Ash extrusion device

Abstract

To facilitate discharge of burned ash in a drive chamber and clean a water gauge automatically to enable proper and accurate measurement of a water level.SOLUTION: An ash extrusion device includes: a cooling tank 2 including an introduction port 6 and a discharge port 7 of burned ash; a scraper 4 which extrudes burned ash in the cooling tank 2; and a drive device 5 which drives the scraper 4. Storage water is stored at a predetermined water level and the drive device 5 causes the scraper 4 to reciprocate along a bottom plate 8. The ash extrusion device includes: a water injection pipe 11 disposed at a rear relative to a scraper rearmost end position; and a rod-like water gauge 10 at least partially disposed forward of the scraper rearmost end position. The water injection pipe 11 has a wide-angle nozzle 11a at a tip. When the water gauge 10 detects lowering of the storage water level, water is injected from the wide-angle nozzle to the cooling tank 2. Most of the injected water falls over an area behind the scraper rearmost end position and the water gauge 10 is cleaned with at least a part of the water falling over an area located at the front relative to the scraper rearmost end position.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an ash extrusion device that cools and discharges incineration ash. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, incineration plants are known as plants for incinerating waste and other materials to be incinerated. In an incinerator (e.g., a stoker furnace) in this plant, ash (incinerated ash) generated by burning the materials to be incinerated is dropped from an ash chute connected to the incinerator into an inlet of an ash pushing device, cooled by stored water in a cooling tank of the ash pushing device, and then discharged from the ash pushing device to a conveying device. The ash pushing device is provided with a scraper (also called a "pusher") that pushes the incineration ash cooled by the stored water to a discharge port. The scraper is reciprocated by a drive device arranged in a drive chamber in a forward direction toward the discharge port and a backward direction opposite thereto, to push the incineration ash in the stored water to the discharge port. In addition, in the ash push-out device, a water level gauge that measures the level of the stored water and a water injection pipe that injects water to store a predetermined level in the cooling tank are arranged in the drive chamber.

[0003] There are various possible positional relationships between the water level gauge and the water injection pipe installed in the ash extrusion device. For example, there is an ash extrusion device in which the water level gauge and the water injection pipe are arranged in the drive room on the side of the scraper's backward movement direction from the rear end position of the scraper when the scraper is in its most backward state (hereinafter referred to as the "rearmost end position of the scraper") (hereinafter, the case where they are arranged in the rearward direction from the rearmost end position of the scraper is referred to as "rearward arrangement") (see Patent Document 1). There is also an ash extrusion device in which the water level gauge and the water injection pipe are arranged in the drive room on the side of the scraper's forward movement direction from the rearmost end position of the scraper (hereinafter, the case where they are arranged in the forward direction from the rearmost end position of the scraper is referred to as "forward arrangement") (see Patent Document 2).

[0004] Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2 disclose patented technologies acquired by the inventor of the present invention. Some of the incineration ash introduced into the inlet may enter the drive chamber through a gap that occurs between the inlet and the scraper when the scraper moves forward and backward, and the incineration ash (hereinafter referred to as "return ash") may accumulate between the back surface of the scraper and the bottom plate of the drive chamber. The patented technology in question is a technology that ejects gas into the gap between the bottom plate and the back surface of the scraper in order to suppress the accumulation of return ash. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 6718563 [Patent Document 2] Patent No. 6752988 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] As a result of research conducted by the present inventors to further develop the patented technologies disclosed in Patent Documents 1 and 2, it was found that arranging the water injection pipe at the rear contributes more to reducing "return ash" than arranging it at the front. The reason for this is as follows: When the water injection pipe is "located in the front", the water injected by the water injection pipe pushes back the incineration ash that has entered the drive chamber and the "return ash" that has been kicked up by the reciprocating motion of the scraper in the backward direction, making it difficult to discharge this incineration ash from the drive chamber toward the inlet. However, when it is "located in the rear", the water injected by the water injection pipe pushes the incineration ash that has entered the drive chamber and the "return ash" that has been kicked up in the forward direction, making it easier to discharge this incineration ash from the drive chamber toward the inlet.

[0007] On the other hand, it is preferable that the water level gauge is "disposed forward" to detect the water level accurately. The reason for this is that when the scraper is at its most backward position, part of the scraper's upper plate may rise above the water surface of the stored water and temporarily block the stored water on the backward direction side of the part, and the water level measured by the "disposed rearward" water level gauge may be significantly different from the water level on the forward direction side of the part, i.e., in most of the cooling tank 2.

[0008] Generally, the water injection pipe is a long straight pipe extending vertically, and the water injected from the water injection pipe is discharged directly below the water injection pipe. Therefore, if a water level gauge is installed immediately below the water injection pipe, the water injected from the water injection pipe hits the water level gauge and automatically cleans it (hereinafter referred to as "automatic cleaning" of the water level gauge). However, for the reasons mentioned above, when manufacturing an ash extrusion device in which the water injection pipe is "located at the rear" and the water level gauge is "located at the front", it is difficult to automatically clean the water level gauge because it is not possible to place the water level gauge directly below the water injection pipe. In order to enable automatic cleaning of the water level gauge, if a branch pipe branching off from the water injection pipe is placed directly above the water level gauge, water will be injected from the branch pipe at the same time as it is injected from the water injection pipe, making it possible to automatically clean the water level gauge. However, due to the arrangement of the equipment and piping installed around the ash extrusion device, it is not always possible to place the branch pipe directly above the water level gauge. Moreover, installing a new branch pipe is not desirable in the first place, as it would increase manufacturing costs.

[0009] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide an ash extrusion device that has a simple configuration, promotes the discharge of incineration ash from within the drive chamber, and automatically cleans the water level gauge to enable appropriate and accurate measurement of the water level. [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] The ash pushing device of the present invention comprises a cooling tank having an inlet made of a cylindrical wall surface into which incineration ash is introduced and an outlet for discharging the incineration ash cooled by stored water, a scraper arranged in the cooling tank, the tip of which contacts the entire width of the bottom plate of the cooling tank and pushes the incineration ash toward the outlet, and a drive unit arranged in a drive chamber on the opposite side of the inlet to the outlet for driving the scraper, the bottom plate of the cooling tank having a first inclination that is upwardly inclined from directly below the inlet toward the open end where the outlet is formed. The ash extrusion device has an inclined surface and a second inclined surface that is the same width as the first inclined surface and slopes upward from directly below the inlet to the opposite side of the first inclined surface, the stored water is stored in the cooling tank at a predetermined water level that is above the lower end of the wall surface and below the outlet, and the drive device has a drive shaft positioned above the second inclined surface, and when the drive shaft rotates, an arm connected to the drive shaft and the scraper moves the scraper back and forth along the bottom plate. The ash push-out device of the present invention comprises: a water injection pipe arranged in the drive chamber rearward in the backward direction of the scraper's rearmost end position, which is the position of the rear end of the scraper when the scraper is in its most rearward state; and a water level gauge arranged in the drive chamber, at least the lower end of its rod-shaped sensor part is arranged forward in the forward direction of the scraper's rearmost end position, the water injection pipe having a wide-angle nozzle at its tip, and when the water level gauge detects that the stored water is below the predetermined water level, water is sprayed at a wide angle from the wide-angle nozzle to be injected into the cooling tank, with the majority of the sprayed water falling in the backward direction of the scraper's rearmost end position, and at least a part of the sprayed water that falls in the forward direction of the scraper's rearmost end position cleans the water level gauge. Effect of the Invention

[0011] According to the ash pushing device of the present invention, the water injection pipe is arranged behind the rear end position of the scraper, and the majority of the water injected by the injection from the wide-angle nozzle at the tip of the water injection pipe falls in the direction of the scraper's backward movement from the rear end position of the scraper, so that the water flow of the majority of the water pushes the incineration ash and return ash that once entered the drive chamber in the forward direction of the scraper, and the incineration ash can be discharged from the drive chamber toward the inlet. Also, since at least the lower end of the rod-shaped sensor part of the water level gauge is arranged forward, the water level can be detected appropriately. When water is injected into the cooling tank from the water injection pipe, the water level gauge can be automatically cleaned by at least a part of the water injected from the wide-angle nozzle, thereby preventing malfunction of the water level gauge and enabling the water level gauge to detect the water level accurately and permanently. As described above, an ash extrusion device can be provided that has a simple configuration and that promotes the discharge of incineration ash from within the drive chamber and automatically cleans the water level gauge to enable appropriate and accurate detection of the water level. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the ash extrusion device according to the embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a partially enlarged schematic diagram of the vicinity of the water level gauge and the water injection pipe of FIG. 1. [Diagram 3] 3 is a modified example of the installation state of the water level meter of FIG. 2. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0013] Hereinafter, an ash extrusion device according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described. In each drawing used for the description, for the sake of simplicity, an orthogonal coordinate system with an X-axis, a Y-axis, and a Z-axis will be used as appropriate. The ash extrusion device of the embodiment is merely an example, and is not intended to exclude the application of various modifications and techniques not specifically described. Except for the essential components of the present invention, each component of the embodiment can be selected or modified as necessary. In the following description, an ash extrusion device using gas piping as disclosed in Patent Documents 1 and 2 by the present inventor will be described, however, the present invention can also be applied to an ash extrusion device that does not use the techniques disclosed in Patent Documents 1 and 2.

[0014] First, the overall configuration of the ash push-out device 1 of the embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 1. However, the water level gauge 10 will be described in detail later with reference to Figs. 2 and 3. The ash pusher 1 has a cooling tank 2 in which water for cooling incineration ash is stored at a predetermined water level (broken line in FIG. 1), and a scraper 4 and a drive unit 5 arranged in the cooling tank 2. The cooling tank 2 is provided with an inlet 6 through which incineration ash is introduced and an outlet 7 through which cooled incineration ash is discharged. The stored water and the liquid used for injection from the wide-angle nozzle 11a of the water injection pipe 11 described below may be tap water, industrial water, or recycled water (water that has been used in a plant and then treated), or may be mixed water that has been neutralized by mixing with hydrochloric acid or the like. Hereinafter, these liquids used for the stored water will be described simply as "water."

[0015] The inlet 6 of the cooling tank 2 is formed by a cylindrical (e.g., rectangular) wall 9. This cylindrical wall 9 is directly connected to an ash chute (not shown). The upper end of the ash chute is connected to an incinerator (e.g., the post-combustion stage of a stoker furnace) (not shown). In order to achieve a so-called “water seal” configuration, the lower end of the wall surface 9 is located below a predetermined water level of the stored water in the cooling tank 2.

[0016] The scraper 4 is a device that pushes out the cooled incineration ash toward the discharge port 7. The scraper 4 has an upper plate 4a facing upward, a push-out plate 4b facing the discharge port 7, and both side plates connected to the upper plate 4a and the push-out plate 4b (one of the both side plates, the side plate 4c, is shown in FIG. 1). Since there is no lower surface corresponding to the upper plate 4a, the scraper 4 has a box-like shape that opens to the bottom plate 8 of the cooling tank 2. The scraper 4 is connected to an arm 5b, which will be described later, and moves forward and backward along the bottom plate 8 while the lower end of the pusher plate 4b (i.e., the tip 4d of the scraper 4) is in contact with the entire width of the bottom plate 8 of the cooling tank 2. The rear end 4e of the scraper 4 is the end of the upper plate 4a closest to the +X axis, and is a portion that serves as an indicator of the "rearmost end position of the scraper." Here, the "rearmost end position of the scraper" (the vertical dashed line in FIG. 1) is the position of the rear end 4e of the upper plate 4a of the scraper 4 when the scraper 4 has moved all the way backward. The "forward movement" of the scraper 4 means that the scraper 4 moves in a direction pushing the incineration ash toward the discharge port 7 (-X-axis direction in Fig. 1, forward direction Df). The "reverse movement" of the scraper 4 means that the scraper 4 moves in the opposite direction to the "forward movement" (+X-axis direction in Fig. 1, backward direction Dr). Furthermore, the "total width" of the bottom plate 8 of the cooling tank 2 means the dimension in the width direction inside the cooling tank 2 (the direction perpendicular to the paper surface of Fig. 1, i.e., the Y-axis direction).

[0017] The driving device 5 is a device that drives the scraper 4, and is disposed in a driving chamber 12 that is located on the opposite side of the discharge port 7 with respect to the inlet 6. The driving chamber 12 is partitioned from the outside of the driving chamber 12 by the wall surface of the side wall of the inlet 6 that is furthest in the +X-axis direction, a second inclined surface 8b that is further in the +X-axis direction than the wall surface, and a ceiling plate 12a. The driving device 5 includes a driving shaft 5a that can rotate in two directions, and an arm 5b that connects the scraper 4 and the driving shaft 5a. The driving device 5 drives the arm 5b by rotating the driving shaft 5a, and as a result, the scraper 4 connected to the arm 5b moves forward and backward. The driving device 5, excluding the arm 5b, is disposed above a second inclined surface 8b described below and in a position not submerged in the stored water (above a "predetermined water level").

[0018] The bottom plate 8 of the cooling tank 2 has a first inclined surface 8a that slopes upward from directly below the inlet 6 toward the outlet 7 (specifically, the vertically lower end (opening end) of the outlet 7), and a second inclined surface 8b that slopes upward from directly below the inlet 6 toward the opposite side of the first inclined surface 8a. That is, the first inclined surface 8a is formed so as to gradually become higher in the forward direction Df, and the second inclined surface 8b is formed so as to gradually become higher in the reverse direction Dr. In the cooling tank 2, the bottom plate portion directly below the inlet 6 is the lowest, and the bottom plate 8 has a downwardly convex curved shape. The cross-sectional shape of the cooling tank 2 is uniform in the width direction, and the width dimensions of the first inclined surface 8a and the second inclined surface 8b (the dimension in the direction perpendicular to the paper surface of FIG. 1, i.e., the dimension in the Y-axis direction) are all the same.

[0019] The ash push-out device 1 is equipped with a water injection pipe 11 that is "disposed rearward" to increase the amount of water stored in the cooling tank 2 based on the water level detected by a water level gauge 10, which will be described later in detail with reference to Figures 2 and 3. "Disposed rearward" means that the water injection pipe 11 is disposed rearward from the "rearmost end position of the scraper" (dotted line in Figure 1), i.e., on the +X-axis side of the "rearmost end position of the scraper". At least a part of the rod-shaped sensor part of the water level gauge 10, which will be described later, specifically the lower end of the sensor part, is "disposed forward", and "disposed forward" means that the water injection pipe 11 is disposed forward from the "rearmost end position of the scraper" (dotted line in Figure 1), i.e., on the -X-axis side of the "rearmost end position of the scraper". The water injection pipe 11 is disposed rearward, penetrating a ceiling plate 12a disposed above the second inclined surface 8b and above the drive device 5, and is fixed to the ceiling plate 12a. The water injection pipe 11 is connected to a water source (not shown), such as a water tank, and is provided with a wide-angle nozzle 11a at its tip. The wide-angle nozzle 11a is a nozzle such as a full cone nozzle, an empty cone nozzle, or a fan nozzle, whose spray pattern widens as it moves away from the nozzle.

[0020] The amount of water stored in the cooling tank 2 is adjusted by the control device 13 and the drain pipe 14 so as to be kept at a "predetermined water level." The drain pipe 14 is a pipe that drains the stored water when the water level exceeds a predetermined water level. The opening at the upper end of the drain pipe 14 is located above and near the predetermined water level. This allows excess stored water to automatically overflow and be discharged from the drain pipe 14 without valve control.

[0021] The control device 13 controls the opening and closing of an electromagnetic valve 15 installed in the middle of the water injection pipe 11 based on measurement data (detection results) relating to the water level (for example, the actual water level that is the actual water level of the stored water stored in the cooling tank 2) received from a water level gauge 10 described below. In other words, when the measurement data (detection results) received from the water level gauge 10 indicates that the stored water level is lower than a predetermined water level, the control device 13 opens the electromagnetic valve 15 to spray water from the wide-angle nozzle 11a of the water injection pipe 11 and injects water into the inside of the cooling tank 2. At this time, the majority of the injected water, for example, more than 50% but not exceeding 80% of the total amount of water, is designed to fall in the backward direction from the rear end position of the scraper, and at least a part of the remaining water is designed to fall in the forward direction from the rear end position of the scraper after hitting the rod-shaped sensor part of the water level gauge 10 described later. The water flow when the majority of the water falls in the backward direction from the rear end position of the scraper pushes the incineration ash and return ash that once entered the drive chamber in the forward direction of the scraper 4, and this incineration ash can be discharged from the drive chamber 12 toward the inlet 6. When the measurement data indicates that the water level of the stored water is equal to or higher than a predetermined water level, the control device 13 closes the electromagnetic valve 15 to stop the supply of water to the cooling tank 2.

[0022] As mentioned above, the ash extrusion device 1 in Fig. 1 is an ash extrusion device 1 that uses the patented technology of Patent Document 1 (Patent Publication No. 6718563) or Patent Document 2 (Patent Publication No. 6752988) acquired by the present inventor, that is, a gas pipe 17 that suppresses the accumulation of return ash, so this point will also be briefly explained. The present invention can be applied to an ash extrusion device that does not apply the technology of Patent Document 1 or Patent Document 2, but even better effects can be obtained by using the technology of Patent Document 1 or Patent Document 2, so it will be explained as an example.

[0023] The gas pipe 17 is disposed above the second inclined surface 8b and in the +X-axis direction from the rearmost end position of the scraper, i.e., at a position where it does not contact the reciprocating scraper 4 and arm 5b. The gas pipe 17 is disposed linearly in the vertical direction (Z-axis direction) from one end 17a (lower end) to the other end 17b (upper end) of the gas pipe 17. The gas pipe 17 has an end 17a that is located below a predetermined water level and is L-shaped with a corner that is bent substantially horizontally, and this corner is disposed in contact with the second inclined surface 8b. The end 17a is provided with a gas outlet 17c that opens substantially horizontally (in the -X-axis direction). A compressor 17d is provided at the other end 17b, which is disposed above the ceiling plate 12a. The gas ejected from the gas ejection port 17c of the gas pipe 17 is, for example, compressed air compressed by the compressor 17d. A gas electromagnetic valve 17e is installed in the gas pipe 17, and the control device 13 opens the gas electromagnetic valve 17e at a predetermined timing, causing gas to be ejected from the gas ejection port 17c.

[0024] The water flow and bubbles generated by the gas ejected from the gas ejection port 17c near the second inclined surface 8b proceed in the forward direction Df (-X-axis direction) between the second inclined surface 8b and the scraper 4, and eventually bounce off by slowing down and gently hitting the back side of the pusher plate 4b or the back side of the upper plate 4a of the scraper 4, or swirl without hitting it. Therefore, the bubbles generated by the gas peel off the return ash accumulated in the space 16 above the second inclined surface 8b in the cooling tank 2 (for example, on the second inclined surface 8b or in the space behind the scraper 4), and the water flow agitates not only the peeled return ash but also the return ash that is about to accumulate in the space 16. The return ash is then pushed up to the water surface from the rear side of the scraper 4 and the vicinity of the second inclined surface 8b by the buoyancy of the bubbles, and dispersed. That is, a water current is generated that pushes up to the water surface from the rear side of the scraper 4 and the vicinity of the second inclined surface 8b.

[0025] Therefore, when the control device 13 controls the injection of water from the wide-angle nozzle 11a of the water injection pipe 11, if the control device 13 also controls the injection of gas from the gas outlet 17c, the water flow toward the inlet 6 caused by the injection of water and the water flow toward the inlet caused by the gas in the rearwardly disposed area that rises and is generated by the gas will combine to more smoothly discharge the incineration ash from the aforementioned gap between the scraper 4 and the wall surface 9 that is closest to the +X axis direction.

[0026] The water level gauge 10 will now be described in detail with reference to Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is an enlarged schematic diagram of the vicinity of the water level gauge 10 and the water injection pipe 11 shown in Fig. 1. Since Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram, not all of the configuration of the vicinity shown in Fig. 1 is necessarily depicted in Fig. 2. The water level meter 10 includes at least a base portion 10e and a rod-shaped sensor portion. The base portion 10e houses a circuit for generating the above-mentioned measurement data (detection results), and the like. In this embodiment, the water level gauge 10 has a plurality of rod-shaped sensors as the rod-shaped sensor unit, for example, four rod-shaped electrodes 10a to 10d (a plurality of electrodes) as sensors, as shown in FIG.

[0027] A flanged inclined pipe 19 is disposed rearward near the rearmost end position of the scraper and fixed to the ceiling plate 12a of the drive chamber 12. The flanged inclined pipe 19 is inclined at about 30° to about 60° from the Z axis (vertical direction) toward the +X axis direction (rearward direction Dr). A flange of the base 10e and a flange of the flanged inclined pipe 19 are fixed with bolts and nuts via a gasket or an O-ring. The upper ends of the electrodes 10a to 10d, which are rod-shaped sensors of the water level gauge 10, are inserted through through holes opened in the ceiling board 12a and attached to the base 10e. Since the flanged inclined tube 19 is inclined as described above, the lower ends of the electrodes 10a to 10d, which are rod-shaped sensors, can be arranged forward while the base 10e is arranged backward. That is, the rod-shaped electrodes 10a to 10d are arranged at an angle with their upper ends arranged backward and their lower ends arranged forward.

[0028] As described above, when the scraper 4 is moved all the way back, the rear end of the upper plate 4a of the scraper 4 may rise above the water surface of the stored water and temporarily block the stored water further backward than the rear end. However, since the lower ends of the electrodes 10a to 10d are positioned forward, the water level measured by the water level gauge 10 will be the same as the water level in most of the cooling tank 2. In other words, the water level can be measured appropriately by the water level gauge 10. In addition, since the base 10e of the water level gauge 10 and the water injection pipe 11 are both disposed at the rear, they are disposed near the walkway. Therefore, it is also advantageous in that it is easy for workers to perform maintenance.

[0029] As described above, when water is injected from the wide-angle nozzle 11a of the water injection pipe 11, the wide-angle nozzle 11a is positioned so that the majority of the injected water falls in a direction rearward from the rearmost end position of the scraper and at least a part of the remaining water hits each of the obliquely arranged electrodes 10a to 10d. Therefore, it is desirable to position the wide-angle nozzle 11a at an angle from the water injection pipe 11. In this way, the electrodes 10a to 10d, which are the rod-shaped sensor parts of the water level gauge 10, are automatically washed with water sprayed from the wide-angle nozzle 11a when water is injected from the water injection pipe 11. This automatic washing therefore prevents the water level gauge 10 from malfunctioning while the ash pusher 1 is in operation, and also enables the water level gauge 10 to measure or detect the water level accurately. 2, the wide-angle nozzle 11a is disposed so that the jet direction is diagonally downward in the -X-axis direction (forward direction Df) with respect to the vertically disposed water injection pipe 11. The water that hits each of the electrodes 10a-10d flows downward, washes the electrodes up to their lower ends, and falls into the pooled water in the -X-axis direction (forward direction Df) below the rearmost end position of the scraper.

[0030] The electrically insulating separator 18 has openings that correspond to the thickness of each of the electrodes 10a-10d and their positions on the XZ plane. The electrodes 10a-10d are inserted into the openings of the insulating separator 18, respectively, to prevent the electrodes 10a-10d from contacting each other. The separator 18 is positioned above the electrodes 10a-10d so that it is not hit by the water sprayed from the wide-angle nozzle 11a of the water injection pipe 11. The electrodes 10a to 10d, which are fixed by separator 18 so as not to come into contact with each other, are arranged slightly differently from one another so that their positions in the Y-axis direction do not overlap, so that they can be easily hit by water sprayed from wide-angle nozzle 11a. In addition, although not shown, in order to prevent the obliquely arranged rod-shaped electrodes 10a to 10d from bending, it is advisable to support these electrodes above the separator 18 by, for example, an L-shaped insulating support member having one end fixed to the ceiling board 12a.

[0031] Among the electrodes 10a to 10d, the first electrode 10a, the second electrode 10b, and the third electrode 10c are detection electrodes. The lower end of the first electrode 10a is disposed at a height equal to a predetermined water level. The lower end of the second electrode 10b is disposed at a height below the predetermined water level. The lower end of the third electrode 10c is disposed at a height above the predetermined water level. And the lower end of the common electrode 10d is disposed below the lower end of the second electrode 10b. The water (reserved water) stored in the cooling tank 2 of the ash push-out device 1 is an electrical conductor. Therefore, when the common electrode 10d is not electrically connected to any of the first electrode 10a, the second electrode 10b, and the third electrode 10c, the water level gauge 10 determines that the water level of the stored water is below the lower end of the second electrode 10b, and generates measurement data (detection result). When the common electrode 10d is electrically connected only to the second electrode 10b, the water level gauge 10 determines that the water level of the stored water is equal to or higher than the lower end of the second electrode 10b and lower than the lower end of the first electrode 10a, and generates measurement data. When the common electrode 10d is electrically connected to only the second electrode 10b and the first electrode 10a, the water level gauge 10 determines that the water level of the stored water is above the lower end of the first electrode 10a (a specified water level) and below the lower end of the third electrode 10c, and generates measurement data. When the common electrode 10d is electrically connected to all of the second electrode 10b, the first electrode 10a, and the third electrode 10c, the water level gauge 10 determines that the water level of the stored water is above the lower end of the third electrode 10c, and generates measurement data.

[0032] Although an example in which the multiple rod-shaped sensors have four electrodes has been given here, the number of sensors may be three or less or five or more depending on the design. Also, instead of a detection method that uses current flow between a common electrode and a detection electrode, for example, a detection method that uses capacitance or a detection method that uses pulse wave reflection can be used to configure a water level gauge 10 that can measure different water levels using only one rod-shaped sensor. In other words, the water level gauge 10 may have either a single or multiple rod-shaped sensors.

[0033] Incidentally, as described above, when the scraper 4 is at its most retracted position, the rear end 4e of the upper plate 4a of the scraper 4 and a part of its vicinity may be above the water surface of the stored water. Since the electrodes 10a to 10d of the water level gauge 10, which are arranged at an angle in Fig. 2, cross the vertical direction (Z-axis) at the rearmost end position of the scraper on the XZ plane, they must be precisely designed not to come into contact with the part of the upper plate 4a that is protruding upward. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 3, the entire water level gauge 10 can be positioned near the rearmost end position of the scraper, for example, at a distance of about 10 cm to 50 cm in the -X-axis direction (forward direction Df) from the rearmost end position of the scraper, thereby avoiding precise design, which can be expensive.

[0034] Figure 3 shows a modified installation state of the water level gauge 10 of Figure 2. The only difference from the configuration shown in Figure 2 is that there is no flanged inclined pipe 19, and the entire water level gauge 10 is disposed forward near the rearmost end position of the scraper and fixed in the vertical direction, but the rest is the same. Therefore, a description of the same configuration will be omitted. 3, a flange of the base 10e is fixed to the ceiling board 12a with bolts and nuts. Therefore, each of the rod-shaped electrodes 10a to 10d, which are rod-shaped sensor parts, is arranged so that the length direction of each is vertical. Even with this configuration, when water is sprayed from the wide-angle nozzle 11a of the water injection pipe 11, the majority of the sprayed water falls in a direction rearward from the rearmost end position of the scraper, and at least a portion of the remaining water hits each of the electrodes 10a to 10d arranged in the front, thereby automatically cleaning these electrodes.

[0035] As described above, the ash push-out device 1, with its simple configuration shown in Figures 1 to 3, promotes the discharge of incineration ash from the drive chamber 12 and automatically cleans the water level gauge 10, enabling appropriate and accurate measurement of the water level. In the ash push-out device 1, it is preferable to place the water injection pipe 11 as far back as possible, but it can be adjusted appropriately in the X-axis direction by adjusting the injection pressure and injection angle of the wide-angle nozzle 11a, so long as it does not go against the spirit of the present invention. Also, it is preferable to place the forward lower end of the rod-shaped sensor part of the water level gauge 10 as close to the rearmost end position of the scraper as possible, but similarly it can be adjusted appropriately in the X-axis direction by adjusting the injection pressure and injection angle of the wide-angle nozzle 11a, so long as it does not go against the spirit of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0036] 1 Ash extrusion device 2 Cooling tank 3. Conveyor 4 Scraper 4a Upper plate 4b Extrusion plate 4c side plate 4d tip 4e rear end 5. Drive unit 5a Drive shaft 5b Arm 6 Introduction 7 Outlet 8 Bottom plate 8a First slope 8b Second slope 9. Wall 10 Water level gauge 10a to 10d: Rod-shaped sensor portion (detection electrode, common electrode) 10e base 11 Water injection pipe 11a Wide-angle nozzle 12 Drive compartment 12a Ceiling Panel 13 Control device 14 Drain pipe 15 Solenoid valve 16 Space 17 Gas piping 17a One end of gas pipe 17b The other end of the gas pipe 17c Gas outlet 17d Compressor 17e Gas solenoid valve 18 Separator 19 Inclined pipe with flange Df forward direction Dr Reverse direction

Claims

1. A cooling tank having an inlet having a cylindrical wall surface into which incineration ash is introduced and an outlet for discharging the incineration ash cooled by stored water; A scraper is disposed in the cooling tank, the tip of which contacts the entire width of the bottom plate of the cooling tank and pushes the incineration ash toward the discharge port; A drive device is disposed in a drive chamber on the opposite side of the discharge port with respect to the inlet, and drives the scraper. The bottom plate of the cooling tank includes a first inclined surface that slopes upward from directly below the inlet toward an open end where the outlet is formed, and a second inclined surface that has the same width as the first inclined surface and slopes upward from directly below the inlet toward an opposite side of the first inclined surface, The stored water is stored in the cooling tank at a predetermined water level that is above the lower end of the wall surface and below the drain outlet, The drive device includes a drive shaft disposed above the second inclined surface, and the drive shaft rotates to move the scraper forward and backward along the bottom plate by an arm connected to the drive shaft and the scraper. a water injection pipe disposed in the drive chamber rearward in the backward direction of a scraper rearmost end position, which is a position of a rear end of the scraper when the scraper is in a most rearward state; a water level meter in which at least a lower end of a rod-shaped sensor portion is disposed forward in the forward direction from a rear end position of the scraper in the driving chamber; having The water injection pipe is provided with a wide-angle nozzle at its tip, When the water level meter detects that the stored water is below the predetermined water level, water is sprayed from the wide-angle nozzle at a wide angle to pour into the cooling tank; The ash extrusion device in which the majority of the injected water falls in the backward direction from the rearmost end position of the scraper, and the water level gauge is cleaned by at least a portion of the injected water that falls in the forward direction from the rearmost end position of the scraper.

2. The water injection pipe and the water level gauge are disposed through a ceiling plate disposed above the second inclined surface and above the drive device, 2. The ash push-out device according to claim 1, wherein the water level gauge is disposed at an incline as a whole, with an upper portion thereof disposed at the rear and a lower portion thereof disposed at the front.

3. The water injection pipe and the water level gauge are disposed through a ceiling plate disposed above the second inclined surface and above the drive device, 2. The ash pusher according to claim 1, wherein the water level indicator is entirely disposed at the front.

4. The sensor unit includes: A rod-shaped common electrode; A rod-shaped first electrode for detecting whether the stored water is at the predetermined water level; A rod-shaped second electrode for detecting whether the stored water is below the predetermined water level; a rod-shaped third electrode for detecting whether the stored water is above the predetermined water level; a separator for preventing the electrodes from contacting each other; The ash pusher according to claim 2 or 3, further comprising:

5. A gas pipe is further provided above the second inclined surface and arranged from one end to the other end at a position not in contact with the reciprocating scraper and the arm, The gas pipe has one end disposed below the predetermined water level, and the one end is provided with a gas outlet for ejecting the gas introduced from the other end toward a gap between the second inclined surface and the scraper, The ash extrusion device according to claim 4, wherein the return ash tending to accumulate on the second inclined surface side is agitated by the water flow of the stored water generated by the gas ejected from the gas ejection port and bubbles generated by the gas.

Images