 m / s. This high-temperature, high-speed argon gas flow encounters the falling glass droplets, subjecting the initially formed droplets to a violent impact and "secondary shearing." Larger droplets are broken up and reshaped into smaller, more rounded microspheres. The inert argon atmosphere effectively prevents oxidation caused by contact between the high-temperature molten glass and air, as well as oxidation and burn-off of the molybdenum disk.

[0039] S4 Cooling, Shaping, and Collection: After undergoing secondary shearing, the tiny glass droplets rapidly fall into the cooling and collection system under the combined action of gravity and airflow. The cooling system employs a combination of air and water cooling, with a cooling rate controlled above 100℃ / s. This allows the glass microspheres to pass through the crystallization zone in an extremely short time (milliseconds), achieving rapid shaping and preventing the formation of crystalline phases. Finally, in the collection tank, a finished glass microsphere product is obtained with uniform particle size distribution (D50=15μm), high sphericity, smooth surface, and no sulfide contamination.

[0040] The above description is merely a preferred embodiment of the present invention. It should be understood that the present invention is not limited to the forms disclosed herein and should not be construed as excluding other embodiments. It can be used in various other combinations, modifications, and environments, and can be altered within the scope of the concept described herein through the above teachings or related technologies or knowledge. Modifications and variations made by those skilled in the art that do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention should be within the protection scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. A fully electrofused centrifugal glass microsphere spheroidization system, characterized in that, include: A medium-frequency heating system (1) is used to provide a melting heat source; a glass melt guide pipe (2) is connected to the medium-frequency heating system (1) and used to transport the glass melt; The molybdenum melting rotating disk system (3) is located below the glass liquid guide pipe (2), heated by the medium frequency heating system (1) and kept rotating at high speed. It is used to receive the glass liquid transported by the glass liquid guide pipe (2) and use centrifugal force to throw the glass liquid out to form initial droplets. The annular nozzle (4) is arranged around the outer periphery of the molybdenum melting rotating disk system (3) and is used to spray high-speed inert gas flow into the thrown glass liquid droplets to perform secondary shearing and breaking of the glass liquid droplets. The cooling system (5) and the collection system (6) are located below the annular nozzle (4) and are used to rapidly cool, shape and collect the glass microspheres after secondary shearing.

2. The all-electro-fused centrifugal glass microsphere spheroidization system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The rotation speed of the molybdenum melting rotary disk system (3) is 5000-15000 rpm, which is used to throw the molten glass into droplets of 0.1-0.8 mm.

3. The all-electro-fused centrifugal glass microsphere spheroidization system according to claim 2, characterized in that, The molybdenum melting rotary disk system (3) can be replaced by a platinum gold rotary disk system or a molybdenum substrate, surface platinum rotary disk system.

4. The all-electro-fused centrifugal glass microsphere spheroidization system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The radial distance between the annular nozzle (4) and the molybdenum melting rotating disk is 50-100 mm, and the spraying direction of the annular nozzle (4) forms a downward angle of 5-10° with the plane of the molybdenum melting rotating disk.

5. The all-electro-fused centrifugal glass microsphere spheroidization system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The inert gas stream injected by the annular nozzle (4) has a temperature of 800-1000℃, a pressure of 0.1-0.5MPa, and a flow velocity of 200-400m / s.

6. The all-electro-fused centrifugal glass microsphere spheroidization system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The inert gas is argon or nitrogen, used to form a protective atmosphere during melting and spheroidizing to prevent oxidation of the molten glass and the molybdenum melting rotating disk.

7. The all-electro-fused centrifugal glass microsphere spheroidization system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The cooling system (5) has a cooling rate of ≥100℃ / s.

8. A glass microsphere spheroidization process based on the system described in any one of claims 1-7, characterized in that, Includes the following steps: S1 Melting and feeding: The glass raw material is melted into glass liquid using the medium frequency heating system (1) and transported to the molybdenum melting rotating disk system (3) through the glass liquid guide pipe (2); S2 Centrifugal ejection: The molybdenum melting rotating disk system (3) is controlled to rotate at high speed at high temperature, and the glass liquid is ejected along the guide lip by centrifugal force to form preliminary glass droplets; S3 Secondary shearing: High temperature and high speed inert gas flow is sprayed through the annular nozzle (4) to impact and shear the falling glass droplets to break them up, and adjust the microsphere particle size distribution; S4 Cooling and shaping: The glass microspheres that have undergone secondary shearing are rapidly cooled using the cooling system (5) and the collection system (6) to suppress crystallization and complete spheroidization and shaping.

9. The glass microsphere spheroidization process according to claim 8, characterized in that, In step S3, the particle size qualification rate of glass microspheres is controlled by adjusting the distance between the annular nozzle (4) and the molybdenum melting rotating disk, the gas pressure and the flow rate.

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