MOBILE TANK FOR A HEAT EXCHANGE LIQUID BATH AND INSTALLATION COMPRISING SAID TANK
Patent Information
- Application Number
- MX2022001670
- Authority / Receiving Office
- MX · MX
- Patent Type
- Patents
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Priority Date
- 2019-08-07
- Filing Date
- 2022-02-08
- Publication Date
- 2026-02-25
- Estimated Expiration
- 2040-07-30
AI Technical Summary
Existing heat exchange liquid baths for elongated metal articles, such as wires, struggle with inflexible positioning and complex liquid circulation, leading to unwanted bending and inefficient temperature control during processing.
A mobile overflow tank with a fixed circulation system outside the tank, allowing adjustable positioning and flexible liquid circulation, ensuring the tank remains autonomous and does not obstruct the movement of elongated articles, with adjustable dams and compartments for precise temperature control.
Enables flexible and efficient heat exchange processing of elongated metal articles without bending, allowing precise temperature adjustments and independent processing of multiple articles simultaneously, enhancing production flexibility and efficiency.
Smart Images
Figure MX431427B0
Abstract
Description
MOBILE TANK FOR A HEAT EXCHANGE LIQUID BATH AND INSTALLATION COMPRISING SAID TANK The present invention relates to a mobile tank for a heat exchange liquid bath in which at least one elongated metal article moves submerged in a direction of movement, said tank comprising a bottom, side walls parallel to said direction of movement, and between these side walls at least one upstream dike and at least one downstream dike over which the heat exchange liquid overflows into the same container below the mobile tank and between which at least one elongated metal article moves, as well as an inlet for the heat exchange liquid, this tank being movably supported on guide means parallel to said direction of movement (see for example utility model CN 201459188). The invention also relates to an installation comprising at least one such tank and its use. In the field of metallurgy of elongated metal articles, such as wires, strips, rods, tubes or similar, it is common to have to process these articles by immersing them in a liquid bath, either to heat or to cool them. This is particularly the case when patenting steel wires. It is well known that wires with an austenitic structure are quenched at the furnace exit to obtain a pearlitic structure. The rapid quenching device is permanently positioned at this furnace exit, and the wires are quenched in a quenching bath. The coolant can be liquid. Liquid lead, which has been used for a long time, is now increasingly being replaced by water or, preferably, by certain polymer solutions. After the rapid cooling, the change in the crystalline structure that occurs is exothermic, requiring cooling or several successive steps of controlled cooling to reach the appropriate temperature and obtain a product with a suitable microstructure. To achieve this, once the wires are removed from the blast-quenching bath, they are immersed in another blast-quenching bath, the length of which can be adjusted according to the wire diameter and the desired tensile strength (see WO 2018 / 130499). Between these two static baths, described very schematically, the wires pass through an air gap where they are repeatedly twisted in an undesirable way. In utility model CN 204676127U, a second tray mounted on wheels is provided after the blast cooling tray, which can therefore be positioned at a variable distance from the blast cooling tray. The installation is described very briefly in this document. The supply of refrigerant to the trays, or its circulation, is neither provided for nor even suggested. In utility model CN201459188, coolant is supplied to a mobile overflow tank from an underlying bucket through a complex fixed device located outside this underlying bucket. Patent application CN102864298 briefly provides an underlying basin, in which a first tank is fixedly mounted and a second tank is fixedly mounted on a IVIA / I IUO intermediate tank arranged movably in the underlying basin. The liquid in the first tank is supplied directly from the underlying basin and overflows from this tank directly into it. The liquid in the second tank is fed directly from the intermediate tank and at least partially overflows into it. The liquid supply to the intermediate tank is not described. The present invention aims to provide a movable overflow tank for a heat exchange fluid bath, enabling the processing of an elongated metal article moving within a fluid. The tank's position can be adjusted at any time to precisely modify the fluid temperature, easily and economically. A primary objective of the invention is to provide a simple, efficient, and economical solution for circulating heat exchange fluid between the underlying basin and this movable tank. The invention also aims to enable the processing of several different elongated metal articles moving in parallel, simply by means of heat exchange. To solve this problem, the invention provides a mobile tank as described in the preamble, which further includes a liquid circulation system fixedly attached to the outside thereof, so that it is fully mobile within the underlying basin and arranged to supply heat exchange liquid present in the underlying basin directly to the heat exchange liquid inlet of the mobile tank. According to the invention, heat exchange fluid means a coolant or heating fluid that performs a temperature exchange with the moving elongated metal article. According to the invention, elongated metal articles are understood to be all metal articles with a small cross-section and, in particular, wires, strips, rods, tubes and the like. By mounting the circulation system on the outside of the mobile tank and allowing it to move freely within the underlying basin, the overflow tank becomes self-contained and its position can be adjusted with maximum flexibility above the underlying basin. All the necessary components for the tank's operation remain with it in any position, and the fluid flow relationship between the underlying basin and the tank is significantly simplified. Furthermore, the circulation system's position does not occupy any of the tank space required for processing the flow of elongated items. According to one embodiment, the circulation system comprises a propellant body having a lower end opening into the heat exchange fluid in the underlying basin and an upper end attached to the tank, on the outside thereof; a rotary motor disposed at the upper end of the propellant body; and a propeller disposed within the lower end of the propellant body and rotated by the rotary motor to propel the heat exchange fluid upwards from the underlying basin in which it is submerged. A liquid connection is also established between the propellant body and the inlet of the heat exchange fluid tank. The propellant body can thus take the form of a tube fixed laterally to the tank and capable of propelling the heat exchange fluid from the underlying basin immediately below the tank upwards into the tank. According to a particular embodiment of the invention, said guiding means are rails and the tank is ML / I IUO provided with rolling or sliding means, capable of cooperating with said rails to allow the tank to move on these rails. These rails can span the entire length of the underlying basin, thus allowing the tank to move along its entire length. According to one embodiment of the invention, the tank is provided with a handle, either on the tank itself or on the circulation system, for example. In this way, the tank's position in the direction of travel can be easily changed simply by pushing or pulling. This movement can also be controlled by a motor. The tank, as mentioned previously, is equipped with upstream and downstream dikes. This is an overflow tank. According to a particular embodiment of the invention, at least one upstream dike and at least one downstream dike are arranged at an adjustable distance from each other. This allows the length of the tank bath to be adjusted. The tank can not only be precisely positioned along the path of the elongated metal articles, but the duration of heat exchange within the tank can also be adjusted. Such adjustments are important depending on the articles being processed, particularly their cross-section. According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the tank is divided into compartments separated by longitudinal partitions parallel to the direction of travel, and each compartment has an independently movable upstream and / or downstream dam. Only the downstream dam or only the upstream dam of the compartment may be considered movable, or both may be movable simultaneously. This arrangement allows wires of different cross-sections to be processed differently as they move side by side within the same tank. The invention also relates to an installation for heat exchange between movable elongated metal articles and a heat exchange fluid, comprising at least one tank according to the invention. This installation may comprise several such tanks supported on the same underlying basin by the same guide rails, in a mobile and independent manner. These tanks can successively receive the same elongated metal articles, thus allowing for their staggered cooling or heating. According to an advantageous embodiment of the installation, it comprises several parallel guide means, each of which supports, on the same underlying tray, at least one of said tanks in a movable and independent manner. Depending on the products to be obtained and the cross-section of the elongated metal articles moving simultaneously, it should be possible to process them at different positions along the path and for different durations, while optionally at different speeds, which is made possible by this embodiment according to the invention. An installation may also be provided comprising several successive underlying basins on each of which at least one of the aforementioned tanks is independently and movably supported, particularly when the heat exchange fluid needs to be changed during the process, for example to give rise to an aqueous bath and then to a solution bath ΜΛ / t / ZUZZ / UÓ Ί 1UO polymer. As can be seen, the arrangement of a tank and its succession allows the elongated metal items to move without flexing along the heat exchange. The invention also relates to the use of an installation according to the invention for the controlled cooling or controlled heating of such movable elongated metal articles. It can be used in particular for cooling after reheating during the patenting of steel wires, during the rapid cooling stage, or for cooling or heating them at any precise time and for a precise duration during their processing. Other details and features of the invention will be revealed in the accompanying drawings which show, without limitation, examples of tanks and installations according to the invention. Figure 1 shows a transparent, perspective view of a mobile tank according to the invention. Figure 2 shows a perspective view of the same tank arranged in an underlying pond. Figure 3 shows a cross-sectional view along line lll-lll of Figure 2. Figure 4 shows a perspective view of an embodiment of the mobile tank according to the invention. Figure 5 shows a top view of a particular embodiment of the installation according to the invention. In the following description, elongated metal items are referred to as wires for the sake of simplicity. The tank 1 for a heat exchanger liquid bath according to the invention, shown in Figures 1 to 3, comprises a bottom 2 and two side walls 3 and 4 parallel to the direction 5 of travel of the wires 19. In the example shown, wall 3 is also provided with a flange 21. At the entrance of the wires to the tank, an upstream dam 6 is provided, in the example shown in the form of a cylinder, upon which the moving wire(s) rest. A downstream dam 7 is provided at a certain distance from the upstream dam 6, in this example represented as a triangular cross-section element, upon which the moving wire(s) rest. The heat exchange fluid is contained in tank 1 between the dams, above which it overflows into the upstream and downstream dams, as shown by the arrows in Figure 3. The tank according to the invention is an overflow tank. The level of the heat exchange liquid 16 present in tank 1 is shown symbolically in Figure 3. The wires 19, which move between the dams 6 and 7, pass into tank 1 without bending, in a submerged state, allowing a heat exchange of heating or cooling between the liquid and the wires in the distance between these upstream and downstream dams. In the example shown, tank 1 is equipped with wheels 8 that allow it to be supported movably on guide rails parallel to the direction of travel 5 of the wires. Here, the guide rails consist of rails 9 arranged in a tray 10 beneath tank 1. ivia / t / zuzz / uo 11 uo The heat exchange fluid that overflows from the upstream 6 and downstream 7 dams is collected directly into the underlying basin 10. This is provided with a clean-flow heat exchanger, not shown, which allows the fluid in this basin to be kept at a predetermined constant temperature. An inlet 11 is provided to supply the heat exchange fluid to the tank, in the case shown, on the side wall 3 of the tank. A circulation system 12 is fixedly attached to the mobile tank 1 on its exterior. Therefore, it is fully mobile with it, inside the underlying basin 10. All elements of this circulation system 12 move with the mobile tank when its position on the guide rails 9 is changed. Therefore, the tank is completely self-contained. The circulation system 12 supplies the heat exchange fluid to the inlet 11 directly from the underlying basin 10. In the example shown, the circulation system 12 comprises a propellant body 13 with a lower end opening into the heat exchange fluid in the underlying basin 10 (see Figure 3, where the heat exchange fluid level 20 is symbolically shown). At its upper end, the propellant body 13 supports a rotary motor 14 that spins a propeller 15 arranged within the lower end of the propellant body 13. As the arrows in Figure 3 show, the rotating propeller 15 draws the heat exchange fluid upward from the underlying basin in which it is immersed, thus providing fluid communication 17 between the propellant body 13 and the inlet 11 of tank 1. The tank may be provided with at least one handle, as shown by 23 in Figure 4, which allows the tank 1 to be moved manually on the guide rails 9. In the example shown in Figures 1 to 3, the downstream dam 7 is movably positioned relative to the upstream dam 6. A frame 18 extends across the center of tank 1 and allows the downstream dam 7 to be positioned in an adjustable manner, for example, close to the upstream dam 6, as shown in Figure 2, or further upstream from this dam 6, as shown in Figures 1 and 3. This arrangement allows the bath length to be adjusted according to the wires being processed and the desired product properties. A tank in which the upstream dam is movable but not the downstream dam, or even in which all the dams are movable relative to each other to adjust the bath length, can also be considered. In the example shown in Figure 4, tank 1 is divided into three longitudinal compartments separated by longitudinal partitions 24, which are parallel to the direction of wire movement 5. Each compartment contains an independent downstream dam 7, adjustable on a frame 18. In this way, several wires can be submerged in the heat exchange fluid in different bath lengths within the same tank. In the example shown, the wires moving through the compartment on the left are immersed in a longer bath than the wires moving through the other two compartments. Alternatively, each compartment can be considered to have an independent upstream dam, optionally adjustable in its position relative to the downstream dam. ivia / t / zuzz / uo 11 uo In the example of the installation according to the invention shown in Figure 5, a network of 4 parallel wires 19 and 19' moves over an underlying tray 10. Above this single underlying tray 10, two tanks 1 and 1' are provided so that they can move independently according to the invention. These two tanks are movably guided on guide means 9 and 9' that are parallel to each other and to the direction of travel 5. These two tanks have identical elements. The one on the left includes the references used in Figures 1 to 4, and the one on the right has the same references with a prime symbol. As can be seen in this example embodiment, tanks 1 and 1' have been moved on the guide rails so that wires 19 and 19' are processed by the heat exchange fluid as they move to a different location in tank 10. Furthermore, the distance between dam 7 and dam 6 is greater in tank 1 than the distance between dam 7' and dam 6' in tank 1. If wires 19 and 19' travel at the same speed in both tanks, wire 19 is processed later than wire 19', and the processing time is longer in tank 1 than in tank 1'. However, thanks to the flexible and adjustable positioning of the tanks relative to each other and the modifiable arrangement of the distance between the upstream and downstream dams of the two tanks, it is possible to provide the same or different processing, for the same or different duration, for wires traveling at the same or different speeds. The provided installation is therefore very flexible and allows for a great deal of variation in the processing of mobile wires, while at the same time being particularly simple to operate with particularly autonomous mobile tanks. It should be understood that the present invention is in no way limited to the embodiments described above and that many modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the claims. For example, wires 19 or 19' can be considered to be processed by several successive tanks on the same underlying tub 10, these tanks being arranged in succession on the same guide means and movably independent. It is also possible to arrange several underlying tanks one after the other, with at least one tank, according to the invention, movably positioned above each of these tanks. Such an arrangement is advantageous if the wires are to be processed using several different heat exchange fluids. As can be seen from the above description, the processed wires move through the tanks according to the invention and between them without undergoing any bending, which is particularly advantageous.
Claims
1. A movable tank (1, 1j) for a heat exchange fluid bath in which at least one elongated metal article (19, 19j) moves submerged along a displacement direction (5); - comprising a bottom (2), side walls (3, 4) parallel to said displacement direction (5), and between these side walls at least one upstream dam (6, 6j) and at least one downstream dam (7, 7j) over which the heat exchange fluid overflows directly into a single basin (10) below the movable tank and between which at least one said elongated metal article flows, as well as an inlet (11) for the heat exchange fluid; - this movable tank (1, 1j) being movably supported on guide means (9, 9j) parallel to said displacement direction;- characterized in that the mobile tank further includes a liquid circulation system (12, 12j) fixedly attached to the outside thereof, so that it is completely mobile within the underlying basin and arranged to supply the heat exchange liquid in the underlying basin (10) directly to said heat exchange liquid inlet (11).; 2. Mobile tank according to claim 1, characterized in that said circulation system (12, 12j) comprises: - a propulsion body (13) having a lower end opening towards the heat exchange fluid of the underlying basin (10) and an upper end attached to the tank on the outside thereof; - a rotary motor (14) disposed at the upper end of the propulsion body (13); - a propeller (15) disposed within the lower end of the propulsion body and rotated by the rotary motor, to propel the heat exchange fluid upwards from the underlying basin in which it is submerged; and a liquid communication (17) between the propulsion body (13) and said inlet (11) of the tank for the heat exchange fluid.
3. Mobile tank according to any of claims 1 and 2, characterized in that said guiding means (9 and 9j) are rails and said tank is provided with rolling (8, 8j) or sliding means, which allow the movement of the mobile tank on these rails.
4. Mobile tank according to any of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that it is provided with at least one handle (23) that allows the tank to be moved manually on the guiding means.
5. Mobile tank according to any of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that at least one said upstream dam (6, 6j) and at least one said downstream dam (7, 7j) are arranged at an adjustable distance from each other, to allow the bath to vary in length.
6. Mobile tank according to claim 5, characterized in that it is divided into compartments separated by longitudinal partitions (24) parallel to the direction of displacement (5) and each compartment has said upstream dam independently movable (6, 6j) and / or said downstream dam (7, 7j).
7. Mobile tank according to any of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that at least one MA / t / ZUZZ / UÓ Ί 1UO said elongated metal article moves in said tank between at least one said upstream dam and at least one said downstream dam without undergoing bending.
8. Tank according to any of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that at least one of said elongated metal article is selected from the group consisting of metal wires, strips, tubes and rods.
9. Installation for heat exchange between movable elongated metal articles and a heat exchange fluid, comprising at least one movable tank according to any of claims 1 to 8.
10. Installation according to claim 9, characterized in that it comprises several of said mobile tanks (1, 1 j) supported on the same underlying basin (10) on the same guide means, in a mobile and independent manner.
11. Installation according to claim 9, characterized in that it comprises several parallel guide means, each of which supports, above the same underlying basin, at least one of said movable tanks in an independently movable manner.
12. Installation according to claim 9, characterized in that it comprises several successive underlying basins on which at least one of said mobile tanks is supported in an independently mobile manner.
13. Installation according to any of claims 9 to 12, characterized in that at least one of said elongated metal article moves in each tank and between each tank in said direction of movement, without undergoing bending.
14. Use of an installation according to any of claims 9 to 13, for controlled cooling or for controlled heating of said movable elongated metal articles.