Leak height position detection method and device

Abstract

To provide a leakage height position detecting method and a device therefor capable of detecting the leakage height position of fluid from a pipe line as accurately as possible without imposing a burden on an operator.SOLUTION: A supply flow rate difference and a discharge flow rate difference between a supply flow rate value and a discharge flow rate value at a steady time when no fluid leaks from a pipe line and a supply fluid value and a discharge fluid value at a leakage time when the fluid leaks are acquired. The flow rate difference ratio between the supply flow rate difference and the discharge flow rate difference is acquired, and the leakage height position of the fluid is detected from the acquired flow rate difference ratio based on the correlation between the flow rate difference ratio of the supply fluid and the discharge fluid stored in advance and the leakage height position of the fluid.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for detecting a height position of a leak, and more particularly to a method and apparatus for detecting a height position at which a fluid flowing from below to above in a pipeline piped in the vertical direction is leaking from the pipeline. [Background technology]

[0002] For example, in blast furnaces that produce molten iron from iron ore, the furnace body is often cooled using cooling equipment called cooling staves (hereinafter referred to as staves). Staves are equipment that protect the steel shell, which is the outer wall of the blast furnace, from the high-temperature gases and molten material inside the blast furnace, and have built-in water-cooled pipes for cooling. Many such staves are stacked vertically and arranged around the circumferential direction of the furnace body, and therefore many cooling water pipes are also arranged around the circumferential direction of the furnace body. These pipes are installed to connect a lower header installed at the bottom of the blast furnace with an upper header installed at the top, and cooling water generally flows through the pipes from bottom to top.

[0003] Staves are subject to thermal loads from the high-temperature air blown into the blast furnace and the heat of reactions inside the furnace, as well as frictional loads from the descending raw materials. Therefore, over time, they can deteriorate, resulting in cracks, wear, and leaks. Water leaks inside a blast furnace can cause a drop in the furnace temperature, leading to an abnormality known as blast furnace cooling trouble, so early detection of leaks is essential. However, leak locations are typically identified by operators inspecting each piping system one by one, which takes time. Particularly in tall facilities like blast furnaces, it is important to identify the vertical location of the leaking fluid from the pipes.

[0004] Methods for detecting the height position of such fluid leakage from a pipeline are described, for example, in Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2 below. Of these, the leakage height position detection method described in Patent Document 1 detects the fluid leakage height position by connecting a gas detector to the pipeline at each predetermined height and detecting gas inside the blast furnace that has entered the pipeline from a damaged area. Also, the leakage height position detection method described in Patent Document 2 detects the fluid leakage height position by attaching a pressure gauge to the bottom of the pipeline and detecting the fluid pressure inside the pipeline detected by this pressure gauge. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 5-320728 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 9-196803 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] However, in the leak height position detection method described in Patent Document 1, the detection of gas that has entered the pipeline, i.e., the cooling water, is complicated and places a heavy burden on the operator. Also, while the leak height position detection method described in Patent Document 2 places a small burden on the operator, it leaves room for further study because the relationship between the amount of leakage and pressure, such as how much pressure change occurs depending on the amount of leakage, is not clear.

[0007] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned problems, and its purpose is to provide a leakage height position detection method and device that can detect the leakage height position of a fluid from a pipeline as accurately as possible without placing a burden on the operator. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] In order to achieve the above object, a leakage height position detection method according to one aspect of the present invention is a method for detecting a height position at which a fluid flowing from below to above in a pipeline piped in a vertical direction is leaking from the pipeline, the method including a supply flow rate detection step for detecting a flow rate of the fluid supplied to the pipeline, a discharge flow rate detection step for detecting a flow rate of the fluid discharged from the pipeline, a steady-state supply flow rate value detection step for detecting a steady-state flow rate value of the supply fluid in a state where there is no leakage of the fluid from the pipeline, a steady-state discharge flow rate value detection step for detecting a steady-state flow rate value of the discharge fluid in a state where there is no leakage of the fluid from the pipeline, and a leakage supply flow rate value detection step for detecting a flow rate value of the supply fluid at the time of leakage in a state where the fluid is leaking from the pipeline. a supply flow rate difference detection step for detecting a difference in flow rate of the supply fluid between the flow rate value of the supply fluid in the steady state and the flow rate value of the supply fluid at the time of leakage; a discharge flow rate difference detection step for detecting a difference in flow rate of the discharge fluid between the flow rate value of the discharge fluid in the steady state and the flow rate value of the discharge fluid at the time of leakage; a flow rate difference ratio detection step for detecting a flow rate difference ratio of the fluid between the flow rate difference of the supply fluid and the flow rate difference of the discharge fluid; and a leakage height position detection step for detecting a height position from which the fluid is leaking based on a correlation between a pre-stored correlation between the flow rate difference ratio of the supply fluid and the discharge fluid and a leakage height position of the fluid from the detected flow rate difference ratio.

[0009] Furthermore, a further aspect of the present invention is characterized in that the correlation is stored for each fluid leakage amount obtained from the flow rate difference of the supply fluid and the flow rate difference of the discharged fluid, and a step is provided in which the fluid leakage amount from the pipeline is detected from the flow rate difference of the supply fluid and the flow rate difference of the discharged fluid, and the leakage height position detection step detects the vertical position at which the fluid is leaking based on the correlation from the detected leakage amount.

[0010] In a further aspect of the present invention, the pipeline is a cooling pipe for cooling a cooling stave of a blast furnace. Furthermore, a leakage height position detection device according to one aspect of the present invention is a device for detecting a height position at which a fluid flowing from below to above in a pipeline piped in the vertical direction is leaking from the pipeline, and includes a supply flow rate detection unit for detecting a flow rate of the fluid supplied to the pipeline, a discharge flow rate detection unit for detecting a flow rate of the fluid discharged from the pipeline, a steady-state supply flow rate value detection unit for detecting a steady-state flow rate value of the supply fluid in a state where there is no leakage of the fluid from the pipeline, a steady-state discharge flow rate value detection unit for detecting a steady-state flow rate value of the discharge fluid in a state where there is no leakage of the fluid from the pipeline, a leakage supply flow rate value detection unit for detecting a flow rate value of the supply fluid at the time of leakage in a state where the fluid is leaking from the pipeline, and a detection unit for detecting a detection value of the flow rate of the fluid at the time of leakage when the fluid is leaking from the pipeline. a supply flow rate difference detection unit that detects a flow rate difference of the supply fluid between the flow rate value of the supply fluid in the steady state and the flow rate value of the supply fluid at the time of leakage; a discharge flow rate difference detection unit that detects a flow rate difference of the discharge fluid between the flow rate value of the discharge fluid in the steady state and the flow rate value of the discharge fluid at the time of leakage; a flow rate difference ratio detection unit that detects a flow rate difference ratio of the fluid between the flow rate difference of the supply fluid and the flow rate difference of the discharge fluid; a leakage height position-flow rate difference ratio correlation storage unit that stores a correlation between the flow rate difference ratio of the supply fluid and the discharge fluid and the leakage height position of the fluid; and a leakage height position detection unit that detects the height position of the fluid leaking based on the correlation from the detected flow rate difference ratio.

[0011] Furthermore, a further aspect of the leakage height position detection device of the present invention is characterized in that it comprises a leakage amount detection unit that detects the amount of fluid leakage from the pipeline from the flow rate difference between the supply fluid and the flow rate difference between the discharged fluid, and the correlation memory unit stores, for each leakage amount detected by the leakage amount detection unit, the correlation between the flow rate difference ratio between the supply fluid and the discharged fluid and the leakage height position of the fluid, and the leakage height position detection unit detects the vertical position at which the fluid is leaking from the detected leakage amount based on the correlation for each leakage amount. [Effects of the Invention]

[0012] According to the leak height position detection method and device of the present invention, the leak height position of a fluid can be detected from the detected flow rate difference ratio of the supply fluid and the discharge fluid based on a pre-stored correlation between the flow rate difference ratio of the supply fluid and the discharge fluid and the leak height position of the fluid. Therefore, the leak height position of a fluid from a pipeline can be detected without imposing a burden on the operator. In this case, the correlation between the leak height position of a fluid from a pipeline and the flow rate difference ratio of the supply fluid and the discharge fluid involves the amount of fluid leakage from the pipeline as a parameter. Therefore, by reflecting the amount of fluid leakage in the correlation, the leak height position of a fluid from a pipeline can be detected as accurately as possible. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0013] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic diagram of a leakage height position detection system according to an embodiment of the leakage height position detection method and device of the present invention; [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of a cooling stave. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a leak height position detection device constructed in the leak height position detection system of FIG. 1. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram of leakage height. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram of the supply flow rate and the discharge flow rate with and without leakage. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram of a supply flow rate difference and a discharge flow rate difference at a leakage height position. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating the correlation between the leakage height position and the flow rate difference ratio. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0014] An embodiment of a leakage height position detection method and an apparatus therefor according to the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. The embodiment shown below exemplifies an apparatus and method for embodying the technical concept of the present invention, and the technical concept of the present invention does not limit the materials, shapes, structures, arrangements, etc. of component parts to the embodiment described below. Furthermore, the drawings are schematic. Therefore, it should be noted that the relationship between thickness and planar dimensions, ratios, etc., differ from the actual ones, and the drawings also include portions where the relationship and ratio of dimensions differ from each other.

[0015] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a blast furnace 2 provided with a leakage height position detection system, illustrating one embodiment of a leakage height position detection method and its device. The leakage height position detection system of this embodiment identifies (detects) the vertical position at which cooling water (fluid) is leaking from a pipeline 1 in a stave (cooling stave) 5 provided in a furnace wall 2a of the blast furnace 2. Staves 5 are arranged in the area indicated by thick dashed dotted lines in the figure, and as will be described later, pipeline 1 through which cooling water flows is configured by connecting piping materials 6 embedded in the staves 5. Therefore, the dashed dotted line in the figure schematically represents the cooling water pipeline 1 in the blast furnace 2. That is, the pipeline 1 in this embodiment is a cooling pipe that cools the staves 5 of the blast furnace 2.

[0016] Figure 2 shows a schematic cross-section of a stave 5. The right side of the figure is the furnace interior, and the left side is the shell side. As mentioned above, the stave 5 cools the furnace wall 2a to protect the shell, which is the outer shell of the blast furnace 2, from heat. Therefore, the stave 5 is arranged inside the shell. Actual staves 5 have complex shapes, especially on the furnace interior. Here, however, an overview of the piping 6 cast inside the stave 5, made of a highly thermally conductive material such as copper, is shown. The stave 5 is generally plate-shaped and may be curved along the furnace wall 2a. Inside the stave 5, multiple piping 6 extending vertically are arranged vertically. These plate-shaped staves 5 are stacked vertically inside the shell and arranged in a circumferential direction around the furnace wall 2a. The upper and lower ends of the piping 6 generally protrude outside the shell and are connected to the upper and lower ends of the piping 6 of the upper and lower staves 5 (although they are not necessarily connected to the piping 6 directly above and below). Cooling water flows (passes) from below to above within the pipe 1 made up of the piping materials 6 connected in this manner.

[0017] The upper end of the pipeline 1 is connected to an upper header 10 located near the top (top) of the blast furnace 2, and the lower end of the pipeline 1 is connected to a lower header 9 located near the bottom (bottom) of the blast furnace 2. The upper header 10 and the lower header 9 are connected to a cooling water supply and drainage system 3. The water supply and drainage system 3 is configured with a head tank 11 located at the top for storing cooling water, a pump 12 located at the bottom for pressurizing the cooling water in the head tank 11, and a heat exchanger 13 for cooling the cooling water discharged from the pump 12. The lower header 9 is connected to the outlet side of the heat exchanger 13, and the upper header 10 is connected to the inlet side of the head tank 11. A water supply valve (on-off valve) 14 is interposed between the lower header 9 and the pipeline 1, and a three-way valve 15 with a drain is interposed between the upper header 10 and the pipeline 1. The water supply and drainage system 3 is provided with other on-off valves at various locations, but these are not shown here.

[0018] The water supply and drainage equipment 3 including the pipelines 1 is provided with a leak height position detection system that detects the vertical position of a cooling water leak in each pipeline 1. The leak height position detection system of this embodiment is provided with a supply flow meter 7 that detects the supply flow rate of cooling water, which is a cooling fluid, for each pipeline 1, and a discharge flow meter 8 that detects the discharge flow rate of cooling water for each pipeline 1, as sensors for detecting the leak height position. The supply flow meter 7 is attached between the feedwater valve 14 and the lower end of the pipeline 1, and the discharge flow meter 8 is attached between the three-way valve 15 and the upper end of the pipeline 1. The outputs of the supply flow meter 7 and the discharge flow meter 8 are input to the leak height position detection device 4. The leak height position detection device 4 is constructed with a computer system having advanced processing capabilities. For example, a personal computer can be used as such a computer system, but other computer systems such as process computers used in pig iron production lines can also be used.

[0019] FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a leak height position detection device 4 implemented within a computer system. By replacing the "units" in the diagram with "steps," the diagram can also serve as logic for a leak height position detection method. The leak height position detection device 4 includes a supply flow rate detection unit S1 that reads the supply flow rate of cooling water (fluid) to the pipeline 1, detected by the supply flow meter 7, and a discharge flow rate detection unit S5 that reads the discharge flow rate of cooling water from the pipeline 1, detected by the discharge flow meter 8. The leak height position detection device 4 also includes a steady-state supply flow rate value detection unit S2 that detects the steady-state flow rate of the supply water (supply fluid) when there is no cooling water leakage from the pipeline 1, based on the supply flow rate of the cooling water (fluid) read by the supply flow rate detection unit S1. The leak height position detection device 4 also includes a steady-state discharge flow rate value detection unit S6 that detects the steady-state flow rate of the drainage water (discharge fluid) when there is no cooling water leakage from the pipeline 1, based on the discharge flow rate of the cooling water (fluid) read by the discharge flow rate detection unit S5. The leak height position detection device 4 also includes a supply flow rate value detection unit S3 at the time of leakage that detects the flow rate of the supply water (supply fluid) at the time of leakage when the cooling water is leaking from the pipeline 1, based on the supply flow rate of the cooling water (fluid) read by the supply flow rate detection unit S1. The leak height position detection device 4 also includes a discharge flow rate value detection unit S7 at the time of leakage that detects the flow rate of the drainage water (discharge fluid) at the time of leakage when the cooling water is leaking from the pipeline 1, based on the discharge flow rate of the cooling water (fluid) read by the discharge flow rate detection unit S5. The leak height position detection device 4 also includes a supply flow rate difference detection unit S4 that detects the difference in flow rate of the supply water (supply fluid) from the flow rate value of the supply water (supply fluid) in the steady state and the flow rate value of the supply water in the leak. The leak height position detection device 4 also includes a discharge flow rate difference detection unit S8 that detects the difference in flow rate of the drainage water (discharge fluid) from the flow rate value of the drainage water (discharge fluid) in the steady state and the flow rate value of the drainage water in the leak. The leakage height position detection device 4 also includes a flow rate difference ratio detection unit S9 that detects the flow rate difference ratio of the cooling water (fluid) from the flow rate difference between the feedwater (supply fluid) and the drainage (discharge fluid). The leakage height position detection device 4 also includes a leakage amount detection unit S10 that detects the leakage amount of the cooling water (fluid) from the flow rate difference between the feedwater (supply fluid) and the drainage (discharge fluid).The leakage height position detection device 4 also includes a leakage height position-flow rate difference ratio correlation storage unit S11 that stores the correlation between the flow rate difference ratio of the feedwater (supply fluid) and the drainage (discharge fluid) and the leakage height position of the cooling water (fluid). The leakage height position detection device 4 also includes a leakage height position detection unit S12 that detects (specifies) the height position from which the cooling water (fluid) is leaking based on the correlation from the detected flow rate difference ratio. As will be described later, the correlation between the leakage height position and the flow rate difference ratio is stored for each of a plurality of leakage amounts.

[0020] Next, the operation and principle of this leak height position detection device 4 (method) will be explained. The inventors noticed that when cooling water (fluid) leaks from the pipeline 1, the supply flow rate of the cooling water increases and the discharge flow rate decreases. They then speculated that the difference in the flow rate of the supply water (supply fluid) between steady state without leakage and steady state with leakage, as well as the difference in the flow rate of the discharge water (discharge fluid) between steady state and steady state with leakage, may be affected by the leak height. Therefore, as shown in Figure 4, an experiment was conducted to simulate a leak by intentionally letting cooling water out of the pipeline 1 through a drain valve installed on the stave 5 at three different heights S1, S3, and S5. The changes in the supply water flow rate measured by the supply flow meter 7 and the discharge water flow rate measured by the discharge flow meter 8 were then measured. Figure 5 shows the changes over time in the supply water flow rate and the discharge water flow rate during a portion of the experiment in which cooling water leaked from height S3. In the experiment shown in Figure 5, first, no cooling water was discharged from the drain valve, i.e., a no-leak state (steady state), and then a large amount of cooling water was discharged from height S3 to simulate a large leakage state (leak). After that, the no-leak state was restored, and then a small amount of cooling water was discharged from height S3 to simulate a small leakage state (leak), and the no-leak state was restored a third time. As is clear from the figure, when a cooling water leak occurs, the feedwater flow rate value increases and the drainage flow rate value decreases. Naturally, when the leakage rate is large, the increase in the feedwater flow rate value and the decrease in the drainage flow rate value increase.

[0021] Similar experiments were also conducted at different heights S1 and S5. The experimental results are shown in Table 1. In the table, Experiments Nos. 1 to 3 were set to small leakage amounts, Experiments Nos. 4 to 6 were set to medium leakage amounts, and Experiments Nos. 7 to 9 were set to large leakage amounts. The feedwater (supply fluid) flow rate difference listed in the flow rate difference during leakage in the table is the value obtained by subtracting the feedwater flow rate value during a steady state from the feedwater flow rate value during a leakage. Similarly, the drainage (discharge fluid) flow rate difference listed in the flow rate difference during leakage is the value obtained by subtracting the drainage flow rate value during a steady state from the drainage flow rate value during a leakage. The leakage amount (leakage water amount) in the table can be obtained by subtracting the drainage flow rate value during a leakage from the feedwater flow rate value during a leakage, but it can also be obtained by subtracting the drainage flow rate difference from the above feedwater flow rate difference. The flow rate difference ratio in the table is the absolute value of the above feedwater flow rate difference divided by the drainage flow rate difference. The flow rate difference ratio will be explained later.

[0022] [Table 1]

[0023] Figure 6a shows the feedwater (supply fluid) flow rate difference and drainage (discharge fluid) flow rate difference at each leakage height position when the leakage amount is small, while Figure 6b shows the feedwater flow rate difference and drainage flow rate difference at each leakage height position when the leakage amount is large. In both cases, the drainage flow rate difference is expressed as the value in Table 1. As is clear from the figure, the leakage height position affects the feedwater flow rate difference and the drainage flow rate difference. That is, when the leakage height position is high, both the feedwater flow rate difference and the drainage flow rate difference are smaller than when the leakage height position is low. Regarding the degree of change in the flow rate difference with changes in leakage height, when the leakage height position is high, the feedwater flow rate difference changes less, while the drainage flow rate difference changes more. This trend is the same regardless of the leakage amount, but the value of the flow rate difference is affected by the leakage amount. The magnitude of the flow rate difference is also affected by the flow rate of the cooling water (fluid) flowing through pipeline 1.

[0024] However, although the tendency of change in flow rate difference relative to change in leak height position is relatively similar, it is difficult to identify (detect) the leak height position based on this alone. Therefore, we investigated the correlation between the leak height position and the ratio of the feedwater (supply fluid) flow rate difference to the drainage (discharge fluid) flow rate difference, i.e., the above-mentioned flow rate difference ratio. The definition of the flow rate difference ratio is as described above. Figure 7 shows the correlation between the flow rate difference ratio and leak height position for each leak amount. From the figure, it is clear that for each leak amount, when the leak height position is high (S5), the flow rate difference ratio tends to be smaller than when the leak height position is low (S1). Therefore, if the flow rate difference ratio is known for each leak amount, the leak height position can be identified. Therefore, if the correlation between the flow rate difference ratio and leak height position is determined in advance through experiments, the leak height position can be identified by detecting (calculating) the flow rate difference ratio when an actual leak occurs.

[0025] Comparing the data for Experiment No. 2, which had a small leak, with Experiment No. 5, which had a medium leak, reveals a significant difference in the feedwater (supply fluid) flow rate, 2.6 L / min and 3.7 L / min, respectively. In contrast, the flow rate difference ratios for both experiments were very close, 0.93 and 0.95, demonstrating that using the flow rate difference ratio to identify (detect) the leak height position reduces the influence of the leak rate. Therefore, when the leak rate is small or medium, the correlation between the flow rate difference ratio and the leak height position, calculated in advance for that range, is applicable to a relatively wide range of leak rates. Furthermore, in the experiments shown in Table 1, the leak rate for Experiments Nos. 4 to 6 was approximately 9 L / min, and the steady-state flow rate in Pipe 1 during the experiments was approximately 140 L / min, as can be seen in Figure 5. In other words, if the ratio of the leakage amount to the steady-state flow rate is 9 / 140 = 0.064 (6.4%) or less, the leakage height position can be identified using the correlation between the flow rate difference ratio and the leakage height position obtained under conditions within that range.

[0026] On the other hand, as can be inferred from Figure 7, when the leakage amount is large, it is preferable to identify (detect) the leakage height position based on the correlation between the flow rate difference ratio and the leakage height position under conditions corresponding to that leakage amount. In other words, if it is sufficient to roughly identify the leakage height position, it can be said that the leakage height position can be identified based on the correlation between the flow rate difference ratio and the leakage height position obtained under conditions with a small leakage amount. However, if it is desired to identify the leakage height position more accurately, it is preferable to obtain multiple correlations between the flow rate difference ratio and the leakage height position according to the leakage amount, and identify the leakage height position using the correlation for the leakage amount close to the leakage amount detected during the actual leakage. Specifically, for example, as in Experiments 7 to 9, when the leakage amount is approximately 13 L / min (approximately 9% of the steady-state flow rate), a correlation similar to that for the large leakage amount shown in Figure 7 is obtained in advance, and the leakage height position is identified using the correlation for the leakage amount close to the detected leakage amount.

[0027] Therefore, in the leak height position detection device (method) 4 shown in Figure 3, the flow rate difference between the supply water (supply fluid) in a steady state and the supply water in a leak, and the flow rate difference between the drainage water (discharge fluid) in a steady state and the drainage water in a leak are calculated. Furthermore, these flow rate differences are used to calculate the flow rate difference ratio, and the amount of leakage of cooling water (fluid) is also calculated. When the amount of leakage is small, the calculated flow rate difference ratio is used to identify (detect) the leak height position based on the stored correlation between the flow rate difference ratio and the leak height position. Since the leakage amount is stored as a parameter for the correlation between the flow rate difference ratio and the leak height position, when the amount of leakage is large, the leakage height position corresponding to the detected flow rate difference ratio is identified using the correlation of the calculated leakage amount.

[0028] Because there are many staves 5 installed in the blast furnace 2, even if the leak height position cannot be precisely identified, being able to identify the leak height position within a certain range contributes to the efficiency of operations and repairs. If the leak height position can be roughly identified, a detailed investigation of the vicinity makes it possible to estimate the cause of the leak and consider repair strategies. As a result, measures such as repairing the staves 5 and piping from the outside, or even shutting down the blast furnace 2 and replacing the staves 5, or bypassing the piping at the leaking point to prevent fluid (cooling water) from flowing through the leaking point can be taken. [Example]

[0029] Internal volume 4100m 3 At blast furnace 2, a cooling water (fluid) supply and drainage system 3 was configured as shown in Figure 1. Tests were conducted in which the cooling water (fluid) was drained from different heights S1, S3, and S5 (see Figure 3). The correlation between the flow rate difference ratio and the leakage height position, as shown in Figure 7, was determined in advance for each leakage amount. During actual operation of blast furnace 2, the cooling water flow rate was constantly monitored. A phenomenon was observed in which the feedwater (supply fluid) flow rate increased compared to the steady-state flow rate and the drainage (discharge fluid) flow rate decreased compared to the steady-state flow rate. This indicated a cooling water leak. The leakage amount calculated from the feedwater flow rate difference and drainage flow rate difference was 5.9 L / min, and the flow rate difference ratio was 0.8. The leakage amount of 5.9 L / min was equivalent to 4.2% of the cooling water flow rate of 140 L / min under steady-state conditions without leakage. In the correlation shown in Figure 7, if the leakage amount was less than 6.4% of the steady-state flow rate, the leakage amount was not considered to affect the correlation between the flow rate difference ratio and the leakage height position. Therefore, using the correlation of small leakage amount or medium leakage amount in Figure 7, the leakage height position corresponding to a flow rate difference ratio of 0.8 was determined, and it was possible to identify (detect) that a leak occurred midway between heights S3 and S5 (i.e., at height S4). Then, when the stave 5 at height S4 in the blast furnace 2 was checked, it was found that in-furnace gas had been mixed into the cooling water at that position, and it was therefore confirmed that a cooling water leak had occurred at height S4. In this way, according to the leakage height position detection system of this embodiment, it is possible to easily identify at which height position a leak occurs in the numerous cooling pipes and numerous staves 5 present in the blast furnace 2.

[0030] In this way, the leakage height position detection system of this embodiment can identify (detect) the leakage height position of the cooling water (fluid) from the detected flow rate difference ratio of the supply water and the drainage water, based on the pre-stored correlation between the flow rate difference ratio of the supply fluid and the drainage fluid and the leakage height position. Therefore, the leakage height position of the cooling water from the pipeline 1 can be identified without imposing a burden on the operator.

[0031] Furthermore, the correlation between the leakage height position of the cooling water (fluid) from the pipeline 1 and the flow rate difference ratio of the feedwater (supply fluid) and the drainage (discharge fluid) involves the amount of cooling water leakage from the pipeline 1 as a parameter. Therefore, by reflecting this amount of cooling water leakage in the correlation, the leakage height position of the cooling water from the pipeline 1 can be detected as accurately as possible. The above describes the leakage height position detection system according to the embodiment, but the present invention is not limited to the configuration described in the above embodiment and various modifications are possible within the scope of the gist of the present invention. For example, in the above embodiment, the leakage height position of cooling water from the stave 5 provided in the blast furnace 2 is detected, but the leakage height position detection method and device of the present invention can also be applied to detecting the leakage height position of other fluids. Similarly, the present invention is not limited to the blast furnace 2 and can be applied to any facility or device as long as it is a pipeline 1 through which a fluid flows from below to above. [Explanation of symbols]

[0032] 1 conduit 2 blast furnace 3 Water supply and drainage equipment 4. Leak height position detection device 5 Staves 6 Piping materials 7 Supply flow meter 8 Discharge flow meter S1 Supply flow rate detection unit (supply flow rate detection step) S2 Normal supply flow rate value detection section (normal supply flow rate value detection step) S3 Supply flow rate value detection unit at the time of leakage (supply flow rate value detection step at the time of leakage) S4 Supply flow rate difference detection unit (supply flow rate difference detection step) S5 Discharge flow rate detection unit (discharge flow rate detection step) S6: Steady-state discharge flow rate value detection unit (steady-state discharge flow rate value detection step) S7: Leakage discharge flow rate value detection unit (leakage discharge flow rate value detection step) S8 Discharge flow rate difference detection section (discharge flow rate difference detection step) S9 Flow rate difference ratio detection section (flow rate difference ratio detection step) S10 Leakage amount detection unit (leakage amount detection step) S11 Leak height position-flow rate difference ratio correlation memory section S12 Leak height position detection unit (leak height position detection step)

Claims

1. A method for detecting a height position of a leaking fluid flowing from a pipeline in a vertical direction when a fluid is supplied from the lower end of each pipeline through a common header into the pipelines arranged in a vertical direction and the fluid flowing from the lower to upper end of each pipeline is collected from the upper end of each pipeline, the method comprising: a supply flow rate detecting step of detecting a flow rate of the fluid supplied to each of the pipelines; a discharge flow rate detecting step of detecting a flow rate of the fluid discharged from each of the pipelines; a steady-state supply flow rate value detection step of detecting a steady-state flow rate value of the supply fluid in a state where there is no leakage of the fluid from the pipeline; a steady-state discharge flow rate value detection step of detecting a steady-state flow rate value of the discharged fluid in a state where there is no leakage of the fluid from the pipeline; a supply flow rate value detection step in which a flow rate value of the supply fluid at the time of leakage is detected in a state in which the fluid is leaking from the pipeline; a leakage discharge flow rate value detection step of detecting a flow rate value of the discharged fluid when the fluid is leaking from the pipeline; a supply flow rate difference detection step of detecting a difference in flow rate of the supply fluid between the flow rate value of the supply fluid in the steady state and the flow rate value of the supply fluid in the leak state; a discharge flow rate difference detection step of detecting a difference in flow rate of the discharged fluid between the flow rate value of the discharged fluid in the steady state and the flow rate value of the discharged fluid in the leak state; a flow rate difference ratio detection step of detecting a flow rate difference ratio of the fluid between the flow rate difference of the supply fluid and the flow rate difference of the discharge fluid; and a leakage height position detection step of detecting the height position of the fluid leaking from the detected flow rate difference ratio based on a correlation between the flow rate difference ratio of the supply fluid and the discharge fluid stored in advance and the leakage height position of the fluid.

2. the correlation is stored for each leakage amount of fluid obtained from the flow rate difference of the supply fluid and the flow rate difference of the discharge fluid; detecting a leakage amount of fluid from the pipeline based on a difference in flow rate between the supply fluid and the discharge fluid; 2. The leakage height position detection method according to claim 1, wherein the leakage height position detection step detects the height position of the fluid leaking from the detected leakage amount based on the correlation.

3. 3. The leakage height position detection method according to claim 1, wherein the pipeline is a cooling pipe for cooling a cooling stave of a blast furnace.

4. A device for detecting the height position of a leaking fluid flowing from a plurality of pipelines arranged in a vertical direction, in which a fluid is supplied from the lower end of each pipeline through a common header and the fluid flowing from the bottom to the top of each pipeline is collected from the top end of each pipeline, the device comprising: a supply flow rate detection unit that detects the flow rate of the fluid supplied to each of the pipelines; a discharge flow rate detection unit that detects the flow rate of the fluid discharged from each of the pipelines; a steady-state supply flow rate value detection unit that detects a steady-state flow rate value of the supply fluid in a state where there is no leakage of the fluid from the pipeline; a steady-state discharge flow rate value detection unit that detects a steady-state flow rate value of the discharged fluid in a state where there is no leakage of the fluid from the pipeline; a supply flow rate value detection unit during leakage that detects a flow rate value of the supply fluid during leakage when the fluid is leaking from the pipeline; a leakage discharge flow rate value detection unit that detects a flow rate value of the discharged fluid when the fluid is leaking from the pipeline; a supply flow rate difference detection unit that detects a difference in flow rate of the supply fluid between a flow rate value of the supply fluid in the steady state and a flow rate value of the supply fluid in the leak state; a discharge flow rate difference detection unit that detects a difference in flow rate of the discharged fluid between a flow rate value of the discharged fluid in the steady state and a flow rate value of the discharged fluid in the leak state; a flow rate difference ratio detection unit that detects a flow rate difference ratio of the fluid between the flow rate difference of the supply fluid and the flow rate difference of the discharge fluid; a leakage height position-flow rate difference ratio correlation storage unit that stores a correlation between the flow rate difference ratio of the supply fluid and the discharge fluid and the leakage height position of the fluid; a leakage height position detection unit that detects the height position of the fluid leaking from the detected flow rate difference ratio based on the correlation.

5. a leakage amount detection unit that detects the amount of fluid leakage from the pipeline based on a flow rate difference between the supply fluid and the discharge fluid; the correlation storage unit stores a correlation between a flow rate difference ratio between the supply fluid and the discharge fluid and a leakage height position of the fluid for each leakage amount detected by the leakage amount detection unit; The leakage height position detection device according to claim 4 , wherein the leakage height position detection unit detects the height position of the fluid leaking from the detected leakage amount based on a correlation between the leakage amounts.

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