RH (Ruhrstahl Heraeus) refining device for silicon steel production based on double vacuum pump collaboration and direct connection feeding system
By adopting a dual-vacuum pump synergy and direct feeding system in the RH refining unit for silicon steel production, parallel processing at two stations and efficient alloy addition were achieved. This solved the problems of long processing cycle and low alloy feeding efficiency in the RH vacuum refining unit for silicon steel production, and improved production efficiency and compatibility with continuous casting production.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Utility models(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- CISDI ENGINEERING CO LTD
- Filing Date
- 2025-05-06
- Publication Date
- 2026-05-05
AI Technical Summary
The long processing cycle and low alloy feeding efficiency of the RH vacuum refining unit in silicon steel production lead to a mismatch with the continuous casting production rhythm, making it difficult to match and affecting production scheduling and efficiency.
The RH refining unit, which adopts a dual vacuum pump synergy and direct feeding system, includes two independent vacuum pump systems and an independent ferrosilicon feeding system for each station. Ferrosilicon is fed through a direct chute connection, enabling parallel processing at two stations and efficient alloy addition.
It significantly shortened the overall cycle of the RH vacuum refining unit, improved alloy feeding efficiency, solved the problem of mismatch between the processing cycle and the rhythm of continuous casting production, and enhanced production continuity and scheduling flexibility.
Smart Images
Figure CN224199418U_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] This utility model belongs to the technical field of RH vacuum refining equipment, and relates to an RH refining equipment for silicon steel production based on a dual vacuum pump synergy and direct feeding system. Background Technology
[0002] Silicon steel, especially high-grade silicon steel, is characterized by its low carbon and sulfur content and large alloy feed volume, resulting in long feeding times and long vacuum treatment cycles in the RH vacuum refining process. For high-grade silicon steel, the pure vacuum treatment time per furnace in the RH vacuum refining process exceeds 45 minutes. Even though the time spent on non-vacuum treatments such as the crane lifting the molten steel ladle and its movement on the ladle car can be excluded from the overall RH cycle, the long pure vacuum treatment time makes it difficult to match the RH vacuum refining cycle with the continuous casting cycle, further affecting the number of consecutive casting furnaces and increasing the difficulty of production scheduling. This mismatch between the RH treatment cycle and the continuous casting production rhythm is particularly pronounced in converter steelmaking plants with a capacity of 250 tons or less. Taking a 180t converter as an example, the continuous casting is set up with an 1880mm slab continuous casting machine. The average casting cycle for silicon steel production is <38min. For ordinary grade silicon steel, the RH single-furnace pure vacuum treatment cycle is >40min. For high grade silicon steel, the RH single-furnace pure vacuum treatment cycle is >45min. The RH vacuum refining cycle is > the continuous casting cycle. The processing cycle of the RH vacuum refining unit and the continuous casting cycle are difficult to match.
[0003] Furthermore, the amount of alloys added, especially ferrosilicon, in the RH vacuum refining unit for silicon steel production is relatively large. Taking a 180t converter as an example, the amount of ferrosilicon added to produce non-oriented silicon steel with 3.5% silicon content is approximately 8.7t. In a traditional three-car, five-position RH vacuum refining unit, two processing stations share a common feeding system. The ferrosilicon feeding process is as follows: ferrosilicon is unloaded from the high-level silo to the weighing hopper; after weighing, the ferrosilicon is unloaded onto a concentrator conveyor via a vibrating feeder; and then transferred to the ferrosilicon vacuum tank via a chute. The time required from unloading from the weighing hopper to the concentrator conveyor unloading all the ferrosilicon into the ferrosilicon vacuum tank is greater than 3.5 minutes. The transfer time for ferrosilicon alone is long, and silicon steel production also requires the addition of varying amounts of alloys such as aluminum and ferromanganese, depending on the grade. The large amount and variety of alloys added significantly prolong the RH vacuum processing cycle and worsen the matching relationship between RH vacuum refining and continuous casting.
[0004] To address the shortcomings of existing technologies, there is an urgent need to propose a new RH process layout to shorten the vacuum treatment cycle of the three-car, five-position RH refining unit and solve the problems of mismatch between the RH treatment cycle in silicon steel production and the continuous casting production rhythm, as well as the bottleneck of alloy feeding efficiency. Utility Model Content
[0005] In view of this, based on the existing three-car, five-position RH vacuum refining device, this utility model provides a process layout optimization scheme for the RH vacuum refining device that can realize parallel vacuum processing at two stations and optimize the ferrosilicon feeding process, so as to solve the problems of mismatch with the continuous casting production rhythm and the bottleneck of alloy feeding efficiency, and meet the needs of efficient and stable silicon steel production.
[0006] To achieve the above objectives, this utility model provides the following technical solution:
[0007] A RH refining unit for silicon steel production based on a dual vacuum pump synergy and direct feeding system includes:
[0008] The RH refining unit is based on the existing three-car, five-position RH refining unit layout, and has two processing stations and three standby stations, including three vacuum tank trolleys. The three vacuum tank trolleys can be switched between the two processing stations and the three standby stations.
[0009] The vacuum system is set up separately for each of the two processing stations, so that the two processing stations can perform vacuum processing at the same time.
[0010] The feeding system has an independent ferrosilicon feeding system for each processing station. The weighing hopper and vacuum tank of the ferrosilicon feeding system are connected by a chute for feeding.
[0011] Furthermore, the RH vacuum refining unit adds a second vacuum pump station to the existing three-car, five-position RH vacuum refining unit process layout architecture, constructing two independent vacuum systems. The vacuum pump type is a mechanical pump or a steam pump.
[0012] Furthermore, the two vacuum pump systems have identical vacuuming capabilities and equipment composition.
[0013] Furthermore, the RH vacuum refining device enables the two processing stations to operate in parallel through intelligent scheduling and allocation, and independently controls the vacuum level of each processing station system.
[0014] Furthermore, the three-car, five-position RH vacuum refining unit has two separate ferrosilicon feeding systems at each processing station. Each ferrosilicon feeding system consists of a large-capacity ferrosilicon silo, a ferrosilicon weighing hopper, and a ferrosilicon vacuum tank. The ferrosilicon feeding systems at both processing stations have the same equipment composition and parameters.
[0015] Furthermore, each group of high-level ferrosilicon silos comprises at least two units. The total volume of each group of ferrosilicon silos meets the 24-hour production needs of a single workstation.
[0016] Furthermore, the ferrosilicon weighing hopper is located below the ferrosilicon high-level silo. Each processing station is configured with two ferrosilicon high-level silos corresponding to one ferrosilicon weighing hopper, or four ferrosilicon high-level silos corresponding to one ferrosilicon weighing hopper. The volume of the ferrosilicon weighing hopper meets the ferrosilicon addition requirements of a single furnace of molten steel.
[0017] Furthermore, the ferrosilicon vacuum tank is located below the ferrosilicon weighing hopper and is directly connected to the ferrosilicon weighing hopper via a chute.
[0018] Furthermore, the volume of the ferrosilicon vacuum tank meets the requirements for the amount of ferrosilicon added to a single furnace of molten steel.
[0019] The beneficial effects of this utility model are as follows:
[0020] This solution, through an innovative design of a dual-vacuum pump synergy and a direct-feeding system, significantly improves the overall efficiency of the traditional three-car, five-position RH vacuum refining unit applied to silicon steel production, solving core problems such as the mismatch between its processing cycle and continuous casting rhythm, and low alloy feeding efficiency. Specifically, its beneficial effects are reflected in the following aspects:
[0021] The dual vacuum pumps work together to achieve parallel processing, significantly shortening the overall cycle of the RH vacuum refining unit for silicon steel production.
[0022] Traditional three-carriage, five-position RH vacuum refining units are equipped with only one vacuum system, requiring alternating vacuum processing at the two processing stations. This makes it difficult to compress the overall cycle time of the RH vacuum refining unit to match that of continuous casting during silicon steel production. This solution adds a second independent vacuum pump system, allowing both processing stations to perform vacuum processing simultaneously. For example, a single station's pure vacuum processing time is 45 minutes, with auxiliary operation time of 18 minutes. Under the traditional three-carriage, five-position RH mode, the overall cycle time is 45 minutes (with alternating operation at both stations, only the vacuum processing time is included in the overall cycle). This solution, by having two processing stations process in parallel, can shorten the overall cycle time to 31.5 minutes ((45 minutes + 18 minutes) / 2). This improvement effectively matches the RH refining cycle with the continuous casting cycle (e.g., 38 minutes), solving the problem of limited continuous casting furnace capacity caused by cycle mismatch, and significantly improving production continuity and scheduling flexibility.
[0023] The direct-feeding system for ferrosilicon eliminates the need for ferrosilicon belt conveyors, efficiently completing the addition of ferrosilicon alloys.
[0024] For a three-carriage, five-position RH vacuum refining unit, the traditional feeding process relies on a shared belt conveyor to transfer ferrosilicon. The transfer time of ferrosilicon from the weighing hopper to the vacuum tank exceeds 3.5 minutes, and the switching between multiple stations is prone to equipment conflicts. This solution shortens the feeding time and improves the feeding efficiency of ferrosilicon by configuring an independent ferrosilicon feeding system for each station and adopting a direct-connection chute structure.
[0025] Modular design enhances system flexibility and stability
[0026] Both vacuum pump systems employ identical capacity configurations and are independently controlled via intelligent algorithms, ensuring that the vacuum level at any workstation is precisely adapted to process requirements. Simultaneously, the ferrosilicon silo is designed with a volume sufficient for 24-hour production needs, and is equipped with multi-silo-weighing hopper combinations (e.g., 2 silos to 1 hopper or 4 silos to 1 hopper) to meet continuous material supply requirements. This modular design not only improves equipment utilization but also provides flexible adaptability to different production scales (e.g., small batches of high-grade silicon steel versus large-scale production of ordinary silicon steel).
[0027] In summary, this solution achieves comprehensive improvements in efficiency, cost, quality, and equipment reliability through structural innovation and process optimization of the traditional three-car, five-position RH vacuum refining unit, providing a practical and feasible technical path for the intelligent and efficient upgrading of silicon steel production.
[0028] Other advantages, objectives, and features of this invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows, and in part will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the following examination and study, or may be learned from practice of this invention. The objectives and other advantages of this invention can be realized and obtained through the following description. Attached Figure Description
[0029] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of this utility model clearer, the preferred embodiments of this utility model will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:
[0030] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the overall plan;
[0031] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the feeding system for this solution.
[0032] Figure labels: 1-Three-carriage five-position RH vacuum refining unit; 2-1# processing station; 3-2# processing station; 4-RH alloy high-level silo; 5-2# processing station vacuum pump system; 6-1# processing station vacuum pump system; 7-1# processing station ferrosilicon vacuum tank; 8-1# processing station ferrosilicon weighing hopper; 9-1# processing station ferrosilicon dedicated high-level silo; 10-2# processing station ferrosilicon vacuum tank; 11-2# processing station ferrosilicon weighing hopper; 12-2# processing station ferrosilicon dedicated high-level silo. Detailed Implementation
[0033] The following specific examples illustrate the implementation of this utility model. Those skilled in the art can easily understand other advantages and effects of this utility model from the content disclosed in this specification. This utility model can also be implemented or applied through other different specific embodiments, and various details in this specification can also be modified or changed based on different viewpoints and applications without departing from the spirit of this utility model. It should be noted that the illustrations provided in the following embodiments are only schematic representations of the basic concept of this utility model. Unless otherwise specified, the following embodiments and features can be combined with each other.
[0034] The accompanying drawings are for illustrative purposes only and are schematic diagrams, not actual pictures. They should not be construed as limiting the present invention. To better illustrate the embodiments of the present invention, some parts in the drawings may be omitted, enlarged, or reduced, and do not represent the actual product dimensions. It is understandable to those skilled in the art that some well-known structures and their descriptions may be omitted in the drawings.
[0035] In the accompanying drawings of this utility model, the same or similar reference numerals correspond to the same or similar components. In the description of this utility model, it should be understood that if terms such as "upper," "lower," "left," "right," "front," and "rear" indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the drawings, they are only for the convenience of describing this utility model and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, the terms used to describe positional relationships in the drawings are only for illustrative purposes and should not be construed as limiting this utility model. For those skilled in the art, the specific meaning of the above terms can be understood according to the specific circumstances.
[0036] The specific implementation of this plan is combined with the appendix. Figure 1 and Figure 2 Detailed explanation is as follows:
[0037] 1) Vacuum system configuration
[0038] The three-carriage, five-position RH vacuum refining unit 1 includes three vacuum tank traverse trolleys, which can switch between processing stations 1# 2, 2# 3, and three standby stations. Based on the existing three-carriage, five-position layout, a second vacuum pump system is added, forming two independent vacuum pumping systems: processing station 1# vacuum pump system 6 and processing station 2# vacuum pump system 5. The two vacuum pump systems have identical vacuum pumping capabilities and equipment composition, and can be mechanical pumps or steam pumps, connected to their respective processing stations via independent pipelines. The vacuum level of the two systems is dynamically controlled through an intelligent algorithm, ensuring that processing stations 1# 2 and 2# 3 can perform vacuum processing in parallel, and that the vacuum level can be independently adjusted according to process requirements.
[0039] 2) Feeding system configuration
[0040] Each processing station is equipped with an independent ferrosilicon feeding system, the specific structure of which is as follows:
[0041] Processing Station 2 (1#):
[0042] 9. High-level silos for ferrosilicon: There are two or more of them, with a total volume that meets the needs of 24-hour continuous production.
[0043] Ferrosilicon weighing hopper 8: Located below the silo 9, it receives ferrosilicon discharged from the silo 9 via a vibrating feeder. Its volume is designed according to the amount of ferrosilicon added to a single furnace of molten steel.
[0044] Ferrosilicon vacuum tank 7: Located below the weighing hopper 8, the two are directly connected by an inclined chute. After weighing in the weighing hopper, the ferrosilicon slides directly into the vacuum tank 7 via the chute, eliminating the need for a conveyor belt for transfer throughout the process.
[0045] Processing station 3 #2:
[0046] The structure is the same as that of processing station 2 of No. 1, including a high-level silo for ferrosilicon 12, a ferrosilicon weighing hopper 11 and a ferrosilicon vacuum tank 10.
[0047] Ferrosilicon feeding process:
[0048] Ferrosilicon is discharged from a dedicated high-level silo 9 or 12 via a vibrating feeder into a weighing hopper 8 or 11. After weighing, it is directly added to the corresponding ferrosilicon vacuum tank 7 or 10 through a chute, reducing the feeding time to less than 2 minutes. The volumes of both the weighing hopper and the vacuum tank are designed according to the ferrosilicon demand of a single furnace, avoiding multiple weighing and feeding operations that would prolong the vacuum processing time.
[0049] 3) Example of operation process
[0050] Parallel vacuum processing: Two sets of vacuum pump systems operate simultaneously to independently evacuate two processing stations, and intelligent algorithms adjust the vacuum level according to process requirements.
[0051] Direct feeding of ferrosilicon: Ferrosilicon is weighed from a dedicated high-level silo 9 or 12 through a weighing hopper 8 or 11 and then directly added to a vacuum tank 7 or 10 through a chute.
[0052] Alloy Supplementation: Except for ferrosilicon, the two processing stations share the remaining hoppers in the RH alloy high-level hopper 4. Other alloys are added to the corresponding alloy vacuum tanks at their respective stations via belt conveyor transfer.
[0053] 4) Key design parameters
[0054] Vacuum pump system operation mode: The dual vacuum pump system is independently controlled, and the operation mode of performing vacuum treatment at two stations simultaneously shortens the overall processing cycle.
[0055] Ferrosilicon direct feeding system: The three-car, five-position RH vacuum refining unit has several ferrosilicon silos (9 and 12) set up separately at each of the two processing stations, with more than two ferrosilicon high-level silos at each station. The total volume of the dedicated ferrosilicon silos at each station meets the requirements for 24-hour production.
[0056] Ferrosilicon weighing hopper configuration 8 and 11: Supports 2 compartments to 1 hopper or 4 compartments to 1 hopper design. The volume of a single ferrosilicon weighing hopper must meet the requirements for the amount of ferrosilicon added to one furnace of molten steel.
[0057] Ferrosilicon vacuum tanks with volumes of 7 and 10 are designed to meet the required amount of ferrosilicon to be added to a single furnace of molten steel.
[0058] Through the above structural design and process optimization, this solution realizes the efficient direct feeding of ferrosilicon in the dual-station parallel vacuum processing of the three-car, five-position RH vacuum refining unit, solving the mismatch between the RH processing cycle and the continuous casting production rhythm of silicon steel production and the bottleneck problem of alloy feeding efficiency.
[0059] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solution of this utility model and are not intended to limit it. Although this utility model has been described in detail with reference to preferred embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that modifications or equivalent substitutions can be made to the technical solution of this utility model without departing from the spirit and scope of this technical solution, and all such modifications or substitutions should be covered within the scope of the claims of this utility model.
Claims
1. A RH refining apparatus for silicon steel production based on a dual vacuum pump synergy and direct feeding system, characterized in that, include: The RH refining unit is based on the existing three-car, five-position RH refining unit layout, with two processing stations and three standby stations, including three vacuum tank traverse trolleys, which are used in a switchable manner between the two processing stations and the three standby stations. The vacuum system is set up separately for each of the two processing stations, so that the two processing stations can perform vacuum processing at the same time. The feeding system has an independent ferrosilicon feeding system for each processing station. The weighing hopper and vacuum tank of the ferrosilicon feeding system are connected by a chute for feeding.
2. The apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that: The RH refining unit adds a second vacuum pump station to the existing three-car, five-position RH refining unit process layout architecture, constructing two independent vacuum systems. The vacuum pump type is a mechanical pump or a steam pump.
3. The apparatus according to claim 2, characterized in that: The two independent vacuum systems have identical vacuum pumping capabilities and equipment composition.
4. The apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: The RH refining unit achieves parallel operation of two processing stations through intelligent scheduling and allocation, and independently controls the vacuum level of the system at each processing station.
5. The apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that: The three-car, five-position RH vacuum refining unit has two processing stations each equipped with a separate ferrosilicon feeding system. Each ferrosilicon feeding system consists of a large-capacity ferrosilicon silo, a ferrosilicon weighing hopper, and a ferrosilicon vacuum tank. The ferrosilicon feeding systems of the two processing stations have the same equipment composition and parameters.
6. The apparatus according to claim 1 or 5, characterized in that: The number of high-level ferrosilicon silos in each group is ≥2; the total volume of each group of ferrosilicon silos meets the 24-hour production needs of a single workstation.
7. The apparatus according to claim 5, characterized in that: The ferrosilicon weighing hopper is located below the ferrosilicon high-level silo. Each processing station is configured with two ferrosilicon high-level silos corresponding to one ferrosilicon weighing hopper, or four ferrosilicon high-level silos corresponding to one ferrosilicon weighing hopper. The volume of the ferrosilicon weighing hopper meets the ferrosilicon addition requirements of a single furnace of molten steel.
8. The apparatus according to claim 5, characterized in that: The ferrosilicon vacuum tank is located below the ferrosilicon weighing hopper and is directly connected to the ferrosilicon weighing hopper via a chute.
9. The apparatus according to claim 8, characterized in that: The volume of the ferrosilicon vacuum tank meets the requirements for the amount of ferrosilicon added to a single furnace of molten steel.