Apparatus for removing magnetic material and method for removing magnetic material

Abstract

A magnetic material removal device for removing a magnetic material from a liquid containing the magnetic material, the device comprising: Attraction means (110) for attracting the magnetic material with a magnetic force, Transport means (115) for transporting the attraction means (110) in circles between an area inside the liquid and an area above the liquid, a drum (122) arranged above the liquid, having a magnetic force that is stronger than the magnetic force of the attraction means (110), and designed to detach the magnetic material attracted by the attraction means (110) from the attraction means (110) and to attract the magnetic material, Ejection means (140) for scraping off the magnetic material attracted by the drum (122) and for ejecting the magnetic material from the device and Drive means (130) for driving the transport means (115) and the drum (122), characterized in that the transport means (115) comprise two chains (116) placed on lower pinions (118) arranged in the liquid and upper pinions (117, 117B) arranged above the liquid, and the drum (122) is arranged between the upper pinions (117, 117B) in an area surrounded by the movement paths of the two chains (116).

Description

[Technical Field]The present invention relates to a magnetic material removing apparatus and a method for removing magnetic material.[Background art]A working fluid is used in a steel processing line represented by a steel rolling line, and iron powder, which is a magnetic material, is contained in this working fluid in a large amount as a contaminant. The working fluid is used in the road in a large amount, and this large amount of the working fluid used in the road is reused after the magnetic material is removed. That is, the working fluid is circulated in the road and reused.At this time, the concentration of the magnetic material in the working fluid in the road is maintained at or below a predetermined value to maintain a certain level of workability of steel and thus assure a certain level of product quality. In a conventional practical use, a magnetic material above a predetermined particle size (for example, above a diameter of 50 μm) is removed therefrom by filtering the working fluid. Further, magnetic material in the form of fine particles having at most the predetermined size is removed from this filtered working fluid by treating the working fluid with a magnetic material removing apparatus using magnets.For example, Patent Literature 1 discloses an apparatus for removing ferrous sludge in rolling oil, wherein a chain feeder is provided which is provided with magnetic plates configured to attract ferrous sludge, the magnetic plates are moved in the rolling oil stored in a rolling oil tank, and the magnetic plates are also obliquely guided over the surface of the rolling oil, and a scraper configured to scrape off the ferrous sludge attracted by the magnetic plates is provided outside the rolling oil tank.[Citation List][Patent Literature][Patent Literature 1] Japanese Patent No. 3323933Further prior art is given in RU 2 116 115 C1, from which the preamble of claim 1 starts, and in U.S. Pat. No. 3,357,559 A and EP 2 669 391 A1.[Summary of the Invention][Technical Problem]However, a problem which arises in the above-mentioned apparatus for removing the oil of iron in the rolling oil is that the scraper also scrapings off the rolling oil adhering to the magnetic plates and the rolling oil is therefore removed together with the oil of iron. In particular, in the case of the above-mentioned steel processing line, the working fluid is used in a large amount, and therefore, there has been a strong demand for effectively removing the magnetic material in the working fluid from the working fluid.The present invention has been made in view of the above in order to solve the above problem, and an object thereof is to provide a magnetic material removing apparatus and a method for removing magnetic material, whereby a magnetic material in a liquid can be efficiently removed from the liquid.[Solution of Problem]The above problem is solved by apparatuses for removing magnetic material according to the appended claims and a method also recited in the claims using one of these apparatuses.[Advantageous Effect of the Invention]With the present invention, a magnetic material in a liquid can be efficiently removed from the liquid.[Brief Description of the Drawing]The following are shown:FIGS. 1A and 1B are schematic views of a magnetic material removing apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention, wherein FIG. 1A is a front view of the magnetic material removing apparatus and FIG. 1B is a side view of the magnetic material removing apparatus,FIGS. 2A and 2B are schematic views of a magnetic material removing apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention, wherein FIG. 2A is a front view of the magnetic material removing apparatus and FIG. 2B is a side view of the magnetic material removing apparatus,FIGS. 3A and 3B are schematic views of a magnetic material removing apparatus according to a third embodiment of the present invention, wherein FIG. 3A is a front view of the magnetic material removing apparatus and FIG. 3B is a side view of the magnetic material removing apparatus,FIGS. 4A and 4B are schematic views of a magnetic material removing apparatus according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention, wherein FIG. 4A is a front view of the magnetic material removing apparatus and FIG. 4B is a side view of the magnetic material removing apparatus, FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of a rotational force applying device included in the magnetic material removing device, FIG. 6 is an enlarged view of another example of the rotational force applying device,FIGS. 7A and 7B are schematic views of a magnetic material removing apparatus according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention, wherein FIG. 7A is a front view of the magnetic material removing apparatus and FIG. 7B is a side view of the magnetic material removing apparatus; andFIGS. 8A and 8B are schematic views of a magnetic material removing apparatus according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention, wherein FIG. 8A is a front view of the magnetic material removing apparatus and FIG. 8B is a side view of the magnetic material removing apparatus.[Description of Embodiments]Embodiments of a magnetic material removing apparatus and a magnetic material removing method according to the present invention will be explained below. However, the present invention is not limited only to the following embodiments which will be explained below with reference to the drawings.[First Embodiment]A magnetic material removing apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be explained with reference to FIGS. 1A and 1B.As illustrated in FIGS. 1A and 1B, a magnetic material removing apparatus 100 according to this embodiment is an apparatus for removing a magnetic material 102 from a liquid 101 containing the magnetic material 102, and includes a magnetic material attracting instrument 110, a transport device 115, a pair of left and right drums 121, 122, a magnetic material ejecting device 140, and a driving device 130. Note that the liquid 101 flows inside a tank 103 because it is reused in a production line after the magnetic material 102 is removed.The liquid 101 is a working fluid for use in a steel processing line or the like, and examples thereof include a liquid from which a magnetic material such as iron powder above a predetermined particle size (for example, a diameter of 50 μm) has been removed by filtering the liquid. Examples of the magnetic material 102 include iron powder in the form of fine particles whose size is less than or equal to the predetermined particle size.The transport device 115 is an instrument configured to transfer a plurality of tubes 112 included in the magnetic material attracting instrument 110 into circles between an area inside the liquid 101 and an area above the liquid 101. The transport device 115 includes endless chains 116 on which the plurality of tubes 112 are supported by support means 113, respectively. The endless chains 116 are arranged on the front side and the rear side, and each endless chain 116 has a continuous ring shape. The two front and rear endless chains 116 are preferably arranged parallel to one another. The support means 113 is an instrument supported by an end portion (for example, the radial center portion) of the tube 112 and the corresponding endless chain 116, and a wire or the like may be used, for example. The axes of the plurality of tubes 112 are preferably arranged horizontally and parallel to each other by the support means 113. The front and rear endless chains 116 are laid on front and rear lower sprockets 118 disposed in the liquid 101 and front and rear upper sprockets 117 disposed above the liquid 101. The diameters of the front and rear lower sprockets 118 and the diameters of the front and rear upper sprockets 117 are preferably approximately the same. A shaft portion 118 aof the front and rear lower sprockets 118 and a shaft portion 117 aof the front and rear upper sprockets 117 are preferably arranged in parallel with each other. Here, a drive sprocket 117 bis fixed to the shaft portion 117 aof the front and rear upper sprockets 117.The magnetic material attracting instrument 110 is an instrument configured to attract the magnetic material 102 with a magnetic force. The magnetic material attracting instrument 110 includes the plurality of tubes 112 supported by the support means 113 from the front and rear endless chains 116, and a plurality of permanent magnets 111 disposed in the plurality of tubes 112. Note that both end portions of each tube 112 are closed. The shape of the pipe 112 is not limited to a circular shape, a polygonal shape, or the like, but is preferably a circular cylindrical shape. Therefore, a magnetic force can be generated uniformly in the circumferential direction over the entire circumferential surface 112 aof the tube 112, thereby enabling uniform attraction of the magnetic material 102.The plurality of permanent magnets 111 are arranged adjacently to each other in the longitudinal direction of the tube 112 so that magnetic fields are generated on the circumferential surface 112 aside of the tube 112. The permanent magnets 111 have such a magnetic force that they can attract fine (with diameters of, for example, 50 μm and below) iron powder.The left drum 122 is disposed above the liquid 101 between the front and rear upper sprockets 117 and the front and rear lower sprockets 118 in an area surrounded by the moving paths of the front and rear endless chains 116. The right drum 121 is disposed outside the area surrounded by the moving paths of the front and rear endless chains 116. The right drum 121 is preferably disposed at the same height level as the left drum 122, and the axes of the drums 121, 122 are preferably disposed horizontally and parallel to each other. Therefore, the circumferential surface 112 aof each tube 112 may be opposed to the circumferential surfaces 121 a, 122 aof the drums 121, 122 when the tube 112 is moved by the front and rear endless chains 116 through the space between the drums 121, 122.Here, the left drum 122 and the right drum 121 are preferably arranged such that each tube 112 with the magnetic material 102 drawn to the circumferential surface 112 acan be moved through the clearance therebetween. Further, the left drum 122 and the right drum 121 are preferably arranged such that the magnetic material 102 drawn to the circumferential surface 112 aof the tube 112 can be detached from the circumferential surface 112 aand can be attracted to the circumferential surfaces 121 a, 122 aof the drums 121, 122 due to the magnetic forces from the drums 121, 122.The drums 121, 122 are permanent magnets configured to generate magnetic fields on the sides of the circumferential surfaces 121 a, 122 a. The drums 121, 122 each have a magnetic force larger than that of the permanent magnets 111. The drums 121, 122 each have such a magnetic force that the magnetic material 102 drawn to the circumferential surface 112 aof the tube 112 by the permanent magnets 111 can be peeled from the circumferential surface 112 aof the tube 112 and drawn to the circumferential surface 121 a, 122 aof the drums 121, 122. Here, the drive pinions 121 ba, 122 baare respectively fixed to the shaft portions 121 b, 122 bof the drums 121, 122.The magnetic material ejector 140 includes scrapers 141 and magnetic material receivers 142. The scrapers 141 are instruments configured to scrape the magnetic material 102 drawn to the circumferential surfaces 121 a, 122 aof the drums 121, 122 by the magnetic forces of the drums 121, 122. A scraper 141 is disposed on the lower surface of each of the drums 121, 122.A magnetic material holder 142 is disposed below the scraper 141 for the drum 121, and a magnetic material holder 142 is disposed below the scraper 141 for the drum 122. These magnetic material receivers 142 are formed so as to extend out (out of the apparatus) of the tank 103 among the drums 121, 122. Each magnetic material holder 142 has an opening portion 142 aand an ejection portion 142 b. The opening portion 142 ais provided below the location where the circumferential surface 121 a, 122 aof the drum 121, 122 and the scraper 141 come into contact with each other. The ejection portion 142 bis provided outside the tank 103. The magnetic material 102 is scraped off the drum 121, 122 by the scraper 141 and introduced into the magnetic material receptacle 142 through the opening portion 142 a. The magnetic material receptacle 142 causes its bottom plate to be inclined toward the ejection portion 142b below the drum 121, 122, so that the magnetic material 102 can be ejected toward the ejection portion 142b.The driving device 130 is a device configured to rotate the front and rear upper sprockets 117 of the conveying device 115 and the left and right drums 121, 122. The drive device 130 has a drive motor 131. Drive gears 131 ba, 131 bb, 131 bcare fixed to an output shaft 131 bof the drive motor 131. A drive endless chain 133a is put on the drive sprocket 131ba and the drive sprocket 117b of the transport device 115. A driving endless chain 133b crossing at the center is put on the driving sprocket 131bb and the driving sprocket 121ba of the right drum 121. A drive end silent chain 133c is put on the drive sprocket 131bc and the drive sprocket 122ba of the left drum 122.Accordingly, when the output shaft 131b of the driving motor 131 of the driving device 130 is rotated in the direction of the arrow A1, the front and rear upper sprockets 117 and the left drum 122 are synchronously rotated in the direction of the arrows A1 by the driving silent chains 133a, 133c, while the right drum 121 is synchronously rotated in the direction of an arrow A2 opposite to the arrows A1 by the driving silent chain 133b. The endless chains 116 and the plurality of tubes 112 are moved in an ascending direction indicated by an arrow A 3 between the left and right drums 121, 122, and rotated in a descending direction indicated by an arrow A 4 toward the front and rear lower sprockets 118 after passing the front and rear upper sprockets 117. In other words, the endless chains 116 and the plurality of tubes 112 are moved in circles between the sprockets 117, 118. Also, the left and right drums 121, 122 are rotated so that the opposite sides of the peripheral surfaces 121a, 122a move upward.The operation of the magnetic material removing apparatus 100 having the above-mentioned structure will now be explained.When the drive motor 131 of the drive device 130 is started, thereby rotating the output shaft 131 b, the front and rear upper sprockets 117 and the left and right drums 121, 122 are synchronously rotated by the drive sprockets 131 ba, 131 bb, 131 bcfixed to the output shaft 131 b, the drive silent chains 133 a, 133 b, 133 c, and the drive sprockets 117 b, 121 ba, 122 ba.By the rotation of the front and rear upper sprockets 117, the front and rear endless chains 116 are moved upward between the drums 121, 122 and moved downward after passing between the front and rear upper sprockets 117.More specifically, the front and rear endless chains 116 are moved between the upper sprockets 117 and the lower sprockets 118 as follows. The front and rear endless chains 116 are lowered by the upper sprockets 117 along the left side of the left drum 122, and once they have entered the liquid 101 and reached the lower sprockets 118, are guided by the lower sprockets 118 to a position below the space between the drums 121, 122. From this position, the front and rear endless chains 116 are pulled up from the liquid 101 and passed through the space between the drums 121, 122, and after reaching the upper sprockets 117, passed through the upper sprockets 117 to the left side of the left drum 122.The endless chains 116 moved as mentioned above support the plurality of tubes 112 arranged adjacently to each other in the moving direction, and the tubes 112 are moved similarly to the endless chains 116. A magnetic force is applied from the permanent magnets 111 received within the liquid 101, thereby pulling the magnetic material 102 in the liquid 101 toward the circumferential surfaces 112 aof the tubes 112. When each tube 112 having the magnetic material 102 attracted to its circumferential surface 112 ais pulled out of the liquid 101 and reaches the clearance between the drums 121, 122, the magnetic material 102 attracted to the circumferential surface 112 aof the tube 112 is detached from the circumferential surface 112 aof the tube 112 and attracted to the circumferential surfaces 121 a, 122 aof the drums 121, 122, because the magnetic force of each of the drums 121, 122 is stronger than the magnetic force of the plurality of permanent magnets 111 accommodated in the tube 112 (due to the difference in the magnetic force between the drums 121, 122 and the plurality of permanent magnets 111). At this time, when the pipe 112 is raised, the drums 121, 122 are rotated so that the magnetic material 102 is pulled to the locations on the circumferential surfaces 121 a, 122 aof the drums 121, 122 from which no magnetic material has been attracted.The pipe 112 from which the magnetic material 102 has now been removed, which has been attracted to its peripheral surface 112a but moved from the peripheral surface 112a onto the peripheral surfaces 121a, 122a of the drums 121, 122, is further raised and then passed through the pinions 117, 118 and the endless chains 116 to lower it again along the left side of the left drum 122 into the liquid 101 and attract the magnetic material 102 in the liquid 101. The tube 112 which has attracted the magnetic material 102 is then guided by the pinions 117, 118 and the endless chains 116 to the space between the drums 121, 122. In this way, the plurality of tubes 112, the transport device 115, and the drums 121, 122 continuously perform the attracting of the magnetic material 102 in the liquid 101 and the transfer of the magnetic material 102 attracted by the tubes 112 to the drums 121, 122.The magnetic material 102 attracted by the circumferential surfaces 121 a, 122 aof the drums 121, 122 is moved in the rotational direction of the drums 121, 122, and scraped off by the scrapers 141 from the circumferential surfaces 121 a, 122 aof the drums 121, 122. The magnetic material 102 is then introduced from the opening portions 142 ainto the magnetic material receptacle 142 and discharged from the tank 103 (out of the apparatus) through the discharge portions 142 b.In this way, according to this embodiment, the magnetic material 102 in the liquid 101 is attracted by the magnetic material attracting instrument 110 by its magnetic force. Further, the magnetic material 102 attracted by the magnetic material attracting instrument 110 is detached from the magnetic material attracting instrument 110 and attracted by the magnetic force of the drums 121, 122. The magnetic material 102 attracted by the drums 121, 122 is then discharged from the tank 103 (out of the apparatus) by the magnetic material discharge device 140. In this way, the liquid 101 ejected together with the magnetic material 102 can be reduced, and the magnetic material 102 in the liquid can be effectively removed from the liquid 101 accordingly, compared with the case where a magnetic material in a liquid is ejected directly from a tank by magnetic material ejection means.Also, with the small and simple structure of the magnetic material removing apparatus 100 including the magnetic material attracting instrument 110, the transport device 115, the left and right drums 121, 122, the magnetic material ejecting device 140, and the driving device 130, the magnetic material 102 can be effectively removed from the liquid 101.The transport device 115 includes the two endless chains 116, and the magnetic material attracting instrument 110 includes the tubes 112 supported by the two endless chains 116 and the permanent magnets 111 disposed in the tubes 112. In this way, the magnetic material 102 can be attracted using the entire circumferential surface 112 aof each tube 112, and the magnetic material 102 can be efficiently removed from the liquid 101 compared to the case where flat plate members are used.If the axes of the plurality of tubes 112 and the drums 121, 122 are arranged horizontally and parallel to each other, the location where the respective tubes 112 and the drums 121, 122 are opposed to each other is wide compared to the case where the axes are inclined to each other. Accordingly, the magnetic material 102 attracted to the circumferential surface 112 aof the tube 112 can be more efficiently transferred to the circumferential surfaces 121 a, 122 aof the drums 121, 122.The front and rear endless chains 116 are put on the front and rear lower sprockets 118 disposed in the liquid 101 and the front and rear upper sprockets 117 disposed above the liquid 101. In this way, the plurality of tubes 112 can be conveyed via a predetermined conveyance path, and the magnetic material 102 attracted to the circumferential surfaces 112 aof the plurality of tubes 112 can be more surely conveyed to the circumferential surfaces 121 a, 122 aof the drums 121, 122.The upper pinions 117 and the drums 121, 122 can be rotated by a driving motor 131 accommodated in the driving device 130. In this way, the apparatus can be miniaturized.Further, the positions for arranging the front and rear lower sprockets 118 and the lengths of the endless chains 116 may be adjusted according to the size of the tank 103. In this way, the magnetic material 102 in the liquid 101 can be efficiently removed.The effectiveness of removing the magnetic material 102 can be adjusted by adjusting the number of the tubes 112, i.e., the number of the permanent magnets 111, and the moving speeds of the endless chains 116. Alternatively, the effectiveness of removing the magnetic material 102 may also be adjusted by adjusting the diameters of the drums 121, 122, the diameters of the tubes 112, and the rotational speeds of the drums 121, 122.[Second Embodiment]A magnetic material removing apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be explained with reference to FIGS. 2A and 2B.This embodiment has a structure obtained by changing the left and right drums included in the first embodiment explained above and illustrated in FIGS. 1A and 1B. The other features of the structure are substantially the same as those of the above-explained device shown in Figs. 1A and 1B, and the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals, and overlapping explanation is omitted as appropriate.As illustrated in FIGS. 2A and 2B, a magnetic material removing apparatus 100A according to this embodiment is a magnetic material removing apparatus 102 from a liquid 101 containing the magnetic material 102, and includes a magnetic material attracting instrument 110, a transport device 115, left and right drums 121A, 122A, a magnetic material ejecting device 140, and a driving device 130.The left and right drums 121A, 122A are non-magnetic bodies, and each of the drums 121A, 122A includes sets of a plurality of permanent magnets 125.The plurality of permanent magnets 125 are configured to generate a magnetic field on the circumferential surface 121 a, 122 aside of the drum 121A, 122A. The plurality of permanent magnets 125 have a magnetic force larger than that of the permanent magnets 111. The permanent magnets 125 have such a magnetic force that the magnetic material 102 attracted to the circumferential surface 112 aof a pipe 112 by the permanent magnets 111 can be released from the circumferential surface 112 aof the pipe 112 and can be attracted to the circumferential surface 121 a, 122 aof the drum 121A, 122A. The plurality of permanent magnets 125 are disposed in the drums 121A, 122A so as to oppose the tube 112 at the space between the drums 121A, 122A when the pinions 117 and the drums 121A, 122A are synchronously rotated. In this way, the magnetic material 102 can be surely transferred from the circumferential surface 112 aof the tube 112 to the circumferential surfaces 121 a, 122 aof the drums 121A, 122A.The operation of the magnetic material removing apparatus 100A having the above-mentioned structure will now be explained.When a drive motor 131 of the drive device 130 is driven, thereby rotating an output shaft 131 b, the front and rear upper sprockets 117 and the left and right drums 121A, 122A are synchronously rotated by drive sprockets 131 ba, 131 bb, 131 bcfixed to the output shaft 131 b, drive endless chains 133 a, 133 b, 133 c, and drive sprockets 117 b, 121 ba, 122 ba. In the liquid 101, the plurality of tubes 112 attract the magnetic material 102 and are then lifted out of the liquid 101 by the endless chains 116 and guided to the space between the left and right drums 121A, 122A.At the space between the drums 121A, 122A, the permanent magnets 125 disposed in the drums 121A, 122A are opposed to each of these tubes 112. The magnetic material 102 attracted to the circumferential surface 112 aof the tube 112 is detached from the circumferential surface 112 aof the tube 112 and attracted to the circumferential surfaces 121 a, 122 aof the drums 121A, 122A because the magnetic force of the permanent magnets 125 is stronger than the magnetic force of the plurality of permanent magnets 111 accommodated in the tube 112 (because of the different magnetic force between the plurality of permanent magnets 125 and the plurality of permanent magnets 111).The magnetic material 102 attracted by the circumferential surfaces 121 a, 122 aof the drums 121A, 122A is moved in the rotational direction of the drums 121A, 122A and scraped off from the circumferential surfaces 121 a, 122 aof the drums 121A, 122A by scrapers 141. The magnetic material 102 is then inserted from opening portions 142 ainto magnetic material receivers 142 and ejected from the tank 103 (out of the apparatus) through ejection portions 142 b.Accordingly, by this embodiment, as compared with the case where the drums themselves are permanent magnets, the number of permanent magnets used can be reduced and the cost of the apparatus can be reduced accordingly. Maintainability can be improved because it is also possible to replace only the permanent magnets 125 accommodated in the drums 121A, 122A.By the rotation of the drums 121A, 122A, the tips of the scrapers 141 alternately contact a strong magnetic force location and a weak magnetic force location. In this way, compared with a case where they contact only a location having a strong magnetic force, the scrapers 141 can effectively scrape the magnetic material 102 attracted to the circumferential surfaces 121 a, 122 aof the drums 121A, 122A.[Third Embodiment]A magnetic material removing apparatus according to a third embodiment of the present invention will be explained with reference to FIGS. 3A and 3B.This embodiment has a structure obtained by changing the conveying device included in the second embodiment explained above and shown in Figs. 2A and 2B. The other features of the structure are substantially the same as those of the above-explained device shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B, and the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals, and overlapping explanation is omitted as appropriate.As illustrated in FIGS. 3A and 3B, a magnetic material removing apparatus 100B according to this embodiment is a magnetic material removing apparatus 102 from the liquid 101 containing the magnetic material 102, and includes a magnetic material attracting instrument 110, a transport device 115B, left and right drums 121A, 122A, a magnetic material ejecting device 140, and a driving device 130.The transport device 115B includes front and rear lower sprockets 118. The transfer device 115B also includes front and rear upper sprockets 117B fixed to a shaft portion 122 bof the left drum 122A, in place of the front and rear upper sprockets 117 included in the transfer device 115 mentioned above. A shaft portion 118 aof the front and rear lower sprockets 118 is preferably disposed in parallel with the shaft portion 122 bof the left drum 122A. Front and rear endless chains 116 are laid on the front and rear lower sprockets 118 and the front and rear upper sprockets 117B.Accordingly, when an output shaft 131b of a driving motor 131 is rotated in the direction of an arrow A1, the front and rear upper sprockets 117B and the left drum 122A are synchronously rotated in the direction of an arrow A1 by a driving end-less chain 133c, while the right drum 121A is synchronously rotated in the direction of an arrow A2 opposite to the arrows A1 by a driving end-less chain 133b. The endless chains 116 and a plurality of tubes 112 are moved in an ascending direction indicated by an arrow A 3 between the left and right drums 121A, 122A, and moved in a descending direction indicated by an arrow A 4 toward the front and rear lower sprockets 118 after passing the front and rear upper sprockets 117B. In this way, the endless chains 116 and the plurality of tubes 112 are moved in circles between the sprockets 117B, 118.The operation of the magnetic material removing apparatus 100B having the above-mentioned structure will now be explained.When the drive motor 131 of the drive device 130 is driven, thereby rotating the output shaft 131 b, the front and rear upper sprockets 117B and the left and right drums 121A, 122A are synchronously rotated by drive sprockets 131 bb, 131 bcfixed to the output shaft 131 b, the drive endless chains 133 b, 133 cand drive sprockets 121 ba, 122 ba. In the liquid 101, the plurality of tubes 112 attract the magnetic material 102, and they are then lifted out of the liquid 101 by the endless chains 116 and guided to the space between the left and right drums 121A, 122A.At the space between the drums 121A, 122A, the permanent magnets 125 disposed in the drums 121A, 122A are opposed to each of these tubes 112. The magnetic material 102 attracted by a circumferential surface 112 aof the tube 112 is detached from the circumferential surface 112 aof the tube 112 and attracted by the circumferential surfaces 121 a, 122 aof the drums 121A, 122A because the magnetic force of the permanent magnets 125 is stronger than the magnetic force of a plurality of permanent magnets 111 accommodated in the tube 112 (due to the different magnetic forces between the plurality of permanent magnets 125 and the plurality of permanent magnets 111). Also, on the upper surface of the drum 122A, after passing through the clearance between the left and right drums 121A, 122A, the pipe 112 is in contact with the left drum 122A and faces the permanent magnet 125. In this way, the magnetic material 102 attracted to the circumferential surface 112 aof the tube 112 can be attracted more securely to the circumferential surface 122 aof the left drum 122A.The magnetic material 102 attracted by the circumferential surfaces 121 a, 122 aof the drums 121A, 122A is moved in the rotational direction of the drums 121A, 122A and scraped off from the circumferential surfaces 121 a, 122 aof the drums 121A, 122A by scrapers 141. The magnetic material 102 is then inserted from opening portions 142a into magnetic material receivers 142 and ejected from a tank 103 (out of the apparatus) through ejection portions 142b.Accordingly, according to this embodiment, the front and rear upper sprockets 117B on which the front and rear endless chains 116 configured to transport the plurality of tubes 112 are laid are fixed to the shaft portion 122 bof the left drum 122A. In this way, the front and rear upper sprockets 117B (the endless chains 116) and the left drum 122A can share the same rotational drive. Therefore, the apparatus can be downsized and simplified compared with the case where the front and rear upper sprockets 117 (the endless chains 116) and the left drum 122A use different rotational drives.[Fourth Embodiment]A magnetic material removing apparatus according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be explained with reference to FIGS. 4A and 4B and 5.This embodiment has a structure obtained by changing the conveying device and other relevant components included in the third embodiment explained above and shown in Figs. 3A and 3B and adding a rotational force applying device. The other features of the structure are substantially the same as those of the above-explained device shown in Figs. 3A and 3B, and the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals, and overlapping explanation is omitted as appropriate.As illustrated in FIGS. 4A and 4B and 5, a magnetic material removing apparatus 100C according to this embodiment is a magnetic material removing apparatus 102 from the liquid 101 containing the magnetic material 102, and includes a magnetic material attracting instrument 110, a transport apparatus 115C, a drum 122A, a magnetic material ejecting apparatus 140, a driving apparatus 130, and a rotational force applying apparatus 150.The transport device 115C includes endless chains 116, front and rear upper sprockets 117B, and front and rear lower sprockets 118. Also, the conveying device 115C has supporting means 113C for rotatably supporting a plurality of tubes 112 on the endless chains 116, in place of the supporting means 113 included in the above-mentioned conveying device 115B for supporting the plurality of tubes 112 on the endless chains 116. As the support means 113C, a conventional support instrument can be used.The rotational force applying device 150 is a device configured to rotate the tubes 112. The rotational force applying device 150 includes gears 151 provided on the support means 113C and a rack 152 provided at one or more positions (three positions in the illustrated example) adjacent to the front and rear upper pinions 117B (drum 122A) and having groove portions 152a configured to engage with the gears 151. Because each tube 112 is moved by the endless chains 116 and the pinions 117B, 118, the gear 151 and the groove portions 152 aof the rack 152 are engaged with each other, whereby a rotational force in a direction A 2 opposite to the direction A 1 of the rotation of the drum 122A is applied to the tube 112.Thereby, the tube 112 is rotated while being in the vicinity of the drum 122A and facing permanent magnets 125 in the drum 122A, so that the magnetic material 102 attracted to the entire circumferential surface 112 aof the tube 112 is detached from the entire circumferential surface 112 aof the tube 112 and attracted to the circumferential surface 122 aof the drum 122A.The operation of the magnetic material removing apparatus 100C having the above-mentioned structure will now be explained.When a drive motor 131 of the drive device 130 is started, thereby rotating an output shaft 131 b, the front and rear upper sprockets 117B and the drum 122A are synchronously rotated by a drive sprocket 131 bcfixed to the output shaft 131 b, a drive end silent chain 133 c, and a drive sprocket 122 ba. In the liquid 101, the plurality of tubes 112 attract the magnetic material 102 and are then lifted out of the liquid 101 by the endless chains 116 and guided to the vicinity of the drum 122A.Each of these tubes 112, when in the vicinity of the drum 122A, faces the permanent magnets 125 that are in the drum 122A. The magnetic material 102 attracted to the circumferential surface 112 aof the tube 112 is detached from the circumferential surface 112 aof the tube 112 and attracted to the circumferential surface 122 aof the drum 122A because the magnetic force of the permanent magnets 125 is stronger than the magnetic force of a plurality of permanent magnets 111 accommodated in the tube 112 (due to the difference in magnetic forces between the plurality of permanent magnets 125 and the plurality of permanent magnets 111). Also, the tube 112 on the upper surface of the drum 122A is in contact with the drum 122A and faces the permanent magnets 125, and is additionally rotated in the direction A 2 opposite to the direction A 1 of rotation of the drum 122A by the rotational force applying device 150. In this way, the magnetic material 102 attracted to the circumferential surface 112 aof the tube 112 can be attracted to the circumferential surface 122 aof the drum 122A even more securely. In this way, only the one drum 122A can be used as the target to which the magnetic material 102 attracted to the circumferential surface 112 aof the tube 112 is to be transferred, and the apparatus can be miniaturized and simplified accordingly.The magnetic material 102 attracted to the circumferential surface 122a of the drum 122A is moved in the rotational direction of the drum 122A and scraped off the circumferential surface 122a of the drum 122A by a scraper 141. The magnetic material 102 is then introduced from an opening portion 142a into a magnetic material receptacle 142 and discharged from a tank 103 (out of the apparatus) through a discharging portion 142b.Accordingly, according to this embodiment, the plurality of tubes 112 are supported with the support means 113C of the front and rear endless chains 116, and the rotational force applying device 150 is further accommodated. In this way, the magnetic material 102 attracted to the entire circumferential surfaces 112 aof the tubes 112 can be detached from the circumferential surfaces 112 aof the tubes 112 and even more securely attracted to the circumferential surface 122 aof the drum 122A. Therefore, the magnetic material 102 can be removed efficiently from the liquid 101 containing the magnetic material 102 accordingly.The above has explained the case where the rack 152 of the rotational force applying device 150 is provided above the top of the front and rear upper pinions 117B (the drum 122A). However, as shown in FIG. 6, it is also possible to provide a rack 152A whose tip portion 152 bis located below the location where each tube 112 comes into contact with the drum 122A. In such a case, the tube 112 rotates freely before coming into contact with the drum 122A. Accordingly, the gear 151 and the groove portions 152 aof the rack 152A can easily come into contact with each other. Thereby, the magnetic material 102 attracted to the circumferential surface 112 aof the tube 112 can be transferred to the circumferential surface 122 aof the drum 122A correspondingly efficiently.Here, the rack 152, 152A included in the rotational force applying device 150 is preferably provided to rotate the tube 112 by at least 360 degrees while the tube 112 is in proximity to and in contact with the drum 122A. This is because it allows the magnetic material 102 attracted to the entire circumferential surface 112 aof the tube 112 to be securely transferred to the circumferential surface 122 aof the drum 122A.The above has explained the magnetic material removing apparatus 100C provided with the rotational force applying device 150 having the gears 151 and the rack 152 or the rack 152A. Alternatively, the magnetic material removing device may be provided with a rotational force applying device having gears configured to mesh with the groove portions 152 aof the rack 152 or the groove portions 152 aof the rack 152A in place of the gears 151.The above has explained the magnetic material removing apparatus 100C provided with the rotational force applying device 150 having the gears 151 and the rack 152 or the rack 152A. Alternatively, each component denoted by reference numeral 151 may be a sprocket, and each component denoted by reference numeral 152 may be a chain.[Fifth Embodiment]A magnetic material removing apparatus according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention will be explained with reference to FIGS. 7A and 7B.This embodiment has a structure obtained by changing the magnetic material discharging device and the driving device included in the fourth embodiment as explained above and illustrated in FIGS. 4A and 4B. The other features of the structure are substantially the same as those of the above-explained device shown in Figs. 4A and 4B, and the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals, and overlapping explanation is omitted as appropriate.As illustrated in FIGS. 7A and 7B, a magnetic material removing apparatus 100D according to this embodiment is an apparatus for removing a magnetic material 102 from the liquid 101 containing the magnetic material 102, and includes a magnetic material attracting instrument 110, a transport device 115C, a drum 122A, a magnetic material ejector 140D, a driving device 130D, and a rotational force applying device 150.The magnetic material ejector 140D includes a scraper 141 and a magnetic material receiver 142, and additionally includes a screw feeder 143 provided in the magnetic material receiver 142.The screw feeder 143 includes a housing 143 a, a shaft portion 143 bprovided rotatably, a blade 143 cprovided to the shaft portion 143 b, and a drive pinion 143 dfixed to the base end side of the shaft portion 143 b. Note that the housing 143 aincludes an opening portion (not illustrated) at a position that coincides with an opening portion 142 aof the magnetic material holder 142. The housing 143a has an ejection portion 143aa at a position coincident with an ejection portion 142b of the magnetic material receptacle 142.The driving device 130D is configured to rotationally drive the drum 122A and also rotationally drive the screw conveyor 143. A drive pinion 131 bcis fixed to an output shaft 131 bof a drive motor 131 housed in the drive device 130D, and a drive pinion 131 bdis also fixed thereto. A drive endless chain 133d is put on the drive sprocket 131bd and the drive sprocket 143d of the screw conveyor 143.Accordingly, when the output shaft 131 bof the drive motor 131 of the drive device 130D is rotationally driven in the direction of an arrow A 1, the front and rear upper sprockets 117B, the drum 122A, and the screw conveyor 143 are synchronously rotated in the direction of an arrow A 1 by a drive end sprocket 133 c, the drive end sprocket 133 d, a drive sprocket 122 ba, and the drive sprocket 143 d. The endless chains 116 and a plurality of tubes 112 are rotated in an ascending direction indicated by an arrow A 3 between the front and rear upper sprockets 117B and the front and rear lower sprockets 118, and then moved in a descending direction indicated by an arrow A 4. Accordingly, the endless chains 116 and the plurality of tubes 112 are moved in circles between the sprockets 117B, 118.The operation of the magnetic material removing apparatus 100D having the above-mentioned structure will now be explained.Similarly to the magnetic material removing apparatus 100C explained above, the tubes 112 pass through the liquid 101 to attract the magnetic material 102 in the liquid 101, and the magnetic material 102 attracted to the circumferential surfaces 112 aof the tubes 112 is transferred from the circumferential surfaces 112 aof the tubes 112 to a circumferential surface 122 aof the drum 122A by magnets 125 accommodated in the drum 122A. The magnetic material 102 attracted to the circumferential surface 122 aof the drum 122A is scraped off by the scraper 141 and introduced from the opening portion 142 ainto the magnetic material receiver 142.Subsequently, with the rotation of the shaft portion 143 bof the screw conveyor 143, the magnetic material 102 in the magnetic material receptacle 142 is discharged from a tank 103 (out of the apparatus) by the blade 143 cof the screw conveyor 143 through the discharge portion 143 aof the housing 143 aand the discharge portion 142 bof the magnetic material receptacle 142.Accordingly, according to this embodiment, the screw feeder 143 provided in the magnetic material receptacle 142 is received, and therefore the magnetic material 102 can be ejected efficiently in the magnetic material receptacle 142.[Sixth Embodiment]A magnetic material removing apparatus according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention will be explained with reference to FIGS. 8A and 8B.This embodiment has a structure obtained by adding a crusher to the fourth embodiment explained above and shown in Figs. 4A and 4B. The other features of the structure are substantially the same as those of the above-explained device shown in Figs. 4A and 4B, and the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals, and overlapping explanation is omitted as appropriate.As illustrated in FIGS. 8A and 8B, a magnetic material removing apparatus 100E according to this embodiment is a magnetic material removing apparatus 102 from the liquid 101 containing the magnetic material 102, and includes a magnetic material attracting instrument 110, a conveying device 115C, a drum 122A, a magnetic material ejecting device 140, a driving device 130, a rotational force applying device 150, and a crusher 160.The breaker 160 has one or more ridges 161. The ridges 161 preferably extend obliquely to the transport direction of the tubes 112. The ridges 161 are preferably disposed at a position around which each tube 112 comes close to the drum 122A. Tip end portions 161 aof the ridges 161 are preferably disposed in the vicinity of circumferential surfaces 112 aof a plurality of tubes 112 conveyed by the conveying device 115C.The operation of the magnetic material removing apparatus 100E having the above-mentioned structure will now be explained.Similar to the magnetic material removing apparatus 100C explained above, the tubes 112 pass through the liquid 101 to attract the magnetic material 102 in the liquid 101. The tubes 112 that have attracted the magnetic material 102 are pulled up from the liquid 101 by the transport device 115C and guided to the vicinity of the drum 122A. Each of these tubes 112 then faces permanent magnets 125 housed in the drum 122A.After being guided by front and rear upper pinions 117B fixed to a shaft portion 122b of the drum 122A, the tube 112 which has attracted the magnetic material 102 is moved in synchronization with the rotation of the drum 122A. During this movement, the tube 112 passes through the breaker 160. In this way, even in a case where the liquid 101 contains, for example, a cohesive material such as rolling oil having a particularly high viscosity due to the iron powder contained therein and the magnetic material 102 containing this cohesive material is drawn toward the circumferential surface 112 aof the pipe 112, the magnetic material 102 containing the cohesive material comes into contact with the burrs 161 of the crusher 160 and breaks into pieces. In this manner, the magnetic material 102 attracted to the circumferential surface 112 aof the tube 112 can be easily transferred to a circumferential surface 122 aof the drum 122A and attracted to the circumferential surface 122 aof the drum 122A by the permanent magnets 125.Thereafter, the magnetic material 102 attracted to the circumferential surface 122a of the drum 122A is scraped off by a scraper 141 and introduced from an opening portion 142a into a magnetic material receptacle 142. The magnetic material 102 in the magnetic material receptacle 142 is discharged from a tank 103 (out of the apparatus) through a discharge portion 142 b.Accordingly, according to this embodiment, the breaker 160 is accommodated, and therefore the magnetic material 102 attracted to the circumferential surface 112 aof the tube 112 can be broken into pieces. In this manner, the magnetic material 102 attracted to the circumferential surface 112 aof the tube 112 can be easily transferred to the circumferential surface 122 aof the drum 122A.[Other Embodiments]The above has explained the magnetic material removing apparatus 100C, which includes the magnetic material attracting instrument 110, the conveying device 115C, the drum 122A, the driving device 130, and the rotational force applying device 150. Alternatively, the magnetic material removing device may include the magnetic material attracting instrument 110, the transport device 115C, the drum 122A, and the driving device 130.The above explains the magnetic material removing apparatuses 100A, 100B, 100C, 1000, 100E each having the drums 121A, 122A and the sets of the plurality of permanent magnets 125 arranged in the vicinity of the circumferential surface(s) 121 a, 122 aof the drum(s) 121A, 122A. Alternatively, these magnetic material removing devices may each be configured such that on the bottom of the one or more drums, the plurality of permanent magnets can be moved toward the axis of the drum.The above has explained the case where the tubes 112 having the permanent magnets 111 are accommodated. However, the present invention is not limited to such a case, and the tubes 112 themselves may be permanent magnets.The magnetic material removing apparatus 100, 100A, 100B, 100C, 100E explained above may also use the magnetic material ejector 140D having the screw conveyor 143.The above-explained magnetic material removing apparatus 100, 100A, 100B, 100C, 100D may also use the breaker 160.[Industrial Applicability]The present invention can effectively remove a magnetic material contained in a liquid and therefore can be advantageously used in industries such as the steel industry.[List of Reference Numerals]100, 100A, 100B, 100C, 100D, 100E Magnetic material removing apparatus 101 liquid 102 magnetic material 103 tank 110 instrument for attracting magnetic material (attracting means) 111 permanent magnet 112 tube 113, 113c carrying means 115, 115b, 115c carrying means (carrying means) 116 pair of front and rear endless chains 117, 117b pair of front and rear upper sprockets (upper sprockets) 118 pair of front and rear lower sprockets (lower sprockets) 121, 122 drum 121a, 122a drum 125 permanent magnet 130, 130d driving means (driving means) 131 driving motor 140, 140d magnetic material ejecting means (ejecting means) 141 scraper 142 magnetic material 143 worm conveyor 150 rotational force applying means (rotational force applying means) 151 sprocket 152, 152a rack 152a GROOVE PORTION 160 BREAKER (BREAKING MEANS)

Claims

A magnetic material removing apparatus for removing a magnetic material from a liquid containing the magnetic material, the apparatus comprising: attracting means (110) for attracting the magnetic material with a magnetic force; transporting means (115) for transporting the attracting means (110) in circles between an area inside the liquid and an area above the liquid; a drum (122) disposed above the liquid having a magnetic force stronger than the magnetic force of the attracting means (110); and configured to detach the magnetic material attracted by the attracting means (110) from the attracting means (110) and attract the magnetic material, Ejection means (140) for scraping the magnetic material attracted to the drum (122) and ejecting the magnetic material from the apparatus, and driving means (130) for driving the transport means (115) and the drum (122), characterized in that the transport means (115) comprises two chains (116) laid on lower sprockets (118) arranged in the liquid and upper sprockets (117, 117B) arranged above the liquid, and the drum (122) is arranged between the upper sprockets (117, 117B) in a region surrounded by the moving paths of the two chains (116).The magnetic material removing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the upper sprockets (117, 117B) and the drum (122) have the same rotational direction.The magnetic material removing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the upper pinions (117, 117B) are provided on the shaft portion (122b) of the drum (122).The magnetic material removing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the attracting means (110) comprises a tube (112) supported by the two chains (116), and a permanent magnet (111) disposed in the tube.The magnetic material removing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein a plurality of tubes (112) are provided, and the drum (122) includes a permanent magnet (125) disposed to confront each of the tubes (112) when the driving means (130) drives the drum (122) and the two chains (116), thereby bringing the tube (112) close to the drum (122).The magnetic material removing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the plurality of tubes (112) and the drum (122) come into contact with each other on the upper surface of the drum (122).The magnetic material removing apparatus according to any one of claims 4 to 6, wherein another drum (121) is provided, and the two drums (121, 122) are configured to face each other so that the pipe (112) supported by the two chains (116) is disposed between the two drums (121, 122).The magnetic material removing apparatus according to any one of claims 5 to 6, wherein the drum is provided as a single drum (122), the plurality of tubes (112) are rotatably supported by the two chains (116), and the magnetic material removing apparatus further comprises rotational force applying means (150) for rotating the plurality of tubes (112).The magnetic material removing apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the rotational force applying means (150) rotates the plurality of tubes (112) opposite to the rotational direction of the drum (122).A magnetic material removing apparatus for removing a magnetic material from a liquid containing the magnetic material, the apparatus comprising: attracting means (110) having a plurality of tubes (112) for attracting the magnetic material with a magnetic force; transporting means (115) having two chains (116) for transporting the attracting means (110) in circles between an area inside the liquid and an area above the liquid; a drum (122) disposed above the liquid having a magnetic force stronger than the magnetic force of the attracting means (110), and being adapted to detach the magnetic material attracted by the attracting means (110) from the attracting means (110) and attract the magnetic material, A discharging means (140) for scraping the magnetic material attracted to the drum (122) and discharging the magnetic material from the apparatus, and driving means (130) for driving the transporting means (115) and the drum (122), wherein: the drum is provided as a single drum (122), the plurality of tubes (112) are rotatably supported by the two chains (116), the magnetic material removing apparatus further comprises rotating force applying means (150) for rotating the plurality of tubes (112), the rotating force applying means (150) rotates the plurality of tubes (112) opposite to the rotating direction of the drum (122), and wherein the rotating force applying means (150) comprises: a gear or a sprocket (151), provided on supporting means for rotatably supporting the plurality of tubes (112) on the two chains (116), and a rack (152) having a groove portion (152a) or a chain adapted to engage with the gear or pinion (151).The magnetic material removing apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the groove portion (152a) of the rack (152) or the chain is configured to engage with the gear or the pinion (151) before the drum (122) and the plurality of tubes (112) come into contact with each other.The magnetic material removing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the ejection means (140) includes: a scraper (141) configured to scrape off the magnetic material attracted to the drum (122); a magnetic material receptacle (142) configured to receive the magnetic material scraped off by the scraper (141); and a screw conveyor (143) configured to eject the magnetic material received by the magnetic material receptacle (142) from the apparatus, wherein the screw conveyor (143) is driven by the driving means (130).The magnetic material removing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 12, further comprising breaking means (160) for breaking the magnetic material attracted by the attracting means (110) into pieces.A method of removing magnetic material by means of an apparatus according to any preceding claim to remove magnetic material from a liquid containing the magnetic material, the method comprising: attracting the magnetic material with a magnetic force from the attracting means (110); transporting the attracting means (110) in circles between an area inside the liquid and an area above the liquid with the transporting means (115); separating the magnetic material attracted by the attracting means (110) from the attracting means (110); and attracting the magnetic material with the drum (122) disposed above the liquid and having a magnetic force stronger than the magnetic force of the attracting means (110), scraping the magnetic material attracted to the drum (122) and expelling the magnetic material from the apparatus with the expelling means (140).

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