Ingot preheating apparatus

Abstract

To provide an ingot preheating apparatus that allows easy adjustment of heating capacity, can efficiently preheat ingots, and can maintain a fixed temperature while minimizing energy loss even after heating.SOLUTION: An ingot preheating apparatus comprises: a preheating chamber 10 serving as a space for heating and preheating ingots; and a conveyance part for conveying the ingots. The conveyance part includes a plurality of rails 20 for placing ingots 2a, 2b, and 2c and conveying them. The preheating chamber 10 includes: an inlet shutter 11 for shielding an inlet of the preheating chamber 10; an outlet shutter 12 for shielding an outlet of the preheating chamber 10; and a heater 13 for blowing hot air onto the ingot 2a placed on the rails 20 and conveyed to a position in front of the outlet shutter 12 in the preheating chamber 10.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an ingot preheating device for preheating an ingot used in a casting device. [Background technology]

[0002] In the casting process of conventional casting equipment, the mainstream process was to melt the ingots and transport them to each holding furnace for casting. However, this conventional process had problems such as the huge energy required to melt the ingots, and safety and cost issues when transporting the molten metal. Therefore, processes to improve energy efficiency by providing the holding furnace with the ingot melting capacity, making it possible to generate molten metal according to operation, and reviewing the ingot supply, melting in the holding furnace, and casting processes have been considered.

[0003] In this process, it is necessary to preheat the ingot when it is supplied. This is to assist in melting the holding furnace and to prevent cracks caused by trace amounts of moisture remaining in the ingot. Various proposals have been made regarding this preheating of the ingot. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses an ingot preheating device that can heat the ingot material under optimal heating conditions. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2016-43367 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, even with the above-mentioned steps for improving energy efficiency, there is still a problem that, although radiation, direct heating, convection heating and the like have been considered for preheating ingots, particularly aluminum ingots, the heating efficiency is low due to the property of aluminum having a low absorption rate, resulting in a large amount of energy waste.

[0006] In addition, while ingots need to be supplied according to the production process, the supply of ingots may need to be temporarily stopped due to problems in downstream processes, the timing of workers' breaks, etc. In such cases, the temperature must be kept constant to reduce energy loss and prevent transport problems caused by deformation of the aluminum, but this temperature control is also difficult, which is an issue.

[0007] Therefore, the present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned problems, and has an object to provide an ingot preheating device which can easily adjust the heating capacity, can efficiently preheat an ingot, and can maintain a constant temperature even after heating while minimizing energy loss. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] In order to solve the above problems, the ingot preheating device of the present invention is an ingot preheating device that heats an ingot for casting and preheats it before melting it in a holding furnace, and is characterized in that it comprises a preheating chamber which is a space that accommodates a plurality of ingots and heats and preheats the ingots, and a transport section that transports the ingots inside and outside the preheating chamber, the transport section having a plurality of rails on which the ingots are placed and transported, and the preheating chamber has an entrance shutter that covers the entrance of the preheating chamber, an exit shutter that covers the exit of the preheating chamber, and a heater that blows hot air onto the ingots that are placed on the rails inside the preheating chamber and transported to just before the exit shutter.

[0009] Here, it is preferable that the heater directly heats the ingot by blowing hot air vertically from the ceiling of the preheating chamber.

[0010] It is also preferable that the entrance shutter and the exit shutter are opened and closed in synchronization with each other.

[0011] Furthermore, it is preferable that the transport section has a guide for regulating the left and right movement of the ingot on the rail. Effect of the Invention

[0012] As described above, according to the ingot preheating device of the present invention, the ingot in the heating chamber is directly heated by hot air from the heater, so that the heating capacity can be easily adjusted and the ingot can be preheated efficiently. In addition, the inside of the heating chamber is shielded by an entrance shutter and an exit shutter, so that a constant temperature can be maintained while minimizing energy loss. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0013] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of an ingot preheating device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration inside a preheating chamber. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0014] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0015] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of an ingot preheating device, and FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration inside a preheating chamber.

[0016] The ingot preheating device 1 according to this embodiment is an ingot preheating device that preheats an ingot for casting before it is melted in a holding furnace.

[0017] The ingot preheating device 1 is roughly divided into a preheating section that applies heat to the ingot to preheat the ingot, and a transport section that transports the ingot.

[0018] The preheating section includes a preheating chamber 10, which is a space for applying heat to the ingot to preheat it, an entrance shutter 11 that covers the entrance side of the preheating chamber 10, an exit shutter 12 that covers the exit side, a heater 13 that applies heat to the ingot within the preheating chamber 10, and an exhaust vent 14 that exhausts hot air from the preheating chamber 10.

[0019] The transport unit includes a plurality of rails 20 on which the ingots are placed and transported inside and outside the preheating chamber 10, a pusher 21 that pushes the ingots on the rails 20 into the preheating chamber 10, and a guide 22 that restricts the ingots on the rails 20 from moving left and right. The rails 20 extend in the direction in which the ingots travel, and transport the ingots inside and outside the preheating chamber 10 by placing the ingots on the rails and sliding the ingots. In other words, the rails 20 are responsible for carrying the ingots before preheating into the preheating chamber 10 and transporting them within the preheating chamber 10, and carrying the ingots after preheating out of the preheating chamber 10. In order to ensure smooth transport, it is preferable to use rails 20 that have a low friction coefficient, such as round bars or flat bars, and it is more preferable to use rails that have been subjected to wear-resistant treatment.

[0020] The preheating chamber 10 has a space capable of accommodating a plurality of ingots therein. An entrance shutter 11, which is a door that closes the entrance side of the preheating chamber 10, and an exit shutter 12, which is a door that closes the exit side of the preheating chamber 10, are designed to open and close synchronously.

[0021] When the ingot is transported to the preheating chamber 10, the entrance shutter 11 and the exit shutter 12 are closed to make the preheating chamber 10 a closed space. In other words, the preheating chamber 10 is a space shielded by the entrance shutter 11 and the exit shutter 12, and the ingot is preheated therein. In the preheating chamber 10, the ingot 2a transported to the exit shutter 12 on the discharge side is heated by the heater 13. The ingot 2a located at the innermost part of the preheating chamber 10 is directly heated, and the ingot 2b located at the front side (the entrance shutter 11 side) in the preheating chamber 10 receives the residual heat of the direct heating and prepares for the subsequent direct heating. Note that, although an example in which two ingots are transported into the preheating chamber 10 is shown here, three or more ingots may be transported, and it is sufficient that a plurality of ingots are transported into the preheating chamber 10 during the preheating process.

[0022] The heater 13 is composed of a hot air generator and is arranged to blow hot air downwards on the ceiling of the preheating chamber 10. The heater 13 blows hot air vertically to the ingot 2a to directly heat the ingot 2a and preheat the ingot 2a. The hot air that collides with the ingot 2a also preheats the ingot 2b located at the rear and which is the next heating target, and is then exhausted from the exhaust duct 14, which is a duct that exhausts hot air. The hot air from the heater 13 not only collides with the ingot 2a and flows backward as shown by the dashed arrow in FIG. 1, but also flows backward after going around under the rail 20 that transports the ingot. The exhaust duct 14 may suck in the hot air in the preheating chamber 10 to encourage the hot air to flow backward and be exhausted.

[0023] By placing the ingot on the rails 20 and transporting it by sliding it on the rails 20, the contact area between the rails 20 and the ingot can be minimized, and the bottom surface of the ingot 2a can be opened between the rails 20. With this configuration, when the hot air flows under the rails 20, the flow of the hot air is not hindered by the gap between the rails, and the hot air that flows around collides with the bottom surface of the ingot 2a and heats it, so that the heating efficiency can be further improved. Here, two rails 20 are shown, but the transport section may be composed of three or more rails 20. However, it can be said that it is preferable to configure it with two rails in order to keep the bottom surface of the ingot 2a open between the rails 20 and to prevent the flow of the hot air from being hindered.

[0024] The temperature of the hot air blown out from the heater 13 is preferably controlled by a thermocouple installed at the tip of the heater 13, and the heating capacity is preferably adjusted. If the heating capacity is adjusted according to the heating capacity required for the ingot to be heated, overheating can be avoided and efficient heating can be achieved. In addition, the preheating of the ingot is controlled by the heating time, and it is preferable to adjust the temperature of the hot air to lower after a predetermined heating time and maintain a constant temperature. In this way, it is possible to reduce energy waste according to the production process and minimize energy loss. In conventional ingot preheating devices, heating by a gas burner is mainstream, but by using a hot air generator for heating, energy can be used more efficiently.

[0025] The ingot 2a, which has been preheated, is sent out of the ingot preheating device 1 by opening the exit shutter 12. At this time, the entrance shutter 11 is open, and when the ingot 2c is sent into the heating chamber 10, the ingot 2b is pushed to the back of the heating chamber 10, and the ingot 2a, which has been preheated, is pushed out of the ingot preheating device 1, and the ingot 2b is preheated by direct heating of the hot air blown out of the heater 13. In this way, when the ingot is carried out of the preheating chamber 10 and into the preheating chamber 10, the exit shutter 12 and the entrance shutter 11 are opened and closed in synchronization. This keeps the preheating chamber 10 in a sealed space, so that the temperature in the preheating chamber 10 can be kept constant. In particular, even if a trouble occurs in a later process and the device is stopped, the temperature in the preheating chamber 10 is prevented from dropping suddenly, so that energy loss can be reduced.

[0026] In addition, by transporting the ingots on rails and sending them into the preheating chamber using a pusher, there is no need to place any equipment inside the heating furnace, thereby reducing the causes of failure.

[0027] The ingot preheating device according to the present invention has been described above based on an embodiment, but the present invention is not limited to this. Various design modifications are possible as long as the object of the present invention can be achieved and the gist of the invention is not deviated from, and all of these are included within the scope of the present invention.

[0028] For example, in the above embodiment, the heater blowing out hot air is positioned on the ceiling of the heating chamber and is configured to collide the hot air vertically against the ingot, but if the top surface of the ingot is not flat, the heater may be positioned on the side or bottom of the heating chamber so that the hot air is blown out from the side or below to hit a flat surface such as the side or bottom. [Industrial Applicability]

[0029] The ingot preheating device according to the present invention is suitable as an ingot preheating device for preheating ingots to be used in a casting device. [Explanation of symbols]

[0030] 1 Ingot preheating device 2a, 2b, 2c Ingots 10 Preheating chamber 11 Entrance shutter 12 Exit Shutter 13. Heater 14 Exhaust 20 Rail 21 Pusher 22 Guide

Claims

1. An ingot preheating device for heating an ingot for casting before melting it in a holding furnace, The apparatus includes a preheating chamber which is a space for storing a plurality of ingots and preheating the ingots by heating them, and a transport unit which transports the ingots in and out of the preheating chamber, the transport unit has a plurality of rails on which the ingots are placed and transported, The preheating chamber has an entrance shutter that closes the entrance of the preheating chamber, an exit shutter that closes the exit of the preheating chamber, and a heater that blows hot air onto the ingot that is placed on a rail in the preheating chamber and transported to just before the exit shutter. An ingot preheating device comprising:

2. The heater directly heats the ingot by blowing hot air vertically from the ceiling of the preheating chamber.

2. The ingot preheating apparatus according to claim 1 .

3. The entrance shutter and the exit shutter are opened and closed in synchronization with each other.

3. The ingot preheating device according to claim 1 or 2.

4. The transport unit has a guide that regulates the left and right movement of the ingot on the rail.

3. The ingot preheating device according to claim 1 or 2.

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