Raw material discharge control device and raw material charging device

Abstract

This material discharge control device 10 controls the discharge amount of a material 203 which is discharged from a material hopper 20. The material discharge control device 10 comprises a material property measuring device 12 for measuring the properties of the material 203 to be charged in the material hopper 20; and a control device 11 for controlling the discharge amount of the material 203 on the basis of the properties of the material 203.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a raw material discharge control device and a raw material charging device.

Background Art

[0002] In a manufacturing process using raw materials such as minerals, raw materials are discharged from a raw material hopper that temporarily stores the raw materials. At this time, since the amount of raw materials discharged from the raw material hopper affects productivity, it is important to control the discharge amount of the raw materials.

[0003] For example, in a blast furnace, the raw materials discharged from the raw material hopper are charged into the furnace through a swivel chute. The charged raw materials accumulate in the furnace and form a certain accumulation shape. Since this accumulation shape has a great influence on the furnace conditions, if the discharge amount of the raw materials varies over time, the furnace conditions may deteriorate.

[0004] Therefore, various techniques for controlling the discharge amount of raw materials from the raw material hopper to be constant have been studied.

[0005] For example, a technique is known in which the discharge amount of raw materials is controlled to be constant by keeping the opening degree of the raw material hopper constant. However, due to the segregation of the raw materials in the raw material hopper and the variations in the properties of the raw materials in the raw material hopper, such as particle size, shape, moisture, surface state, etc., even if the opening degree of the raw material hopper is kept constant, the discharge amount of the raw materials has fluctuated over time. In addition, since the values of the raw material properties were calculated at a frequency of about once a week by batch sampling of a small amount and sieving analysis, it was difficult to capture the temporal variations in the raw material properties in a short period of time.

[0006] For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a technique in which, in order to control the discharge amount of raw materials from the raw material hopper to be constant, the opening degree of the raw material hopper and the actual value of the raw material discharge rate are constantly calculated, and the opening degree of the raw material hopper is adjusted so as to achieve the target raw material discharge rate.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0007] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 4-198412 [Summary of the Invention] [Problems to be Solved by the Invention]

[0008] The technique disclosed in Patent Document 1 constantly calculates the relationship between the opening degree of the raw material hopper and the actual value of the raw material discharge rate, and controls the opening degree of the raw material hopper. However, the properties of the raw material in the raw material hopper change every moment. Therefore, even if the relationship between the opening degree of the raw material hopper and the actual value of the raw material discharge rate is calculated, when the opening degree of the raw material hopper is controlled by applying the calculated relationship, the properties of the raw material may already have changed, and it has been difficult to accurately control the discharge amount of the raw material to a desired discharge amount.

[0009] An object of the present disclosure is to provide a raw material discharge control device and a raw material charging device that can accurately control the discharge amount of the raw material discharged from the raw material hopper even when there are changes in the properties of the raw material. [Means for Solving the Problems]

[0010] [1] A raw material discharge control device for controlling the discharge amount of the raw material discharged from a raw material hopper, comprising: a raw material property measuring device that measures the property value of the raw material loaded into the raw material hopper; a control device that controls the discharge amount of the raw material based on the property value of the raw material; and a raw material discharge control device.

[0011] [2] The raw material discharge control device according to [1] above, wherein the property value of the raw material includes at least one of the particle size, shape, moisture, and surface state of the raw material.

[0012] [3] The control device controls the discharge amount of the raw material by adjusting the opening degree of a flow rate adjustment gate capable of controlling the discharge amount of the raw material discharged from the raw material hopper, according to the raw material discharge control device described in [1] or [2] above.

[0013] [4] When a value calculated from at least one value of the property value of the raw material exceeds a preset threshold value, the control device changes the discharge amount of the raw material, according to the raw material discharge control device described in any one of [1] to [3] above.

[0014] [5] A raw material charging device that controls the discharge amount of the raw material using the raw material discharge control device described in any one of [1] to [4] above and charges the raw material into a blast furnace.

Effect of the Invention

[0015] According to the raw material discharge control device and the raw material charging device according to the present disclosure, even if there is a change in the property of the raw material, the discharge amount of the raw material discharged from the raw material hopper can be accurately controlled.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0016]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4A

Figure 4B

Figure 4C

Figure 4D

Figure 4E

Figure 5

Figure 6A

Figure 6B

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0017] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0018] FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically showing a configuration example of a raw material charging device 1 including a raw material discharge control device 10 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Further, FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of the vicinity of the raw material hopper 20 in FIG. 1. With reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, the raw material charging device 1 and the raw material discharge control device 10 will be described.

[0019] The raw material charging device 1 is a device that charges the raw material 203 carried by the conveyor 202 for raw material charging into the furnace of the blast furnace 201.

[0020] The raw material charging device 1 includes a raw material discharge control device 10, a raw material hopper 20, a flow rate adjustment gate 30, and a swivel chute 40. The raw material charging device 1 controls the discharge amount of the raw material 203 discharged from the raw material hopper 20 using the raw material discharge control device 10, and charges the raw material 203 into the furnace of the blast furnace 201.

[0021] In this embodiment, the case where the raw material discharge control device 10 is used in the raw material charging device 1 that charges the raw material 203 carried by the conveyor 202 into the blast furnace 201 will be described as an example, but the process in which the raw material discharge control device 10 is used is not limited to this. The raw material discharge control device 10 can be used in any process of charging the raw material 203 using the raw material hopper 20.

[0022] The raw material 203 is, for example, coke, but is not limited thereto. The raw material 203 may be, for example, ore, sinter, pellet, limestone, rock, concrete raw material, powder, granule, etc.

[0023] The raw material discharge control device 10 controls the discharge amount of the raw material 203 discharged from the raw material hopper 20. The raw material discharge control device 10 includes a control device 11 and a raw material property measuring device 12. Details of the configuration and function of the raw material discharge control device 10 will be described later.

[0024] The raw material hopper 20 temporarily stores the raw material 203 conveyed by the conveyor 202. The raw material hopper 20 can discharge the stored raw material 203 into the blast furnace 201.

[0025] The flow rate adjustment gate 30 can control the discharge amount of the raw material 203 discharged from the raw material hopper 20. The flow rate adjustment gate 30 is a gate whose opening can be adjusted. When the opening of the flow rate adjustment gate 30 is increased, the discharge amount of the raw material 203 discharged from the raw material hopper 20 increases. When the opening of the flow rate adjustment gate 30 is decreased, the discharge amount of the raw material 203 discharged from the raw material hopper 20 decreases. The opening of the flow rate adjustment gate 30 is controlled by the control device 11.

[0026] The swivel chute 40 is installed above the blast furnace 201. The swivel chute 40 rotates at a predetermined speed. The raw material 203 discharged from the raw material hopper 20 is charged into the blast furnace 201 through the swivel chute 40.

[0027] Subsequently, the control device 11 and the raw material property measuring device 12 included in the raw material discharge control device 10 will be described.

[0028] The control device 11 acquires the property value of the raw material 203 measured by the raw material property measuring device 12. Here, the property value of the raw material 203 measured by the raw material property measuring device 12 is the property value of the raw material 203 conveyed by the conveyor 202, and is the property value of the raw material 203 before being charged into the raw material hopper 20.

[0029] Based on the property values of the raw material 203 obtained from the raw material property measuring device 12, the control device 11 controls the discharge amount of the raw material 203 discharged from the raw material hopper 20. The control device 11 controls the discharge amount of the raw material 203 discharged from the raw material hopper 20 by adjusting the opening degree of the flow rate adjustment gate 30.

[0030] FIG. 3 is a diagram schematically showing a configuration example of the control device 11 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The control device 11 may be a general-purpose computer such as a workstation or a personal computer, or may be a dedicated computer configured to function as the control device 11 of the raw material discharge control device 10. With reference to FIG. 3, the configuration of the control device 11 will be described.

[0031] The control device 11 includes a control unit 111, an input unit 112, an output unit 113, a storage unit 114, and a communication unit 115.

[0032] The control unit 111 includes at least one processor, at least one dedicated circuit, or a combination thereof. The processor is a general-purpose processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), or a dedicated processor specialized for specific processing. The dedicated circuit is, for example, an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array) or an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit).

[0033] The control unit 111 reads programs, data, etc. stored in the storage unit 114 and executes various functions. The control unit 111 controls the flow rate adjustment gate 30.

[0034] The input unit 112 includes one or more input interfaces that detect user input and acquire input information based on the user's operation. The input unit 112 includes, for example, physical keys, capacitive keys, a touch screen provided integrally with the display of the output unit 113, or a microphone that accepts voice input.

[0035] The output unit 113 includes one or more output interfaces that output information to notify the user. The output unit 113 includes, for example, a display that outputs information as an image, a speaker that outputs information as sound, and the like. The display included in the output unit 113 may be, for example, an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display), a CRT (Cathode Ray Tube) display, or the like.

[0036] The storage unit 114 is, for example, a flash memory, a hard disk, an optical memory, or the like. A part of the storage unit 114 may be outside the control device 11. In this case, a part of the storage unit 114 may be a hard disk, a memory card, or the like connected to the control device 11 via an arbitrary interface.

[0037] The storage unit 114 stores a program for the control unit 111 to execute each function, data used by the program, and the like.

[0038] The communication unit 115 includes at least one of a communication module corresponding to wired communication and a communication module corresponding to wireless communication. The control device 11 can communicate with other devices via the communication unit 115.

[0039] Referring back to FIGS. 1 and 2 for explanation.

[0040] The raw material property measuring device 12 measures the property value of the raw material 203 being conveyed by the conveyor 202. That is, the raw material property measuring device 12 measures the property value of the raw material 203 before it is loaded into the raw material hopper 20.

[0041] The property value measured by the raw material property measuring device 12 includes at least one of the particle size, shape, moisture, and surface state of the raw material 203.

[0042] Here, the significance of the raw material property measuring device 12 measuring the particle size, shape, moisture, and surface state of the raw material 203 as the property value of the raw material 203 will be described.

[0043] First, the particle size of the raw material 203 will be described. When the particle size of the raw material 203 becomes smaller, the friction between the raw materials 203 is reduced. Then, since the fluidity of the raw material 203 increases, it is considered that even if the opening degree of the flow rate adjustment gate 30 is the same, the discharge speed of the raw material 203 discharged from the raw material hopper 20 will become faster. Thus, the particle size of the raw material 203 affects the discharge speed of the raw material 203 discharged from the raw material hopper 20.

[0044] Subsequently, the shape of the raw material 203 will be described. When the shape of the raw material 203 becomes angular, it is considered that even if the opening degree of the flow rate adjustment gate 30 is the same, the discharge speed of the raw material 203 discharged from the raw material hopper 20 will become slower. Thus, the shape of the raw material 203 affects the discharge speed of the raw material 203 discharged from the raw material hopper 20.

[0045] Subsequently, the moisture content of the raw material 203 will be described. When the moisture content of the raw material 203 increases, the density of the raw material 203 increases and the friction on the surface of the raw material 203 is reduced. Then, it is considered that even if the opening degree of the flow rate adjustment gate 30 is the same, the discharge speed of the raw material 203 discharged from the raw material hopper 20 will become faster. Thus, the moisture content of the raw material 203 affects the discharge speed of the raw material 203 discharged from the raw material hopper 20.

[0046] Subsequently, the surface state of the raw material 203 will be described. As the influencing factors representing the surface state of the raw material 203, there are the roughness of the surface itself, the amount of adhering moisture on the surface, the amount of powder on the surface, etc. Due to the changes in these influencing factors, the friction of the raw material 203 changes, so the discharge speed of the raw material 203 discharged from the raw material hopper 20 changes. Thus, the surface state of the raw material 203 affects the discharge speed of the raw material 203 discharged from the raw material hopper 20.

[0047] Thus, as property values of the raw material 203, the particle size, shape, moisture, and surface state of the raw material 203 affect the discharge rate of the raw material 203 discharged from the raw material hopper 20. Therefore, the raw material property measuring device 12 measures property values such as the particle size, shape, moisture, and surface state of the raw material 203, and the control device 11 controls the discharge amount of the raw material 203 discharged from the raw material hopper 20 based on the property values of the raw material 203, so that the discharge amount of the raw material 203 can be accurately controlled.

[0048] The raw material property measuring device 12 includes a distance measuring device, an image measuring device, and a moisture measuring device. Note that the raw material property measuring device 12 does not necessarily include both the distance measuring device and the image measuring device, and may include either one of the distance measuring device and the image measuring device.

[0049] The distance measuring device and the image measuring device can measure the particle size, shape, and surface state of the raw material 203. The moisture measuring device can measure the moisture of the raw material 203.

[0050] The distance measuring device may be, for example, a two-dimensional laser distance meter. The laser distance meter irradiates laser light linearly along the width direction of the conveyor 202 and measures the distance to the raw material 203 to be measured for each line.

[0051] At this time, the raw material 203 to be measured is in a state of being deposited on the conveyor 202 and is being transported and moved by the conveyor 202. The laser distance meter measures the distance to the raw material 203 linearly at a certain cycle. The laser distance meter can generate three-dimensional shape data of the raw material 203 by integrating the measured values of the distances in each line.

[0052] Note that the method of generating three-dimensional shape data by the above-described laser distance meter is a method of generating three-dimensional shape data by a so-called optical cutting method. The laser distance meter can measure the particle size, shape, and surface state of the raw material 203 based on the three-dimensional shape data.

[0053] The distance measurement device may be, for example, a camera using the Time Of Flight method, or a stereo camera, etc., and can generate three-dimensional shape data.

[0054] The image measurement device may measure two-dimensional image data of the raw material using an industrial camera. In order to recognize a plurality of particles included in the measured image data as individual particles, for example, based on a processing method called the WaterShed algorithm disclosed in Document 1, the particle separation process may be executed (Document 1: Meyer, F. (1992). Color image segmentation. In Proceedings of the International Conference on Image Processing and its Applications, pages 303-306).

[0055] The image measurement device may calculate the particle size of the raw material 203, for example, by averaging the diameters of individual particles obtained by image processing.

[0056] Although various definitions can be used for the definition of particle size, for example, equivalent circular diameter, major axis, minor axis, Feret diameter, etc. can be used as the definition of particle size.

[0057] The image measurement device can calculate the shape of individual particles by identifying individual particles of the raw material 203. The image measurement device may calculate the shape of the raw material 203 by averaging the shapes of individual particles.

[0058] Although various definitions can be used for the definition of particle shape, for example, circularity, convexity, Solidity, etc. can be used as the definition of particle shape.

[0059] Distance measuring devices such as laser distance meters can calculate the surface roughness, which is one of the surface states. There are various methods for calculating surface roughness. For example, general indicators such as Ra and Rz can be used. The calculation method of surface roughness is not limited to this, and all indicators related to the degree of unevenness affecting friction can be used. Regarding the powder amount, the weight ratio of the fine particle portion obtained by particle size measurement, for example, the weight ratio of particle size data below 5 mm, can be used as an indicator.

[0060] The moisture measuring device may be, for example, a neutron moisture meter or an infrared moisture meter.

[0061] The neutron moisture meter irradiates neutrons from a neutron source. Some of the irradiated neutrons pass through the raw material 203, and some are reflected according to the moisture content of the raw material 203. The neutron moisture meter can detect the reflected neutrons and calculate the moisture value based on the reflection amount.

[0062] The infrared moisture meter can measure moisture using infrared wavelengths that are sensitive to absorption by moisture. The infrared moisture meter irradiates infrared rays onto the raw material 203 and can calculate the moisture value based on the degree of absorption.

[0063] The control unit 111 of the control device 11 acquires the property value of the raw material 203 measured by the raw material property measuring device 12 via the communication unit 115.

[0064] Based on the property value acquired from the raw material property measuring device 12, the control unit 111 controls the discharge amount of the raw material 203 discharged from the raw material hopper 20. The control unit 111 can control the discharge amount of the raw material 203 by adjusting the opening degree of the flow rate adjustment gate 30.

[0065] The control unit 111 can estimate the discharge rate of the raw material 203 discharged from the raw material hopper 20 based on the flow rate adjustment gate 30 and the property values of the raw material 203. The control unit 111 may control the discharge amount of the raw material 203 so that, for example, the discharge rate of the raw material 203 discharged from the raw material hopper 20 is within a predetermined range. The discharge rate may be defined, for example, by the weight of the raw material 203 discharged per one revolution of the swivel chute 40. Alternatively, the discharge rate may be defined, for example, by the weight of the raw material 203 discharged per unit time.

[0066] The storage unit 114 may store coefficients for estimating the discharge rate of the raw material 203 discharged from the raw material hopper 20, using the opening degree of the flow rate adjustment gate 30 and the property values of the raw material 203 as explanatory variables. The coefficient may be a coefficient calculated by multiple regression analysis based on previously measured performance values. When the property values of the raw material 203 include a plurality of values such as particle size, shape, moisture, and surface state, the storage unit 114 may store coefficients for estimating the discharge rate of the raw material 203, using each value as an explanatory variable.

[0067] When a value calculated from at least one of the property values of the raw material 203 acquired from the raw material property measuring device 12 exceeds a preset threshold value, the control unit 111 may perform control to change the discharge amount of the raw material 203 discharged from the raw material hopper 20. Thereby, when the property values of the raw material 203 deviate significantly from normal values, the control unit 111 can adjust the opening degree of the flow rate adjustment gate 30 to control the discharge rate of the raw material 203 within a predetermined range. When the property values of the raw material 203 include a plurality of values among particle size, shape, moisture, and surface state, threshold values may be set for each value. When a value calculated from at least one of the property values of the raw material 203 exceeds the threshold value, the control unit 111 may perform control to change the discharge amount of the raw material 203 discharged from the raw material hopper 20.

[0068] The threshold value may be a value determined based on a prior investigation of the property values of the raw material 203 when the discharge rate causes an operational problem in the blast furnace 201. The threshold value may be stored in the storage unit 114.

[0069] Alternatively, when the control unit 111 acquires the property value of the raw material 203 from the raw material property measuring device 12, it estimates the discharge rate of the raw material 203. If the estimated discharge rate is not within the predetermined range, the opening degree of the flow rate adjustment gate 30 may be controlled so that the discharge rate of the raw material 203 falls within the predetermined range. Thereby, the control unit 111 can control the discharge amount of the raw material 203 with higher accuracy.

[0070] (Example) Figs. 4A to 4E are diagrams showing examples in which the estimated value of the discharge rate is compared with the actual value of the discharge rate. The five graphs shown in Figs. 4A to 4E have the estimated value of the discharge rate of the raw material 203 calculated by the control device 11 on the horizontal axis. Also, the vertical axis is the actual value of the discharge rate when the raw material 203 is actually charged into the blast furnace 201.

[0071] Fig. 4A is a graph showing the case where the discharge rate of the raw material 203 is estimated based only on the opening degree of the flow rate adjustment gate 30 without considering the property value of the raw material 203 as a comparative example. Fig. 4B is a graph showing the case where the discharge rate of the raw material 203 is estimated based on the moisture of the raw material 203 as the property value of the raw material 203 together with the opening degree of the flow rate adjustment gate 30. Fig. 4C is a graph showing the case where the discharge rate of the raw material 203 is estimated based on the particle size of the raw material 203 as the property value of the raw material 203 together with the opening degree of the flow rate adjustment gate 30. Fig. 4D is a graph showing the case where the discharge rate of the raw material 203 is estimated based on the particle size and moisture of the raw material 203 as the property value of the raw material 203 together with the opening degree of the flow rate adjustment gate 30. Fig. 4E is a graph showing the case where the discharge rate of the raw material 203 is estimated based on the particle size, moisture and shape of the raw material 203 as the property value of the raw material 203 together with the opening degree of the flow rate adjustment gate 30.

[0072] Looking at Fig. 4A, when the discharge rate is estimated based only on the opening degree of the flow rate adjustment gate 30, the coefficient of determination R 2It is 0.31. On the other hand, referring to FIG. 4B, when the discharge rate is estimated based on the opening degree of the flow rate adjustment gate 30 and the moisture content which is a property value of the raw material 203, the coefficient of determination is 0.41. Also, referring to FIG. 4C, when the discharge rate is estimated based on the opening degree of the flow rate adjustment gate 30 and the particle size which is a property value of the raw material 203, the coefficient of determination is 0.39. Thus, by estimating the discharge rate in consideration of the moisture content or the particle size as the property value, the control device 11 can accurately estimate the discharge rate of the raw material 203.

[0073] Also, referring to FIG. 4D, when the discharge rate is estimated based on the opening degree of the flow rate adjustment gate 30 and the particle size and moisture content which are property values of the raw material 203, the coefficient of determination is 0.46. Thus, by estimating the discharge rate in consideration of two values, namely the particle size and the moisture content, as the property values, the control device 11 can estimate the discharge rate of the raw material 203 with even higher accuracy.

[0074] Also, referring to FIG. 4E, when the discharge rate is estimated based on the opening degree of the flow rate adjustment gate 30 and the particle size, moisture content and shape which are property values of the raw material 203, the coefficient of determination is 0.60. Thus, by estimating the discharge rate in consideration of three values, namely the particle size, the moisture content and the shape, as the property values, the control device 11 can estimate the discharge rate of the raw material 203 with even higher accuracy.

[0075] The results of FIGS. 4A to 4E show that the control device 11 can accurately estimate the discharge rate of the raw material 203 by considering the property values of the raw material 203. Based on the discharge rate of the raw material 203 accurately estimated in this way, the control device 11 can control the discharge amount of the raw material 203.

[0076] Also, the results of FIGS. 4A to 4E show that when considering a plurality of values as the property values of the raw material 203, the control device 11 can estimate the discharge rate of the raw material 203 with even higher accuracy. In this embodiment, the absolute value of the property value is used as a value calculated from at least one of the property values of the raw material 203.

[0077] FIG. 5 is an example showing the time change of various data. The top graph is a graph showing the time change of the particle size of the raw material 203. The second graph is a graph showing the time change of the opening degree of the flow rate adjustment gate 30. The bottom graph is a graph showing the discharge rate of the raw material 203.

[0078] In FIG. 5, at the timing indicated by reference numeral 403, the process of controlling the discharge amount of the raw material 203 is started by the raw material discharge control device 10 according to the present embodiment. That is, before the timing indicated by reference numeral 403, the process of controlling the discharge rate of the raw material 203 based on the property value of the raw material 203 is not performed.

[0079] Referring to FIG. 5, at the timing indicated by reference numeral 401, the particle size of the raw material 203 is decreasing. Along with this, as indicated by reference numeral 402, the discharge rate of the raw material 203 is rapidly increasing. Such an increase in the discharge rate of the raw material 203 has an adverse effect on the operation of the blast furnace 201.

[0080] Referring to FIG. 5, at the timing indicated by reference numeral 404, again, the particle size of the raw material 203 is decreasing. At this time, the particle size of the raw material 203 is below the threshold value 407. Therefore, as indicated by reference numeral 405, the raw material discharge control device 10 performs control to reduce the opening degree of the flow rate adjustment gate 30. As a result, the raw material discharge control device 10 can suppress the increase in the discharge rate of the raw material 203 in the time range indicated by reference numeral 406. That is, the raw material discharge control device 10 can stabilize the discharge rate of the raw material 203 by controlling the flow rate adjustment gate 30 based on the particle size which is the property value of the raw material 203.

[0081] In FIG. 5, the case of controlling the flow rate adjustment gate 30 based on the particle size of the raw material 203 is shown, but the same result can be obtained by controlling the flow rate adjustment gate 30 based on the shape or moisture of the raw material 203. Further, the same result can be obtained by controlling the flow rate adjustment gate 30 based on a plurality of property values of the raw material 203.

[0082] As described above, the raw material discharge control device 10 according to the present embodiment includes a raw material property measuring device 12 that measures the property value of the raw material 203 loaded into the raw material hopper 20, and a control device 11 that controls the discharge amount of the raw material 203 based on the property value of the raw material 203. In this way, by the control device 11 controlling the discharge amount of the raw material 203 based on the property value of the raw material 203, the raw material discharge control device 10 according to the present embodiment can accurately control the discharge amount of the raw material 203 discharged from the raw material hopper 20 even if there is a change in the property of the raw material 203.

[0083] Further, the raw material charging device 1 according to the present embodiment controls the discharge amount of the raw material 203 using the raw material discharge control device 10 and charges the raw material 203 into the furnace of the blast furnace 201. Therefore, the raw material charging device 1 according to the present embodiment can accurately control the distribution shape of the raw material 203 deposited in the furnace of the blast furnace 201, so that the operation of the blast furnace 201 can be stabilized.

[0084] Also, in this embodiment, although it is an operation with respect to the lower limit value, it is also possible to control the discharge speed more accurately by providing thresholds for the upper and lower limit values of each raw material property index. In addition to the operation using absolute values, thresholds using relative values representing temporal changes can also be used. In this case, since sensor values are used, it is necessary to periodically calibrate the sensor to the true value for operation. However, since calibration is a burden in operation, it is difficult to increase the calibration frequency. In that case, there is a possibility that the sensor deviates from the true value, leading to false detection or undetected values. In that regard, the relative change amount is relatively difficult to deviate compared to the absolute value. In the case of long-term operation, using relative changes may result in more stable threshold operation. FIG. 6A shows the result estimated using only the difference value of the opening degree. FIG. 6B shows the result of predicting the difference value of the discharge speed using the difference values of the particle size, moisture, and opening degree. Referring to FIG. 6A, the coefficient of determination R 2 is 0.57. On the other hand, referring to FIG. 6B, the coefficient of determination R 2 is 0.64. In this way, by adding the particle size and moisture for prediction, the coefficient of determination R 2The accuracy has improved to 0.64, indicating that particle size and moisture are also useful in relative change prediction. This enables prediction of the discharge change amount, and by setting a threshold for the predicted discharge change amount, similarly large changes can be suppressed, and it is possible to bring the discharge amount closer to the appropriate target value with appropriate opening adjustment. In the present invention, since coke is transported in a certain fixed quantity and charged into the bunker batch by batch, the change amount used the difference between the currently charged batch and the previous charged batch, but it is not limited to this. As an index of the change amount, for example, a change within a certain period in the past from the current time or the maximum change amount based on time may be used.

[0085] This disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments. For example, a plurality of blocks described in the block diagram may be integrated, or one block may be divided. Instead of executing a plurality of steps described in the flowchart in time series according to the description, each step may be executed in parallel or in a different order according to the processing ability of the device that executes each step or as necessary. In addition, changes can be made without departing from the spirit of this disclosure.

[0086] For example, in the above-described embodiment, the case where the raw material property measuring device 12 includes a distance measuring device, an image measuring device, and a moisture measuring device was described as an example. However, the devices included in the raw material property measuring device 12 are not limited to these. The raw material property measuring device 12 may include any device capable of measuring the property value of the raw material 203.

[0087] For example, in the above-described embodiment, some of the processing operations executed in the raw material property measuring device 12 may be executed in the control device 11. For example, when the raw material property measuring device 12 includes an image measuring device, the image measuring device captures an image of the raw material 203, and the control device 11 may calculate the particle size and shape, which are the property values of the raw material 203, by analyzing the image of the raw material 203 captured by the image measuring device.

[0088] For example, in the above-described embodiment, the case where the discharge amount of the raw material 203 is controlled by adjusting the opening degree of the flow rate adjustment gate 30 has been described. However, the means for controlling the discharge amount of the raw material 203 is not limited to this. The raw material discharge control device 10 may control the discharge amount of the raw material 203 using a device other than the flow rate adjustment gate 30.

[0089] For example, in the above-described embodiment, the case where the raw material discharge control device 10 controls the discharge amount of the raw material 203 charged into the blast furnace 201 has been described as an example. However, the fields where the raw material discharge control device 10 can be used are not limited to the field of steel production. The raw material discharge control device 10 can also be used in other fields for transporting raw materials.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0090] 1 Raw material charging device 10 Raw material discharge control device 11 Control device 12 Raw material property measuring device 20 Raw material hopper 30 Flow rate adjustment gate 40 Swivel chute 111 Control unit 112 Input unit 113 Output unit 114 Storage unit 115 Communication unit 201 Blast furnace 202 Conveyor 203 Raw material

Claims

1. A raw material discharge control device for controlling the discharge amount of raw materials discharged from a raw material hopper, comprising: a raw material property measuring device for measuring the property value of the raw material before being loaded into the raw material hopper; a control device for controlling the discharge amount of the raw material based on the property value of the raw material; The raw material discharge control device is characterized by comprising: the property value of the raw material includes at least the particle size of the raw material; the raw material property measuring device includes at least one of a distance measuring device and an image measuring device.

2. The raw material discharge control device according to claim 1, wherein the property value of the raw material further includes at least one of the shape, moisture, and surface state of the raw material.

3. The raw material discharge control device according to claim 1, wherein the control device controls the discharge amount of the raw material by adjusting the opening degree of a flow rate adjustment gate capable of controlling the discharge amount of the raw material discharged from the raw material hopper.

4. The raw material discharge control device according to claim 1, wherein the control device changes the discharge amount of the raw material when a value calculated from at least one value of the property value of the raw material exceeds a preset threshold value.

5. A raw material charging device for controlling the discharge amount of the raw material by using the raw material discharge control device according to any one of claims 1 to 4 and charging the raw material into a blast furnace.

Images