Molten material removal device for blast furnace tap hole

Abstract

The present embodiments provides a molten material removal device for a blast furnace tap hole, the device being used to remove molten material that has solidified around the blast furnace tap hole during blast furnace tapping, and comprising: a mobile object that can move; a manipulator that is installed on the mobile object and includes two or more linear or rotary actuators, and performs various motions; a work tool installed on the manipulator and including two grippers that are opened or closed by one of the actuators of the manipulator; and a wheel drive device that is installed below the mobile object and moves the mobile object by rotating wheels.

Description

A device for removing molten material from a furnace outlet

[0001] The present embodiments relate to a blast furnace tap hole molten material removal device that removes molten material that has been scattered during a blast furnace tapping operation and has solidified by accumulating around the tap hole.

[0002] The iron making process is a process of sequentially charging iron ore, coke, and auxiliary materials into a blast furnace (10), and melting the iron ore to produce molten iron (40) by blowing hot air through a tuyere to react with the coke. It usually takes 5 to 6 hours for the iron ore to melt and become molten iron (40), and the temperature of the molten iron (40) is approximately 1,500°C. When the molten iron (400) produced inside the blast furnace (10) rises above a certain level, a hole is made in the tapping port (30) using an air blower to discharge the molten iron (40) outside the blast furnace. This process is called the tapping process. As tapping progresses, the molten iron level inside the blast furnace (10) decreases, and when it falls below a certain level, the tapping port (30) is blocked using a mud gun to seal it so that the molten iron is no longer discharged.

[0003] Meanwhile, the molten iron (30) discharged from the tap hole (30) flows through the large hot water tank (50) as shown in Fig. 1 and is received by the torpedo car. During the tapping operation, molten iron (60) is generated not only around the surface of the tap hole (30) but also on the bottom between the tap hole (30) and the large hot water tank (500), and this is called molten iron. The molten iron (60) generated around the surface of the tap hole (30) and on the bottom (70, 80) prevents the adhesion between the mud gun and the tap hole (30) when the tap hole (30) is closed with a mud gun (not shown) at the time of completion of tapping, thereby causing the tap hole (30) to be closed poorly, resulting in instability of the blast furnace (10) and a huge loss in production.

[0004] Accordingly, the tapping hole worker must remove the molten material (60) generated while the molten iron (40) is being discharged, but this is usually done manually using a long iron bar around the tapping hole (30). During the work, especially in the case of the molten material (60) that has hardened and adhered to the bottom surface (70, 80) between the tapping hole (30) and the molten iron bath (50), the molten material (60) is lifted from the bottom surface (70, 80) using a long iron bar, separated, and then pushed out to the molten iron bath (50) to melt the molten material (60) into the molten iron (40) and remove it. However, in the process of lifting the molten material (60), the molten material (60) may come into contact with the molten iron, causing the molten iron to fly, which may result in burns to the worker. In addition, if the size of the molten material (60) is large or completely fixed to the floor surface (70, 80), a lot of force is required during manual work, which may cause musculoskeletal disorders in the worker.

[0005] The present embodiments provide a blast furnace tap hole molten material removal device capable of removing molten material generated not only on the bottom surface of the tap hole but also around the tap hole surface during a blast furnace tapping operation, capable of performing the molten material removal operation for multiple tap holes with one system, and ensuring the safety of workers from molten metal flying by remotely operating the device from the operator's room without the operator having to move near the tap hole during the operation.

[0006] In one aspect, the present embodiments may provide a blast furnace tap hole melt removal device for removing melt solidified around a blast furnace tap hole during a blast furnace tapping operation, the device including a movable moving body, a manipulator installed on the moving body and including two or more linear or rotary actuators to perform various motions, a work tool installed on the manipulator and including two tongs that are opened or closed by one of the actuators of the manipulator, and two or more wheel driving devices installed on the lower part of the moving body and moving the moving body by rotation of the wheel.

[0007] According to the blast furnace outlet molten metal removal device according to the present embodiments, the molten metal removal work that was performed manually by a worker around the outlet can be performed by remotely operating the molten metal removal device in a safe place far from the outlet, such as a blast furnace operator's room, so that not only can the worker be protected from molten metal flying away, but also musculoskeletal disorders caused by high-load work during large-scale molten metal removal work can be prevented.

[0008] Figure 1 illustrates the environment surrounding the departure port.

[0009] Figure 2 is a perspective view of the exterior of a blast furnace outlet molten material removal device according to one embodiment.

[0010] Figure 3 is an internal perspective view of the furnace outlet molten material removal device of Figure 2.

[0011] Fig. 4 is a configuration diagram of a melt removal system including a melt removal device from a blast furnace outlet of Fig. 2.

[0012] Fig. 5 is a configuration diagram of the wheel drive device of Fig. 2.

[0013] Figure 6 is a conceptual diagram of a method for removing molten material from the left and right outlets using the molten material removal device of the blast furnace outlet of Figure 2.

[0014] Fig. 7 is a structural diagram of the manipulator and work tool of Fig. 2.

[0015] Figures 8 to 10 are structural diagrams of the working tool of Figure 2.

[0016] Figure 11 illustrates the operating principle of the working tool of Figure 2.

[0017] Fig. 12 illustrates the cooling system of the melt removal device of the blast furnace outlet of Fig. 2.

[0018] Hereinafter, some embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to exemplary drawings. When adding reference numerals to components in each drawing, identical components may have the same numerals as much as possible even if they are shown in different drawings. In addition, when describing the present embodiments, if it is determined that a detailed description of a related known configuration or function may obscure the gist of the technical idea of ​​the present invention, the detailed description may be omitted. When "includes," "has," "consists of," etc. are used in this specification, other parts may be added unless "only" is used. When a component is expressed in the singular, it may include a case in which the plural is included unless specifically stated otherwise.

[0019] Additionally, terms such as first, second, A, B, (a), (b), etc. may be used to describe components of the present disclosure. These terms are only intended to distinguish the components from other components, and the nature, order, sequence, or number of the components are not limited by the terms.

[0020] In a description of the positional relationship of components, when it is described that two or more components are "connected," "combined," or "connected," it should be understood that the two or more components may be directly "connected," "combined," or "connected," but that the two or more components may also be further "interposed" with another component to be "connected," "combined," or "connected." Here, the other component may be included in one or more of the two or more components that are "connected," "combined," or "connected" to each other.

[0021] In the description of the temporal flow relationship related to components, operation methods, or manufacturing methods, for example, when the temporal or flow relationship is described as “after”, “following”, “next to”, “before”, etc., it may also include cases where it is not continuous, unless “immediately” or “directly” is used.

[0022] Meanwhile, when numerical values ​​or corresponding information (e.g., levels, etc.) for components are mentioned, even without separate explicit description, the numerical values ​​or corresponding information may be interpreted as including an error range that may occur due to various factors (e.g., process factors, internal or external impact, noise, etc.).

[0023] The embodiments are described in detail with reference to the drawings below.

[0024] Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the exterior of a blast furnace outlet melt removal device according to one embodiment. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the interior of the blast furnace outlet melt removal device of Fig. 2.

[0025] Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, a blast furnace outlet molten material removal device (100) according to one embodiment is a blast furnace outlet molten material removal device that removes molten material (60) solidified around the blast furnace outlet during a blast furnace outlet operation.

[0026] A device (100) for removing molten material from a blast furnace outlet according to one embodiment includes a movable moving body (110), a manipulator (120) installed on the moving body (110) and performing various motions, a work tool (130) installed on the manipulator (120) and including two tongs (131, 132 in FIG. 9) that open or close, and two or more wheel driving devices (150) installed on the lower portion of the moving body (110) and moving the moving body (100).

[0027] A blast furnace outlet melt removal device (100) according to one embodiment may further include one or more cameras (140) that photograph the work of removing the solidified melt (60) around the blast furnace outlet (30) by the work tool (130), and a communication device, for example, a wired or wireless communication device (142), that transmits images acquired from the cameras (140) to a remote operation and monitoring system (200) and receives operation and work commands from the remote operation and monitoring system (200).

[0028] According to one embodiment, a blast furnace outlet melt removal device (100) includes a motor (170) and a controller (180) required to operate a moving body (110), a manipulator (120), a work tool (130), a wheel drive device (150), and an air-cooled cooler (172).

[0029] According to one embodiment, a device (100) for removing molten material from a blast furnace outlet has a structure in which a manipulator (120) is mounted on a moving body (110) and a molten material removal tool (130) is coupled to an end effector (160) of the manipulator (120), so that not only the molten material (60) formed at the outlet joint part (80) but also the molten material (60) formed around the surface of the outlet (30) can be easily removed, and as described below with reference to FIG. 6, molten material removal for a plurality of outlets (30) is possible with one device.

[0030] In addition, the blast furnace outlet molten material removal device (100) according to one embodiment is equipped with a camera (140), for example, a stereo vision camera, on a moving body (110) to transmit the operation of the manipulator (120) and the current removal operation status to the operator's room by wire or wirelessly, and is operated in combination with a three-dimensional display device (260) such as a head mounted display (HMD), augmented reality (AR) glasses, or 3D TV connected by wire or wirelessly to a computer (250), thereby providing the operator with three-dimensional image information so that the operator can perform the operation safely even from a distance.

[0031] Fig. 4 is a configuration diagram of a melt removal system including a melt removal device from a blast furnace outlet of Fig. 2.

[0032] Referring to FIG. 4, the mobile melt removal system (300) is composed of the blast furnace outlet melt removal device (100) of FIG. 2 and the remote control and monitoring system (200). The mobile melt removal system (300) is equipped with a haptic controller (220) in addition to a wireless controller (210) so as to increase work efficiency by easily and safely controlling the manipulator (120) during work, and can check through touch whether the work tool (130) has come into contact with the melt or collided with the splash cover while the work tool (130) is moving, thereby increasing safety for remote work.

[0033] Meanwhile, a blast furnace outlet molten metal removal device (100) according to one embodiment needs to protect the device from radiant heat emitted from the molten metal and flying molten metal in order to perform molten metal removal work during the outlet, and for this purpose, it includes not only surface insulation but also a cooling function for the insulating oil used to cool the hydraulic operating fluid and important parts of the device.

[0034] The furnace outlet molten material removal device (100) of FIG. 2 is a mechanical device for directly performing molten material removal work on site, and the remote operation and monitoring system (200) is a system for operation and work monitoring so that an operator can safely perform the removal work from a distance.

[0035] As a remote control device, a wireless controller (210) and a haptic controller (220) are used. The wireless controller (210) is used near the exit, and the haptic controller (220) that enables intuitive operation and force feedback is used in an environment such as a driver's cabin far from the exit, thereby increasing work efficiency and safety. For remote monitoring, a 3D image acquired from a stereo vision camera (140) is wirelessly transmitted through a wireless communication device (240) or a wired communication device based on a known wireless communication standard such as WIFI, LTE, NR, or Bluetooth, and a 3D monitoring device (230) such as an HMD, AR glasses, or 3D TV is used so that the worker can view the image in 3D.

[0036] Therefore, the device (100) for removing molten material from a discharge port includes a moving body (110), a manipulator (120), and a work tool (130) as described above. The moving body (110) provides a means for moving and supporting the manipulator (120) that performs work. The moving body (110) may adopt a caterpillar or wheel structure for driving, but when the space around the discharge port is narrow, adopting a wheel structure may be advantageous.

[0037] Fig. 5 is a configuration diagram of the wheel drive device of Fig. 2.

[0038] Referring to FIG. 5, two or more wheel drive devices (150) are adopted so that the blast furnace outlet melt removal device (100) of FIG. 2 can move and rotate freely in the narrow space around the outlet (30). The two or more wheel drive devices (150) are installed at the bottom of the moving body (110) and can move the moving body (110) by the rotation of the driving wheel (156).

[0039] For each wheel drive device (150), a steering actuator (151), a steering servo valve (152), a driving motor (153) mounted on a steering frame (155), and a steering encoder (154) are installed to drive the drive wheel (156).

[0040] Independent steering of each wheel drive unit (150) is possible through the steering servo valve (152) and steering encoder (154) installed in each wheel drive unit (150), and driving direction change, grab mode driving, and in-place rotation are possible, enabling the robot to be moved effectively even in narrow spaces.

[0041] Figure 6 is a conceptual diagram of a method for removing molten material from the left and right outlets using the molten material removal device of the blast furnace outlet of Figure 2.

[0042] As shown in FIG. 6, the shape of the moving body (110) of the blast furnace outlet melt removal device (100) of FIG. 2 may have a square structure so that the melt (60) can be removed from a plurality of outlets (30) with one blast furnace outlet melt removal device (100).

[0043] The manipulator (120) is installed at a point where two surfaces intersect on the moving body (110), the number of cameras (140) is two or more, and two or more cameras (140a, 140b) can be placed on the two surfaces where the manipulator (120) is placed.

[0044] In general, in the case of a large blast furnace, there are four outlets (30) and the outlets have a left-right symmetrical structure, so in order to remove the molten material (60) from the left outlet (30a) and the right outlet (30b) with one blast furnace outlet melt removal device (100), the position of the manipulator (120) is installed at the part where the A side and the B side of the moving body (110) intersect.

[0045] When working on the left outlet (30a), the A side of the moving body (120) and the manipulator (120) are positioned to face the left outlet (30a), and the molten material removal work is performed while viewing the image of camera A (140a). Conversely, when working on the right outlet (30b), the moving body (110) and the manipulator (120) are each rotated 90 degrees clockwise to position the B side and the manipulator (120) to face the right outlet (30b), and the molten material removal work is performed while viewing the image of camera B (140b). In summary, the square structure of the moving body (110), the 90-degree rotation function in place, the installation of the manipulator (120) at the location where the A and B sides intersect, and the two cameras (30a, 30b) enable the removal of molten material from four outlets (30) to be performed by one blast furnace outlet molten material removal device (100) of FIG. 2.

[0046] Figure 7 is a structural diagram of the manipulator and work tool of Figure 2.

[0047] Referring to FIG. 7, the manipulator (120) is preferably a multi-joint robot with at least three degrees of freedom, composed of an electric motor actuator or a hydraulic actuator, so as to easily perform the molten material removal operation.

[0048] For example, the manipulator (120) includes two or more linear or rotary hydraulic actuators (151 to 157), and at least one linear actuator (157) of the two or more linear or rotary hydraulic actuators (151 to 157) can open or close two grippers (131, 132) of the work tool (130).

[0049] For example, in order to remove large molten objects and in a high-temperature environment of a blast furnace outlet (30), a hydraulic 7-degree-of-freedom manipulator (120) can be used because it has higher durability and can generate greater force in a high-temperature environment compared to an electric motor type, and allows for various motions for removing molten objects.

[0050] The manipulator (120) is composed of a combination of linear and rotary hydraulic first to seventh actuators (151 to 157), and six degrees of freedom are degrees of freedom required to move or rotate the manipulator (120) and the work tool (130), and the remaining one degree of freedom is used to open or close the work tool (130), and the linear seventh actuator (157) is used. The first actuator (151) is used when changing the direction of the outlet in FIG. 6, and the second to sixth actuators (152 to 156) can be used to provide degrees of freedom in the up-down or left-right directions of the manipulator (120) as shown in FIG. 7.

[0051] Figures 8 to 10 are structural diagrams of the working tool of Figure 2. Figure 11 illustrates the operating principle of the working tool of Figure 2.

[0052] Referring to FIGS. 8 to 10, the work tool (130) has a clamp-type structure in which two clamps (131, 132) are interlocked, and is driven by a seventh linear actuator (157) installed in the manipulator (120) as a structure for effectively removing molten material or now (60) adhered to the bottom surface (70, 80).

[0053] As illustrated in FIG. 11, when the two grippers (131, 132) of the work tool (130) are inserted into the bottom surface (70) in a folded state with respect to the molten material (60) adhered to the bottom surface (70) and the linear actuator (157) is pushed, the two grippers (131, 132) of the work tool (130) are spread apart and the molten material (60) is easily separated from the bottom surface (70). Although not illustrated in the drawing, the molten material (60) that is not removed by driving only the work tool (130) and the linear seventh actuator (157) can be removed by additionally utilizing the driving force of the other first to sixth actuators (150 to 156). The molten material (60) separated from the bottom surface (70) is removed by pushing it toward the large bath (50) using the work tool (130).

[0054] Fig. 12 illustrates the cooling system of the melt removal device of the blast furnace outlet of Fig. 2.

[0055] Referring to FIG. 12, the blast furnace outlet molten metal removal device (100) of FIG. 2 has a radiation heat blocking and system cooling function that allows the durability of the system to be maintained against the radiation heat generated from the molten metal (40) during the discharge process and the molten metal flying caused by the contact between the molten metal (60) and the molten metal (40) during the molten metal removal process.

[0056] When removing molten material, the closer the part is to the molten metal, the more radiant heat it receives. In the case of the manipulator (120), the end effector (160) receives the greatest amount of radiant heat, so a circular radiant heat reflector (162) can be installed to protect the end effector (160).

[0057] In addition, in order to block radiant heat to the moving body (110) and the manipulator (120) and to protect the moving body (110) and the manipulator (120) from flying molten iron (40), a thin reflector (112) less than 1 mm, for example, a stainless steel reflector, is attached to the surface of the moving body (110) and the manipulator (120). In the case of flying molten iron (40), it falls to the floor surface (70) after hitting the stainless steel reflector (112), so it works more effectively than the method using a heat-resistant cloth.

[0058] In addition to the direct radiation heat blocking method, in order to protect the motor (170 or Mo, Mc), controller (180 or C1, C2), camera (140 in FIG. 3), air-cooled cooler (172), etc., shown in FIG. 3, from radiation heat, insulating oil (191) is circulated as shown in FIG. 12, and the insulating oil (191) is cooled by passing it through an air-cooled cooler (190) and then recirculated, thereby suppressing the temperature rise in important parts and enabling work in a high-temperature environment. Insulating oil (191) is circulated along two paths (191a, 191b) that circulate through the motor (170 or Mo, Mc), the controller (180 or C1, C2), the actuator controllers (A1, A2), and the end effect cooler (Ef) as shown in FIG. 12, but the paths (191a, 191b) are shown in a simplified manner, and in practice, the circulation of insulating oil (191) can be circulated to the locations of components requiring protection or locations that may affect the components.

[0059] In particular, the end effect cooler (Ef) blocks the heat conduction through the circulation of insulating oil at the part where the end effect (160) and the work tool (130) are connected to prevent the radiant heat received by the work tool (130) from being transferred to the end effect (160).

[0060] According to a blast furnace outlet molten metal removal device (100) according to one embodiment, a worker can perform the molten metal or metal removal work that was performed manually around the outlet (30) at a safe location far from the outlet (30), such as a blast furnace operator's room, by remotely operating the blast furnace molten metal removal device (100), so that the worker can be protected from molten metal flying away, and musculoskeletal disorders caused by high-load work during large-scale metal removal work can be prevented.

[0061] In addition, the device (100) for removing molten material from a blast furnace outlet according to one embodiment is configured to be durable even in a high-temperature environment around the outlet, and can solve durability problems and maintenance problems due to continuous exposure to a high-temperature environment caused by permanent installation of the device.

[0062] Although the embodiments have been described with reference to the above drawings, the present invention is not limited thereto.

[0063] For example, the blast furnace outlet molten material removal device (100) according to one embodiment is described as being configured to mount a camera (140), for example, a stereo vision camera, on a mobile body (110) to transmit the operation of the manipulator (120) and the current removal operation status to the driver's room by wire or wirelessly, so that the worker can safely perform the operation in the driver's room. However, the blast furnace outlet molten material removal device (100) according to one embodiment may not mount a camera (140), for example, a stereo vision camera, on the mobile body (110), and may also safely perform the operation in real time by using a wireless controller (220) through visual confirmation from a distance.

[0064] The above description is merely an illustrative example of the technical idea of ​​the present disclosure, and those skilled in the art to which the present disclosure pertains will appreciate that various modifications and variations can be made without departing from the essential characteristics of the technical idea of ​​the present disclosure. In addition, the present embodiments are not intended to limit the technical idea of ​​the present disclosure but rather to explain it, and therefore the scope of the technical idea of ​​the present disclosure is not limited by these embodiments. The scope of protection of the present disclosure should be interpreted by the claims below, and all technical ideas within a scope equivalent thereto should be interpreted as being included within the scope of the rights of the present disclosure.

[0065]

[0066] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

[0067] This patent application claims priority under 35 USC § 119(a) to Korean Patent Application No. 10-2023-0184110, filed December 18, 2023, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Furthermore, this patent application claims priority in countries other than the United States for the same reasons, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

Claims

1. A device for removing molten material from a blast furnace outlet to remove molten material that has solidified around the blast furnace outlet during the blast furnace outlet operation. Movable vehicle; A manipulator installed on the above-mentioned moving body and performing various motions including two or more linear or rotary actuators; A work tool installed on the manipulator and including two grippers that are opened or closed by one of the actuators of the manipulator; and A blast furnace outlet molten material removal device including two or more wheel drive devices installed at the lower part of the above-mentioned moving body and moving the moving body by rotation of wheel wheels.

2. In paragraph 1, One or more cameras for filming the operation of removing the molten material solidified around the blast furnace outlet by the above work tool; and A device for removing molten material from a blast furnace outlet, further comprising a communication device for transmitting images acquired from the camera to a remote operation and monitoring system and receiving operation and work commands from the remote operation and monitoring system.

3. In paragraph 1, The above two or more wheel drive devices are independently steerable, each including a steering servo valve and a steering encoder, and a melt removal device from a blast furnace outlet.

4. In paragraph 1, A device for removing molten material from a blast furnace outlet, wherein the manipulator is installed at a point where two surfaces of the moving body intersect, the number of cameras is two or more, and the two or more cameras are arranged on two surfaces where the manipulator is arranged.

5. In paragraph 1, A blast furnace outlet melt removal device, wherein the manipulator comprises two or more linear or rotary hydraulic actuators, and at least one linear actuator among the two or more linear or rotary hydraulic actuators spreads or retracts two grippers of the work tool.

6. In paragraph 5, A blast furnace outlet melt removal device, characterized in that the manipulator includes a linear actuator having one degree of freedom.

7. In paragraph 1, An end effector is additionally included, which is positioned between the manipulator and the work tool and includes a heat radiation reflector. The above moving body and the manipulator are devices for removing molten material from a blast furnace outlet, having a reflector attached to the surface.

8. In paragraph 1, A device for removing molten material from a blast furnace outlet, wherein the moving body further includes a cooling system that circulates insulating oil therein, cools the insulating oil by passing it through an air-cooled cooler, and then recirculates it.

9. In paragraph 8, An end effector is additionally included, which is positioned between the manipulator and the work tool and includes a heat radiation reflector. A blast furnace outlet molten material removal device further comprising an end effect cooler that blocks conductive heat through circulating insulating oil at a portion where the end effect and the work tool are combined to prevent the radiant heat received by the work tool from being transferred to the end effect.

10. In paragraph 1, The above moving body comprises a square structure, A device for removing molten material from a blast furnace outlet, characterized in that the above-mentioned moving body and the above-mentioned manipulator are rotated 90 degrees clockwise during operation.

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