Zero-carbon ignition system for a sintering machine and control method

Abstract

The application discloses a zero-carbon ignition system for a sintering machine and a control method, and relates to the technical field of metallurgical sintering equipment. The application aims to solve the technical problems of high carbon emission, low thermal efficiency and uneven heating caused by the existing gas ignition mode. The application provides a system, which comprises: a plurality of stages of plasma heating modules divided into a preheating zone, an ignition zone and a holding zone in sequence along the material conveying direction, and a plasma generating device arranged in an array in each zone; in addition, it also comprises a medium supply, a power supply and a control module. The control module obtains the running speed of the trolley and the material layer characteristic parameters, and dynamically adjusts the running power and the working medium flow of each zone based on the machine speed. The application completely replaces fossil fuels by using a plurality of stages of plasma, realizes zero-carbon emission at the sintering ignition link, and simultaneously realizes the linkage closed-loop control of the machine speed and the power to ensure efficient gradient input of heat and significantly improve the ore-forming quality.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of metallurgical sintering equipment technology, and in particular to a zero-carbon ignition system and control method for belt sintering machines. Background Technology

[0002] The steel industry is a vital foundation of the national economy, but its high energy consumption and emissions pose a severe pressure to reduce carbon emissions. The sintering process, a crucial link in steel production, plays a vital role in providing raw materials for blast furnaces. In traditional sintering processes, the ignition stage is one of the main sources of carbon emissions, accounting for approximately 10%-15% of total emissions from steel production.

[0003] Currently, gas-fired ignition furnaces are widely used both domestically and internationally for surface ignition of sintering mixtures. This technology typically uses fossil fuels such as coke oven gas and natural gas as energy sources, generating high-temperature flames through combustion to heat the surface of the mixture. However, this traditional ignition method has inherent and insurmountable drawbacks: First, the direct combustion of large quantities of fossil fuels inevitably produces massive emissions of carbon dioxide and nitrogen oxides, contradicting current "dual carbon" goals; second, the thermal efficiency of gas-fired ignition is extremely low, generally only 30%-50%, with a large amount of heat energy lost with the flue gas, resulting in significant energy waste; finally, because the flame pattern of gas combustion is easily affected by the negative pressure of the on-site ventilation, the flame stability is poor, leading to uneven heating of the sintering surface and frequent "over-melting" or "under-melting" phenomena, seriously affecting the final quality of the sinter, drum strength, and yield.

[0004] To reduce carbon emissions, the industry has explored various technological approaches. For example, combining plasma ignition technology with a roasting furnace has been proposed, but this essentially still uses plasma to ignite heavy oil fuels, failing to fundamentally eliminate dependence on fossil fuels. Another approach explores microwave plasma continuous sintering of non-metallic minerals, but this targets flash sintering within a closed furnace and cannot adapt to the specific conditions of a wide-area open-type steel sintering machine with high-volume air extraction. Furthermore, while some existing plasma sintering ignition systems incorporate plasma torches, they lack a multi-level gradient design for the preheating, ignition, and stable combustion processes of the mixture, and lack a deep coupling mechanism between plasma power and the dynamic speed of the sintering machine. This results in inconsistent ignition quality and large energy consumption fluctuations under varying operating conditions. Developing an ignition technology specifically for steel sintering processes, featuring zero carbon emissions at the source, extremely high thermal efficiency, and intelligent gradient heating control, has become an urgent industry need. Summary of the Invention

[0005] In view of the shortcomings of traditional gas ignition technology, such as high carbon emissions and low thermal efficiency, and the lack of heating gradient and uneven heating caused by the inability to intelligently link with machine speed in existing preliminary plasma ignition schemes, this invention provides a zero-carbon ignition system and control method for sintering machines. It aims to solve the core technical problem of how to uniformly and efficiently heat a wide sintering material surface with gradient heating and achieve intelligent linkage between ignition energy and production conditions under the premise of completely eliminating the use of fossil fuels.

[0006] To solve the above-mentioned technical problems, in a first aspect, the present invention provides the following technical solution:

[0007] A zero-carbon ignition system for a sintering machine includes: a multi-stage plasma heating module, which is sequentially divided into a preheating zone, an ignition zone, and a heat preservation zone along the running direction of the material carrying and conveying mechanism of the sintering machine. Multiple plasma generators are arrayed in each zone for gradient heating of the sintering material on the material carrying and conveying mechanism; a medium supply module, connected to the multi-stage plasma heating module, for providing a working medium to the plasma generators; a power supply module, electrically connected to the multi-stage plasma heating module, for providing electrical energy to each plasma generator; and a control module, communicatively connected to the multi-stage plasma heating module, the medium supply module, and the power supply module. The control module is configured to acquire the running speed of the material carrying and conveying mechanism and the material layer characteristic parameters of the sintering material, and based on the running speed and the material layer characteristic parameters, dynamically adjust the operating power output by the power supply module to each zone, and adjust the flow rate of the working medium supplied by the medium supply module to each zone, so as to achieve real-time matching of the aerodynamic force field and the thermodynamic energy field.

[0008] By employing a three-level zoned array-type plasma heating module combined with a speed-power linkage control module, this invention completely replaces traditional gas flames by directly converting clean electrical energy into high-temperature plasma jets, achieving zero carbon emissions in the sintering ignition process. Simultaneously, the three-level zoned design (preheating-ignition-heat preservation) closely matches the physicochemical mechanism of the sintering material layer from dehydration to ignition, and the linkage between speed and power ensures constant and precise heat input to the material surface under any operating condition, significantly improving energy utilization efficiency and heating uniformity.

[0009] As a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the plasma generating device is specifically a DC non-transfer arc plasma torch; in the preheating zone, the ignition zone and the heat preservation zone, a plurality of DC non-transfer arc plasma torches are arranged in a matrix along the width direction of the material carrying and conveying mechanism, and the DC non-transfer arc plasma torches in adjacent rows are arranged in a staggered and alternating manner to form a fully covered surface heat source.

[0010] By further adopting a DC non-transfer arc plasma torch and a matrix-style staggered alternating arrangement, this invention can eliminate heating cold zone blind spots between multiple point heat sources, form a continuous and uniform high-temperature heat blanket in the width direction of the trolley, completely eliminate the stripe phenomenon of "over-melting" and "under-melting", and improve the product yield.

[0011] As a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the control module has a preset power allocation strategy. After calculating the total system power based on the operating speed, the control module dynamically allocates the total system power to the preheating zone, the ignition zone, and the insulation zone according to the power allocation strategy. The power allocated to the preheating zone is 15%-25%, the power allocated to the ignition zone is 55%-65%, and the power allocated to the insulation zone is 15%-25%.

[0012] By further employing specific power ratio distribution characteristics, this invention achieves a precise match between heat and process requirements. The ignition zone receives the main energy to break through the ignition point, the preheating zone uses an appropriate amount of energy to remove moisture and reduce the difficulty of ignition, and the insulation zone uses a small amount of energy to mitigate the condensation effect of the exhaust fan, thus constructing a perfect temperature field gradient.

[0013] As a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the working medium is compressed air, nitrogen, argon, or a mixture thereof; the medium supply module includes a medium compression source, a gas storage tank, and multiple independent distribution pipelines, each of which is equipped with a pressure reducing and stabilizing valve and a high-precision flow regulating valve driven by the control module, so as to realize independent control of the air intake of each plasma generator.

[0014] By further employing high-precision independent gas path adjustment technology, this invention can ensure a high degree of consistency in the working voltage and plasma jet length of each plasma torch, ensuring the stability and repeatability of the plasma arc and preventing local overheating or flameout caused by arc deviation.

[0015] As a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the system further includes a cooling module, which is connected to the housing of each plasma generator by a closed-loop circulating water cooling circuit. The cooling module is equipped with a conductivity sensor, a temperature sensor and a pressure sensor. Each sensor feeds back the cooling parameters collected in real time to the control module. The control module performs a protective shutdown when it determines that the cooling parameters exceed a preset safety threshold.

[0016] By further employing closed-loop water cooling and multi-dimensional parameter monitoring features, this invention can ensure the long-term safe and stable operation of the plasma generator in extreme high temperature and high dust environments, and extend the electrode life.

[0017] As a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the multi-stage plasma heating module adopts a modular pull-out structure design, and the plasma generating device is connected to the medium supply module, the power supply module and the cooling module respectively through water, electricity and gas quick-connect connectors, configured to allow individual removal and replacement from the side without disconnecting the main circuit of the system.

[0018] By further adopting modular quick-plug features, this invention can greatly reduce equipment downtime and maintenance time, achieve online second-level hot replacement of individual faulty devices, and significantly improve the operating rate and production efficiency of sintering machines.

[0019] As a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the material layer characteristic parameters include material layer thickness, moisture content and carbon content; the control module has a built-in process parameter model, and the control module is also configured to monitor the voltage and current status of each plasma generating device in real time. When the arc of any plasma generating device is detected to be in an unstable state, a dynamic compensation mechanism is triggered to finely adjust the output power of adjacent generating devices around the unstable plasma generating device.

[0020] By further employing the features of arc monitoring and surrounding dynamic compensation mechanisms, this invention can achieve system-level fault tolerance. Even if the performance of individual torches fluctuates, the power compensation of adjacent torches can ensure the uniformity of heat absorption on the entire material surface, thus ensuring the absolute uniformity of sintering quality.

[0021] To solve the above-mentioned technical problems, in a second aspect, the present invention provides the following technical solution:

[0022] A control method for a zero-carbon ignition system for a sintering machine, based on the first aspect, includes the following steps: S1, System startup and parameter acquisition: The control module acquires sintering plan information, calls a preset process parameter model to put the multi-stage plasma heating module into standby mode, and acquires the running speed of the material carrying and conveying mechanism and the material layer characteristic parameters of the sintering material in real time; S2, Linkage adjustment and power distribution: When the material carrying and conveying mechanism reaches the set speed, the control module calculates the total power of the multi-stage plasma heating module based on the running speed, and dynamically distributes it to the preheating zone, ignition zone, and heat preservation zone according to a preset ratio; at the same time, it synchronously adjusts the total flow rate of the medium supply module and the flow rate of each branch; S3, Staged ignition process: The material carrying and conveying mechanism passes through the preheating zone, ignition zone, and heat preservation zone in sequence; S4, Process monitoring and adaptive feedback: The control module monitors the electrical parameters of each plasma generating device in real time, receives downstream sintering quality feedback signals, and dynamically corrects the power distribution ratio and total power mapping coefficient in the process parameter model through an adaptive algorithm.

[0023] By employing power control linked to engine speed, zoned ignition distribution, and adaptive closed-loop control with feedback correction, the method of this invention can overcome the drawbacks of traditional ignition relying on blind adjustments based on human experience. It ensures that the thermal energy input is always strictly synchronized with the material's needs in the spatiotemporal domain, achieving fully automatic optimization and high-efficiency operation of the ignition process.

[0024] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, in step S2, the control module performs linear adjustment control on the total power according to the operating speed: when the operating speed increases, the total power is increased by a first proportion; when the operating speed decreases, the total power is decreased by a second proportion.

[0025] By further employing linear linkage adjustment features, this invention can ensure that the effective heat integral value received by the sintering material layer per unit area remains constant regardless of the fluctuation of the sintering trolley speed, thus avoiding over-burning or under-burning caused by changes in machine speed.

[0026] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, in step S3, the staged ignition process is specifically manifested as follows: in the preheating zone, the apparent temperature of the plasma jet is controlled between 800°C and 1000°C to evaporate the surface moisture of the sintered material; in the ignition zone, the center temperature of the plasma jet is controlled to be greater than 2000°C to instantly heat the surface of the sintered material to above the ignition point of the internal solid fuel and ignite it; in the heat preservation zone, the plasma jet is controlled to supplement heat, maintain the surface temperature to prevent excessive cooling due to ventilation, and guide the combustion reaction to spread to the lower part of the material layer.

[0027] By further adopting the temperature gradient heating feature, the present invention can accurately match the thermodynamic requirements of the three different physicochemical stages of moisture evaporation, coke ignition point and combustion propagation, avoiding energy rebound and dissipation caused by high-energy plasma directly impacting high-moisture cold material, and improving thermal efficiency by more than 40% compared with the traditional method.

[0028] As a preferred embodiment of the present invention, in step S4, the downstream sintering quality feedback signal includes the drum strength and yield of sintered ore. The control module is equipped with a machine learning model that continuously iterates itself based on historical operating speed, total power, partition power ratio and corresponding sintering quality feedback signal to output the optimal power allocation strategy.

[0029] By further employing machine learning model features, this invention enables the system to achieve autonomous evolution and lifelong learning, continuously approaching the minimum energy consumption point and maximum mass point under the specific raw material structure as the running time progresses, thus realizing true intelligent manufacturing.

[0030] As a preferred embodiment of the present invention, before step S1, a medium pre-purging step is further included: the medium supply module is started to purge the working medium into each of the plasma generators at a basic flow rate to remove residual dust inside, and the power supply module is connected after the control module confirms that the circuit is unobstructed.

[0031] By further adopting pre-scavenging dust prevention features, this invention can effectively avoid short-circuit sparking failures caused by impurities entering the electrodes in a high-dust environment at the sintering site, greatly improving the success rate of ignition and start-up and the lifespan of the equipment.

[0032] As a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the method further includes step S5 shutdown and maintenance: after receiving the shutdown command of the sintering machine, the control module controls the plasma heating module to reduce the power to cut off the power supply in the order of heat preservation zone, ignition zone and preheating zone, and maintains the medium supply module and cooling module to continue to operate for a preset delay time to dissipate the residual heat.

[0033] By further employing sequential power reduction and delayed cooling features, the present invention can avoid localized thermal stress concentration caused by sudden power outages of the equipment, and prevent high-temperature core components from being damaged by oxidation or deformation due to poor heat dissipation.

[0034] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following significant advantages:

[0035] 1. Complete decarbonization at the source: By using multi-stage array plasma to completely replace the traditional gas flame as the only direct heat source, the entire ignition process does not involve the combustion of any fossil fuels, cutting off the generation of carbon dioxide from the physical source, resulting in zero direct carbon emissions, which has extremely high environmental protection and carbon economy value.

[0036] 2. Significant Leap in Thermal Efficiency: The array plasma energy is highly concentrated, and through a three-stage scientific gradient heating process of preheating, ignition, and heat preservation, the heat acts directly and penetratingly on the material surface, perfectly matching the material's ignition mechanism. Compared to traditional gas-fired surface diffusion heating, this invention improves thermal efficiency by more than 40%, significantly reducing the overall energy consumption of the system.

[0037] 3. Significantly improve the quality of sintered ore: A matrix-type surface heat source covering the entire width of the sintering machine is constructed. Combined with dynamic fault compensation and precise linkage algorithm of machine speed and power, the local "over-melting" and "under-melting" phenomena caused by unstable flame and flow fluctuation are completely eliminated, achieving extremely uniform heating. The yield of sintered ore, drum strength and metallurgical performance have achieved a substantial leap. Attached Figure Description

[0038] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments disclosed in this invention, the accompanying drawings of the embodiments will be briefly described below. These drawings are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of protection of this invention.

[0039] Figure 1 This is a modular architecture and control logic connection diagram of the zero-carbon ignition system of the present invention;

[0040] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the working principle of the control method for the zero-carbon ignition system of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0041] The technical solutions (including preferred technical solutions) of the present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and by way of listing some optional embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present invention, and not all of the embodiments. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments of the present invention without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0042] Example 1

[0043] This embodiment provides a zero-carbon ignition system 100 for a sintering machine, the structural relationship of which is described in [reference needed]. Figure 1 This system aims to solve the problems of high carbon emissions and uneven heating caused by traditional gas ignition by utilizing clean electrical energy and plasma technology.

[0044] The zero-carbon ignition system 100 mainly includes: a multi-stage plasma heating module 10, a medium supply module 20, a power supply module 30, a cooling module 50, and a control module 40.

[0045] The multi-stage plasma heating module 10 is the core execution unit of the entire system, which eliminates the need for traditional gas burners. The module is installed above the physical location of the original ignition furnace and is scientifically designed with a "three-level zoning" along the running direction (length direction) of the material carrying and conveying mechanism 200 (i.e., the sintering trolley) below, which is divided into a preheating zone 11, a core ignition zone 12, and a stable combustion and heat preservation zone 13.

[0046] Within each functional area, multiple plasma generating devices 14 are arranged in a matrix array. In this embodiment, the plasma generating devices 14 are preferably high-power DC non-transfer arc plasma torches. These plasma torches are closely arranged in the transverse direction (the width of the trolley), and to eliminate heating dead zones, adjacent rows of plasma torches are preferably arranged in a staggered and alternating manner (e.g., in a quincunx pattern). This matrix arrangement ensures that the generated high-temperature heat flow can form a continuous, dead-zone-free "surface heat source" in the width of the trolley, fully covering the sintering material 210 below.

[0047] The power supply module 30 provides efficient and reliable electrical energy to the plasma heating module 10. The power supply module 30 consists of multiple high-performance modular high-power DC power supply cabinets with a conversion efficiency of over 92%. In particular, the branch outputs of the power supply module 30 independently correspond to different zone arrays (i.e., preheating zone 11, ignition zone 12, and heat preservation zone 13), supporting constant current or constant power output modes.

[0048] The media supply module 20 provides a stable and clean working medium (i.e., plasma working gas) to the plasma generator 14. In this embodiment, low-cost compressed air is used as the working medium. The media supply module 20 includes an air compressor, a gas storage tank, a precision filter, and distribution pipelines. To ensure the stability of the arc length of each plasma torch, a pressure reducing and regulating valve and a high-precision mass flow regulating valve are configured on each branch pipeline leading to the plasma torch.

[0049] The cooling module 50 adopts a closed-loop soft water cooling system, equipped with a heat exchanger, water pump, water tank and deionization device, which is specially designed to remove the huge heat dissipation generated by the electric arc radiation of the plasma torch anode and cathode, ensuring the long-term stability of the equipment under extremely high temperature.

[0050] The control module 40 is the "brain" of the system, and preferably adopts an industrial PLC or distributed control system (DCS). The input layer of the control module 40 collects two types of key data in real time: one is the production condition data from the trolley, including the running speed of the material carrying and conveying mechanism 200, the material layer thickness (obtained by radar or preset values), and the basic characteristics of the sintering material 210 (moisture, carbon content); the other is the operating status signal from the ignition system 100 itself, including the voltage and current of each plasma generator 14, and the temperature, pressure, flow rate, and conductivity of the cooling module 50.

[0051] The core function of the control module 40 is to achieve "speed-power linkage". It is configured to calculate the trolley speed in real time, dynamically adjust the total output power of the power supply module 30, and independently adjust the power distribution and air flow of the preheating zone 11, ignition zone 12 and heat preservation zone 13 according to a specific ratio through internal independent channels.

[0052] Furthermore, to facilitate routine maintenance, the multi-stage plasma heating module 10 is designed with a modular, pull-out structure. When a single plasma generator 14 is diagnosed as experiencing lifespan degradation or malfunction, maintenance personnel only need to disconnect the branch circuit of that unit and unplug the corresponding water, electricity, and gas quick connectors to pull the plasma torch out of the furnace side rail unit for replacement. The entire process does not require stopping the sintering machine or interrupting the material supply, nor does it require stopping the furnace for cooling, greatly improving the continuous operation rate of the equipment.

[0053] Example 2

[0054] This embodiment mainly introduces the zero-carbon ignition and control method based on the ignition system described in Embodiment 1. Combined with... Figure 2 The flowchart illustrates that this control method specifically includes the following steps:

[0055] Step S1, System Startup and Standby: Power is supplied to the control module 40, power supply module 30, medium supply module 20, and cooling module 50. The control module 40, based on the current production plan (e.g., for a specific iron ore type or batch), calls the preset process parameter model from the expert knowledge base. The power supply module 30 enters a low-power standby state to initiate the arc.

[0056] Step S2, Linkage Start-up and Power Distribution: When the material carrying and conveying mechanism 200 (sintering machine) starts and reaches the set speed, the speed signal is transmitted to the control module 40 in real time. The control module 40 performs automatic calculations and outputs commands.

[0057] First, the total power is linearly adjusted based on the machine speed. When the machine speed increases, the amount of material passing through the ignition zone per unit time increases, and the control module 40 synchronously increases the total system power; conversely, it decreases. This ensures a constant integral of heat gained per unit area of ​​material.

[0058] Second, dynamic power allocation is performed. The control module 40 distributes the calculated total power to each zone according to a preset ratio. Typically, 20% of the power is allocated to the preheating zone 11, 60% to the ignition zone 12, and 20% to the insulation zone 13.

[0059] Third, the total flow rate of compressed air and the flow rate of each branch are adjusted synchronously and as needed to ensure the matching of the aerodynamic force field and the thermodynamic energy field.

[0060] Step S3, staged ignition process: This is the core heating sequence.

[0061] Phase 1 (Preheating): The sintered material 210 first enters the preheating zone 11. The plasma torch in this zone, with 20% of its power allocated, generates a medium-temperature plasma jet of approximately 800-1000°C. This gentle, high-temperature airflow is specifically designed to rapidly evaporate moisture from the material surface, breaking down the "moisture barrier" for subsequent ignition.

[0062] Phase Two (Ignition): The material continues to move into ignition zone 12. This zone receives 60% high-energy distribution, and the temperature at the center of the plasma jet soars to over 2000℃. The extremely high temperature instantly penetrates the surface layer, heating the solid fuel (such as coke powder) inside the material layer to above its ignition point (700-800℃), achieving instantaneous full-section deflagration.

[0063] Phase 3 (Stable Combustion): The ignited material surface enters the heat preservation zone 13. Due to the strong negative pressure of the exhaust fan at the bottom of the sintering machine, the newly ignited surface layer is prone to rapid cooling and extinguishing. At this time, the 20% power plasma jet released by the heat preservation zone 13 provides continuous supplemental heat, maintaining the high temperature of the surface firebed and ensuring that the combustion reaction can stably and fully propagate to the deeper layers of the material.

[0064] Step S4, Process Monitoring and Adaptive Adjustment: During operation, the control module 40 continuously monitors the arc status of each plasma generator 14. If a severe arc voltage fluctuation is detected (which may indicate arc deviation or nearing the end of its lifespan), the control module 40 will trigger an adaptive compensation algorithm to immediately fine-tune the power settings of several adjacent normal plasma torches around the faulty torch. This utilizes the overlapping effect of surface heat sources to compensate for the heat deficit in that area, preventing unlit "black streaks" from appearing on the trolley surface.

[0065] Step S5, Shutdown and Maintenance: After the sintering main control issues a shutdown command, the plasma torch array cuts off the power supply in reverse order (first turn off preheating, then turn off ignition, and finally turn off stable combustion) or synchronous safety logic. Cooling water and working gas are purged for several minutes with a delay to ensure hardware safety.

[0066] Example 3

[0067] To achieve precise linear linkage adjustment between the total power and the sintering trolley's running speed, the underlying control logic within the control module 40 is calculated based on the following process mathematical model:

[0068] Using the arithmetic unit within the control module (40), the total thermal power P required by the system is calculated and set in real time according to the following formula. total :

[0069]

[0070] Where: P total The total system power output from the power supply module 30 to the multi-stage plasma heating module 10 is represented by kilowatts (kW).

[0071] v represents the real-time operating speed (i.e., machine speed, unit: meters per minute) of the material carrying and conveying mechanism 200. This variable is input in real time by the encoder installed on the main shaft.

[0072] W represents the effective ignition width of the trolley (constant);

[0073] h represents the thickness of the sintered material 210;

[0074] ρ and C p These represent the bulk density and average specific heat capacity of the mixture, respectively.

[0075] ΔT represents the difference between the target ignition temperature and the initial ambient temperature;

[0076] λ represents the overall thermal efficiency conversion and margin correction factor of the system (this parameter can be adaptively and iteratively corrected during operation based on historical quality data).

[0077] Based on the above logical model, when the machine speed v fluctuates, P total The model ensures a proportional response, maintaining a constant integral of heat received per unit area of ​​sintered material layer at different machine speeds.

[0078] Under specific typical production conditions (for example, taking a sintering machine with an effective width of 4 meters processing common iron concentrate sinter, with the machine speed set at 2.5 m / min and the system's maximum output capacity of 6MW), the control module 40 performs a detailed breakdown of the power calculated above according to stages. The parameter matching and thermodynamic targets for each zone are detailed in Table 1.

[0079] Table 1

[0080]

[0081] Under the operating conditions shown in Table 1, the total compressed air flow rate output by the media supply module 20 is approximately 800 Nm³. 3 / h. Based on the data table above, in actual operation, the surface of the material exiting the furnace is an extremely uniform dark red to reddish-brown, without any over-melted crystallization streaks or under-melted black bands. Not only is carbon dioxide emission zero, but energy consumption is also reduced by more than 35% compared to traditional gas-fired processes.

[0082] Example 4

[0083] This embodiment expands upon some of the system's technical features and application scenarios based on Embodiments 1 and 2.

[0084] Firstly, regarding the working medium provided by the medium supply module 20, although inexpensive compressed air is used in Embodiment 1, in metallurgical sintering / roasting processes containing special metallic elements or with strict requirements for redox atmospheres, the control module 40 can control the medium supply module 20 to switch gas sources. For example, high-purity nitrogen or argon can be introduced as the working medium for the plasma generator 14, thereby constructing a local inert atmosphere protection field above the material surface. This not only enables zero-carbon heating but also prevents unintended deep oxidation reactions of the raw materials during the high-temperature ignition stage.

[0085] Secondly, regarding the expansion of the control algorithm, the built-in algorithm model of control module 40 is not a rigid static formula; it can integrate deep machine learning functions. After the sinter is produced, the system collects feedback from downstream quality inspection terminals on the "drum intensity" and "yield" indicators, using these indicators as reward / penalty functions. Through long-term operating data, the neural network model can discover that under specific combinations of carbon content and moisture, such as a power ratio of "25%:55%:20%", the intensity is improved more than the preset "2:6:2" ratio, thus achieving automatic optimization and autonomous evolution of the power allocation strategy.

[0086] Finally, the multi-stage array zero-carbon ignition system of the present invention can also be scaled up proportionally and applied to the preheating and ignition section of a chain grate-rotary kiln pellet production line, or to the top of a non-ferrous metal continuous roasting furnace. Both utilize array electric heating jets to construct a surface heat source with matching machine speed, which falls entirely within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0087] The above description is merely a preferred embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the present invention. For those skilled in the art, various improvements and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and principle of the present invention (such as replacing the plasma generator with other forms of electromagnetic induction coupling jets, or using other photoelectric types of sensors, etc.), and these improvements and modifications should also be considered within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0088] It will be readily understood by those skilled in the art that the above are merely preferred embodiments of the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention. Any modifications, combinations, substitutions, improvements, etc., made under the spirit and principles of the present invention are included within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A zero-carbon ignition system for a sintering machine, characterized in that, include: The multi-stage plasma heating module is divided into a preheating zone, an ignition zone, and a heat preservation zone along the running direction of the material carrying and conveying mechanism of the sintering machine. Multiple plasma generating devices are arranged in an array in each zone to perform gradient heating on the sintering material on the material carrying and conveying mechanism. The medium supply module is connected to the multi-stage plasma heating module and is used to provide the working medium for the plasma generator. The power supply module is electrically connected to the multi-stage plasma heating module and is used to provide power to each of the plasma generating devices. as well as The control module is communicatively connected to the multi-stage plasma heating module, the medium supply module, and the power supply module, respectively. The control module is configured to acquire the operating speed of the material carrying and conveying mechanism, and, based at least on the operating speed, dynamically adjust the operating power output by the power supply module to each of the regions, and adjust the flow rate of the working medium supplied by the medium supply module to each of the regions.

2. The zero-carbon ignition system for a sintering machine according to claim 1, characterized in that, The plasma generating device is specifically a DC non-transfer arc plasma torch; Within the preheating zone, the ignition zone, and the insulation zone, multiple DC non-transfer arc plasma torches are arranged in a matrix along the width direction of the material carrying and conveying mechanism, and adjacent rows of DC non-transfer arc plasma torches are staggered and alternately arranged to form a fully covered surface heat source.

3. The zero-carbon ignition system for a sintering machine according to claim 1, characterized in that, The working medium is compressed air, nitrogen, argon, or a mixture thereof; The medium supply module includes a medium compression source, a gas storage tank, and multiple independent distribution pipelines. Each of the independent distribution pipelines is equipped with a pressure reducing and stabilizing valve and a high-precision flow regulating valve driven by the control module, so as to realize independent control of the gas intake of each plasma generator.

4. The zero-carbon ignition system for a sintering machine according to claim 1, characterized in that, The control module has a preset power allocation strategy. After calculating the total system power based on the operating speed, the control module dynamically allocates the total system power to the preheating zone, the ignition zone and the heat preservation zone according to the power allocation strategy. The power allocated to the preheating zone is 15%-25%, the power allocated to the ignition zone is 55%-65%, and the power allocated to the insulation zone is 15%-25%.

5. The zero-carbon ignition system for a sintering machine according to claim 1, characterized in that, The system also includes a cooling module, which uses a closed-loop circulating water cooling circuit connected to the housing of each plasma generator. The cooling module is equipped with a sensor group to feed back real-time cooling parameters to the control module for safe shutdown protection. In addition, the multi-stage plasma heating module adopts a modular pull-out structure design. The plasma generator is connected to the medium supply module, the power supply module and the cooling module respectively through water, electricity and gas quick-connect connectors, and is configured to allow individual removal and replacement from the side without disconnecting the main circuit of the system.

6. The zero-carbon ignition system for a sintering machine according to claim 1, characterized in that, The control module is also configured to acquire the material layer characteristic parameters of the sintering material, and dynamically adjust the operating power output by the power supply module to each of the regions in combination with the operating speed and the material layer characteristic parameters; the material layer characteristic parameters include material layer thickness, moisture content and carbon content; the control module has a built-in process parameter model, and the control module is also configured to monitor the voltage and current status of each plasma generating device in real time, and when the arc of any plasma generating device is detected to be in an unstable state, a dynamic compensation mechanism is triggered to fine-tune the output power of adjacent generating devices around the unstable plasma generating device.

7. A control method for a zero-carbon ignition system for a sintering machine based on any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that, Includes the following steps: S1. System Start-up and Parameter Acquisition: The control module acquires sintering plan information, calls the preset process parameter model to put the multi-stage plasma heating module into standby mode, and acquires the running speed of the material carrying and conveying mechanism in real time, as well as optionally acquires the material layer characteristic parameters of the sintering material. S2. Linkage Adjustment and Power Distribution: When the material carrying and conveying mechanism reaches the set speed, the control module calculates the total power of the multi-stage plasma heating module based on the operating speed and dynamically distributes it to the preheating zone, ignition zone, and heat preservation zone according to a preset ratio; at the same time, it synchronously adjusts the total flow rate of the medium supply module and the flow rate of each branch. S3, Staged ignition process: The material carrying and conveying mechanism passes through the preheating zone, ignition zone and heat preservation zone in sequence; S4. Process monitoring and adaptive feedback: The control module monitors the electrical parameters of each plasma generator in real time and receives downstream sintering quality feedback signals. It dynamically corrects the power allocation ratio and total power mapping coefficient in the process parameter model through an adaptive algorithm.

8. The control method according to claim 7, characterized in that, In step S2, the control module linearly adjusts the total power according to the operating speed: when the operating speed increases, the total power is increased proportionally; when the operating speed decreases, the total power is decreased proportionally. In step S3, the staged ignition process is specifically manifested as follows: in the preheating zone, the apparent temperature of the plasma jet is controlled between 800°C and 1000°C; in the ignition zone, the center temperature of the plasma jet is controlled to be greater than 2000°C; and in the heat preservation zone, the plasma jet is controlled to supplement heat to maintain the high surface temperature.

9. The control method according to claim 7, characterized in that, In step S4, the downstream sintering quality feedback signal includes the drum strength and yield of sintered ore. The control module is equipped with a machine learning model that continuously iterates itself based on historical operating speed, total power, zone power ratio and corresponding sintering quality feedback signal to output the optimal power allocation strategy.

10. The control method according to claim 7, characterized in that, Before step S1, a medium pre-purging step is also included: the working medium is introduced into each of the plasma generators at a basic flow rate to purge residual dust, and the power supply module is connected after confirming that the circuit is unobstructed. After step S4, step S5, a shutdown and maintenance step, is also included: upon receiving a shutdown command, the control module controls the multi-stage plasma heating module to reduce power sequentially to cut off the power supply in the order of heat preservation zone, ignition zone, and preheating zone, and maintains the medium supply module and cooling module to continue operating for a preset delay time.

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