Heating device

Abstract

The present invention enables an object that is to be heated to be heated easily to a high temperature. A processing device (12) is used to heat a heating target object (W) comprising powder or granular material by means of water plasma (J) injected from a water plasma generating device (11). A supply device is provided with an accommodating body (65) into which the water plasma flows and which accommodates the heating target object. The accommodating body is provided with a swirling flow generating unit (72) that converts the flow of the water plasma in the injection direction into a swirling flow to agitate the heating target object. The heating target object accommodated in the accommodating body is caused to swirl together with the water plasma by the swirling flow generating unit, allowing the heating target object to be heated while being agitated by the water plasma.

Description

heating device

[0001] The present invention relates to a heating device used for heating a granular or powdery object to be heated.

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a known apparatus for treating powdered waste. The apparatus includes a water arc plasma torch and a hopper that stores the waste and supplies it to the water arc plasma generated by the water arc plasma torch. The hopper is located above the waste treatment container and is adjacent to the water arc plasma torch. The hopper allows the waste to fall naturally from top to bottom, supplying the waste to the water arc plasma.

[0003] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-24902

[0004] In the device of Patent Document 1, waste is heat-treated by gravity dropping the waste and passing it through the water arc plasma, which shortens the time the waste is in contact with the high-temperature water arc plasma, making it difficult to sufficiently raise the temperature of the waste stored in the waste treatment container.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and an object of the present invention is to provide a heating device that can easily heat an object to a high temperature.

[0006] One embodiment of the heating device of the present invention is a heating device comprising: a processing device used to heat a powder or granular material to be heated with a high-temperature air current; and a heat source generator that injects the high-temperature air current into the processing device. The heat source generator is a water plasma generator that passes an arc discharge through a vortex water current to inject water plasma as the high-temperature air current. The water plasma generator comprises a chamber that forms the vortex water current with water supplied thereto and injects the water plasma from an injection port, and an anode and a cathode that generate an arc discharge that passes through the vortex water current in the chamber. The processing device comprises a container that accommodates the material to be heated and into which the water plasma injected from the injection port flows to heat the material to be heated, and an inlet path that is connected to the upstream side of the container in the injection direction of the water plasma and introduces the water plasma injected from the injection port into the container. The container is characterized in that it comprises a swirling flow generating unit that converts the flow in the injection direction into a swirling flow to agitate the material to be heated. Another aspect of the heating device of the present invention is a heating device comprising: a processing device used to heat a powder or granular material to be heated with a high-temperature air current; and a heat source generator that injects the high-temperature air current into the processing device. The heat source generator is a water plasma generator that injects water plasma as the high-temperature air current by passing an arc discharge through a vortex water current. The water plasma generator comprises a chamber that forms the vortex water current with water supplied thereto and injects the water plasma from an injection port, and an anode and a cathode that generate an arc discharge that passes through the vortex water current in the chamber. The processing device comprises a container that accommodates the material to be heated and into which the water plasma injected from the injection port flows to heat the material to be heated. The container comprises a swirling flow generating unit that converts the flow of the water plasma in the injection direction into a swirling flow and agitates the material to be heated. The swirling flow generating unit is formed so that its vertical width is greater than its width in the injection direction.

[0007] According to the present invention, the swirl flow generating unit swirls the object to be heated contained in the container together with the high-temperature airflow, and the object can be heated while being stirred by the high-temperature airflow. This allows the object to be heated continuously by the high-temperature airflow for a long period of time, and the object to be heated can be easily heated to a high temperature.

[0008] FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing a partial side cross section of a heating device of an embodiment; FIG. 2 is a side cross section of a chamber; FIG. 3 is a plan cross section of a chamber; FIG. 4 is a longitudinal cross section of a chamber; FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which water plasma is sprayed by a water plasma generating device; FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing an enlarged view of the processing device of FIG. 1 and its surrounding configuration; FIG. 7 is a schematic external perspective view of a processing device; FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram similar to FIG. 6 of a processing device according to a modified example; FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram similar to FIG. 6 of a processing device according to another modified example.

[0009] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that the configurations of the embodiments are not limited to those shown below and can be modified as appropriate. Also, for the sake of convenience, some configurations may be omitted in the following drawings. Note that in the following description, unless otherwise specified, "upper," "lower," "left," "right," "front," and "rear" refer to the directions indicated by arrows in each drawing. However, the orientation of each configuration in the following embodiments is merely an example and can be changed to any orientation.

[0010] 1 is a partial cross-sectional side view of a heating device according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the heating device 10 includes a water plasma generator 11, which serves as a heat source generator, a processing device 12, and a cooling vessel 14.

[0011] The water plasma generator 11 is supported at a predetermined height via a stand 15. The water plasma generator 11 is configured to include a cathode 16 extending forward and backward, a chamber 17 into which the rear end of the cathode 16 is inserted, a disk-shaped iron anode 18 provided diagonally downward and rearward outside the chamber 17, and an anode support 19 that supports the anode 18. In this embodiment, the water plasma generator 11 is supported by the stand 15 at an angle that is lowered toward the rear relative to a horizontal position.

[0012] The cathode 16 is formed from a round rod made of carbon, and can be displaced in the front-rear direction via a feed screw shaft mechanism 21 to adjust the amount of insertion into the chamber 17. The chamber 17 is supported above an anode support part 19 via a support plate 22. An extension cylinder 23 extending in the front-rear direction is connected to the front end of the anode support part 19, and a motor 24 is provided at the front end of the extension cylinder 23. The driving force of the motor 24 is transmitted to the anode 18 via the extension cylinder 23 and the anode support part 19, rotatably mounting the anode 18.

[0013] Cooling water is supplied to the interior of the chamber 17 via a supply pump 26, and water for plasma generation is supplied via a high-pressure pump 27. A portion of the water for plasma generation is sprayed from the rear end of the chamber 17 as water plasma J (see FIG. 5), which becomes a high-temperature airflow. The cooling water supplied to the chamber 17 and the water for plasma generation that is not sprayed are sucked in via a vacuum pump 28. In the anode support part 19, cooling water that flows inside the anode 18 is also supplied via the supply pump 26, and the cooling water that has absorbed heat in the anode 18 is sucked in via the vacuum pump 28. The detailed configuration of the chamber 17 will be described later.

[0014] A wall 30 is disposed behind the water plasma generator 11, and this wall 30 maintains airtightness between the space in which the water plasma generator 11 is installed and a processing space 31 in which gas generated by the water plasma J is processed. In the processing space 31, gasified cesium can be absorbed by water sprayed by a shower device (not shown in the figure) (please let us know if you have any requests for modifications). A cylindrical cooling vessel 14 is provided to penetrate the wall 30.

[0015] Next, the internal structure of the chamber 17 will be described with reference to Figures 2 to 4. Figure 2 is a side cross-sectional view of the chamber, Figure 3 is a plan cross-sectional view of the chamber, and Figure 4 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the chamber. In the description using Figures 2 to 5, the water plasma generator 11, which is tilted in Figure 1, will be assumed to be in a horizontal position with a central axis C1 (described later) parallel to the front-rear direction.

[0016] 2 and 3, the chamber 17 constituting the water plasma generator 11 includes a chamber body 40 forming a cylindrical inner circumferential surface extending in the front-to-rear direction, and a rear wall portion 41 attached to the rear of the chamber body 40, forming an internal space 42 therein for generating water plasma J. An opening communicating with the internal space 42 is formed in the rear wall portion 41, and an injection port forming body 44 is attached to close this opening from the rear.

[0017] The injection port forming body 44 is formed with an injection port 45 for injecting the water plasma J. The injection port 45 is formed in the shape of a round hole that penetrates the injection port forming body 44 and has a central axis oriented in the front-rear direction.

[0018] A circumferentially extending rib 40a is formed inside the chamber main body 40 near the rear, and a plasma water supply passage 47 is formed behind this rib 40a. A plasma water discharge passage 48 is also formed in the rear wall 41 to discharge the plasma water that flows into the opening of the passage. High-pressure plasma water is supplied to the plasma water supply passage 47 from the high-pressure pump 27, and the plasma water is sucked from the plasma water discharge passage 48 by the negative pressure of the vacuum pump 28. The plasma water is also used as cooling water. Specifically, the plasma water is not only used to generate the water plasma J, but also cools various components, including the nozzle formation body 44, along the path from the plasma water supply passage 47 to the plasma water discharge passage 48.

[0019] A cooling water supply channel 50 and a cooling water discharge channel 51 (not shown in FIG. 3 ) are formed in front of the rib 40 a of the chamber main body 40. Cooling water is supplied to the cooling water supply channel 50 from the supply pump 26, and the cooling water is sucked from the cooling water discharge channel 51 by the negative pressure of the vacuum pump 28. The plasma water supply channel 47, the cooling water supply channel 50, and the cooling water discharge channel 51 are formed in the shape of round holes that form the inner circumferential surface of a cylinder.

[0020] 4 , the water supply channel 47 for plasma generation communicates with the lower part of the internal space 42, which is circular in vertical cross section, and extends in the left-right direction. Specifically, the water supply channel 47 for plasma generation extends in the tangential direction of the lower part of the internal space 42. This allows the water for plasma generation flowing in from the water supply channel 47 for plasma generation to flow smoothly along the circumferential direction of the internal space 42.

[0021] The water plasma generator 11 includes a generally cylindrical vortex generator 60 housed in the chamber 17. The vortex generator 60 is disposed so that its central axis C1 coincides with the internal space 42. This central axis C1 also coincides with the central axis of the above-described jet nozzle 45. Therefore, the "central axis C1" with the reference symbol C1 will also be used in the description of the jet nozzle 45. In a vertical cross-sectional view, the internal space 42 forms a circular space between its inner circumferential surface and the outer circumferential surface of the vortex generator 60, and the water for plasma generation that flows into the internal space 42 as described above flows in a swirling manner within the circular space.

[0022] The vortex flow generator 60 has a plurality of passages 61 formed therethrough to communicate the inside and outside of the vortex flow generator 60. The passages 61 are formed at equal angular intervals (every 120° in this embodiment) around the circumference of the vortex flow generator 60. The passages 61 are also formed at predetermined intervals in the front-to-rear direction (see Figures 2 and 3). Each passage 61 extends in a direction inclined with respect to the thickness direction of the vortex flow generator 60. Specifically, each passage 61 extends in a tangent direction to the inner circumference of the vortex flow generator 60 at the communication position. The angle θ formed by the direction in which the plasma water flows from the outside to the inside of the passage 61 and the direction in which the plasma water swirls and flows outside the vortex flow generator 60 is an acute angle.

[0023] Since the passage 61 is formed as described above, the water for plasma generation that flows along the inner circumferential surface of the chamber body 40 outside the vortex flow generator 60 passes through the passage 61 and flows into the interior of the vortex flow generator 60. The water for plasma generation then flows smoothly along the inner circumferential surface of the vortex flow generator 60, and a vortex flow is formed that swirls in a circular shape to form a cavity at the position of the central axis C1 in a vertical cross-sectional view.

[0024] The water plasma generator 11 further includes various components in front of the vortex generator 60 within the chamber 17. These components position the vortex generator 60, cool, hold, and control the movement of the cathode 16, and supply power to the cathode 16, but a detailed description of these components will be omitted here.

[0025] Figure 5 is an explanatory diagram showing the state of water plasma sprayed by the water plasma generator. As shown in Figure 5, when DC power is supplied to the cathode 16 and the anode 18 in a state in which a vortex water flow with a cavity is formed inside the chamber 17 as described above, an arc discharge AR is generated between them. At this time, the arc discharge AR is generated so as to pass through the inside of the cavity of the vortex water flow. The generation of this arc discharge AR dissociates and ionizes the plasma water that forms the vortex water flow, turning it into a high-energy jet stream (high-temperature airflow, heat source), and water plasma J is sprayed from the nozzle 45.

[0026] The water plasma J injected from the nozzle 45 becomes an extremely high-temperature, ultra-high-velocity fluid. The injection direction of the water plasma J is from front to rear, which is a front-to-rear direction parallel to the direction of the central axis C1 of the nozzle 45. More specifically, the water plasma J is injected in a roughly spindle or cone shape with the same central axis C1 as the central axis C1 of the nozzle 45, and has a shape that gradually widens with increasing distance from the nozzle 45. The water plasma J has a relatively high temperature at the central axis C1, and the temperature decreases with increasing distance from the central axis C1.

[0027] Next, the configuration of the treatment device 12 will be described with reference to Fig. 1, as well as Fig. 6 and Fig. 7. As shown in Fig. 1, the treatment device 12 is housed inside a cooling container 14 and is used to heat a heating object W (see Fig. 6) with water plasma J sprayed from a water plasma generator 11. Here, the heating object W is a powder or granular material such as soil or sand, and although each powder or particle is solid, the aggregate has the property of behaving like a fluid (liquid).

[0028] Fig. 6 is an explanatory enlarged view of the processing apparatus of Fig. 1 and its surrounding configuration. Fig. 7 is a schematic perspective view of the processing apparatus. As shown in Figs. 6 and 7, processing apparatus 12 includes a container 65 that contains a heating object W (not shown in Fig. 7), and an introduction path 66 that is disposed at the front of container 65 and introduces water plasma J (not shown in Fig. 7) sprayed from chamber 17 into container 65. In this embodiment, processing apparatus 12 is made of a metal such as stainless steel.

[0029] The container 65 is formed in a capsule shape that is a roughly elliptical shape with a front-to-back width greater than its top-to-bottom width when viewed in cross section along the vertical and front-to-back directions in Fig. 6. The introduction passage 66 is formed in a cylindrical shape and is connected to the front region of the container 65, extending generally forward. More specifically, the central axis of the cylinder of the introduction passage 66 is oriented in a direction that slopes slightly upward as it moves forward from the connection position with the container 65.

[0030] A front wall 71 is provided at the front end of the introduction path 66. A passage opening 71a is formed in the center of the front wall 71, through which the water plasma J sprayed from the chamber 17 passes from front to rear. The front wall 71 forms the front end surface of the treatment device 12, and in the treatment device 12, the upstream side in the spray direction of the water plasma J is defined as the front side, and the downstream side in the spray direction is defined as the rear side.

[0031] The walls that define the housing 65 and the introduction path 66 have a double structure, forming a single cooling space 67 within the thickness thereof through which cooling water, which serves as a refrigerant, flows. Thus, the cooling space 67 is formed to communicate across the housing 65 and the introduction path 66. A supply path 68 and a discharge path 69 for cooling water communicate with the cooling space 67. The supply path 68 is provided at the rear lower end of the housing 65, and the discharge path 69 is formed at the front upper end of both the housing 65 and the introduction path 66.

[0032] In the processing device 12, cooling water is supplied from the supply path 68 via a pump and piping (not shown) and introduced into the cooling space 67. Then, the cooling water flowing from the supply path 68 to the discharge path 69 in the cooling space 67 absorbs the heat generated by the water plasma J, thereby cooling the container 65 and the introduction path 66.

[0033] The container 65 has a swirling flow generating section 72 formed by its inner circumferential surface. The swirling flow generating section 72 is provided in a shape including a mounting surface 74, a first guide surface 75, a second guide surface 76, a third guide surface 77, and a receiving surface 78 in the cross section shown in FIG.

[0034] The placement surface 74 is formed on the lower part of the inner circumferential surface of the container 65 and extends substantially parallel in the front-rear direction, and is provided so that the object to be heated W can be placed thereon before the water plasma J is sprayed.

[0035] The inner peripheral surface of the container 65, rearward of the mounting surface 74, is formed by a bowl-shaped body whose vertically intermediate portion bulges furthest rearward, with the lower half of the bowl-shaped body serving as the first guide surface 75 and the upper half of the bowl-shaped body serving as the second guide surface 76. Thus, the first guide surface 75 smoothly connects to the rear end of the mounting surface 74 and forms a curved surface that curves upward from the rear end of the mounting surface 74 in the cross section shown in Figure 6. The second guide surface 76 smoothly connects to the upper end of the first guide surface 75 and forms a curved surface that curves upward from the upper end of the first guide surface 75 in the cross section shown in Figure 6.

[0036] The upper region of the second guide surface 76 extends substantially parallel in the front-rear direction, and the third guide surface 77 smoothly connects to the front end of the second guide surface 76. In the cross section shown in Figure 6, the third guide surface 77 forms a curved surface that curves forward and downward from the front end of the second guide surface 76. The front end of the third guide surface 77 is connected to the upper rear end of the introduction path 66.

[0037] The receiving surface 78 is continuous with the front end of the placement surface 74 and extends forward. The receiving surface 78 is disposed so as to extend from the front end of the placement surface 74, passing directly below the third guide surface 77, and extending from directly below that point into a front region. The receiving surface 78 is formed into a curved surface that curves upward as the front region extends forward, and is provided with a shape that rises toward the front. The front end of the receiving surface 78 is connected to the lower rear end of the introduction path 66.

[0038] By forming the receiving surface 78, the lower half of the front region of the container 65 protrudes forward more than the upper half, and conversely, the upper half of the rear region of the introduction passage 66 protrudes rearward more than the lower half.

[0039] An exhaust pipe 80 that communicates with the inside of the introduction path 66 is provided at an upper portion of the introduction path 66 and directly above the front end of the receiving surface 78. Gas that is generated or expands inside the container 65 can be discharged through the exhaust pipe 80 into the inside of the cooling vessel 14 (see FIG. 1).

[0040] 1 , the cooling container 14, which penetrates the wall 30, is disposed behind the water plasma generator 11 and is provided in a position surrounding the treatment device 12. The portion of the wall 30 through which the cooling container 14 penetrates is fully welded, so that the wall 30 holds the cooling container 14 and maintains airtightness therebetween.

[0041] The cooling vessel 14 includes a cylindrical tube body 85 and a rear forming portion 86 formed on the rear end side (opposite the water plasma generator 11) of the tube body 85. The axis of the tube body 85 is oriented substantially parallel to the rear end.

[0042] The cylindrical main body 85 and rear forming portion 86, which constitute the forming walls of the cooling container 14, have a double structure, and form a single space 87 within their thickness through which cooling water flows. A supply path 88 and a discharge path 89 for cooling water communicate with this space 87. The supply path 88 is provided on the rear lower end side of the cylindrical main body 85, and the discharge path 89 is formed on the front upper end side of the cylindrical main body 85.

[0043] In the cooling vessel 14, cooling water is supplied from a supply path 88 via a pump (not shown) and introduced into the space 87. The cooling water flowing from the supply path 88 to an exhaust path 89 in the space 87 absorbs the heat generated by the water plasma J, thereby cooling the cooling vessel 14. An exhaust port (not shown) is provided on the rear side surface of the cylindrical main body 85 or on the rear forming portion 86 to exhaust gas from inside the cooling vessel 14 to the processing space 31.

[0044] Next, the heat treatment of the object W to be heated using the water plasma J will be described below.

[0045] When heating a heating object W in the heating device 10 of this embodiment, a predetermined amount of the heating object W (e.g., soil containing harmful substances such as cesium) is placed on the mounting surface 74 through the passage 71a and the introduction path 66 before the water plasma J is sprayed. Then, as shown in Fig. 1, the water plasma generator 11 is tilted, and the angle of the central axis C1 of the sprayed water plasma J is adjusted so that it slopes downward toward the rear. As a result, the central axis C1 of the water plasma J and the mounting surface 74 become non-parallel, and the central axis C1 and the mounting surface 74 intersect at an acute angle when extended.

[0046] In this state, when water plasma J is sprayed from chamber 17 of water plasma generator 11 toward treatment device 12, water plasma J is introduced into container 65 through passage 71a and inlet 66. In treatment device 12, the flow of water plasma J flowing into container 65 in the spray direction (the direction from front to rear along central axis C1) is converted into a swirling flow by swirling flow generator 72, thereby stirring object W to be heated.

[0047] 6, the rearward flow of the water plasma J flowing into the container 65 flows along the mounting surface 74 and is then guided in an upward direction by the first guide surface 75, and the flow guided by the first guide surface 75 is guided forward by the second guide surface 76. Furthermore, the flow of water plasma J guided forward by the second guide surface 76 is guided in a downward direction by the third guide surface 77, merges with the water plasma J introduced from the introduction path 66, and flows rearward again as described above, generating a swirling flow.

[0048] The object to be heated W placed inside the container 65 is swirled and agitated in accordance with the swirling flow of the water plasma J generated by the swirling flow generating unit 72. Therefore, by continuing to spray the water plasma J, the object to be heated W is also continuously heated by the water plasma J, thereby increasing the temperature of the object to be heated W. While the water plasma J is swirling, gas generated, flowing into, and expanding inside the container 65 is exhausted through the exhaust pipe 80 and the cooling vessel 14 to the processing space 31 (see FIG. 1 ).

[0049] Here, while the object to be heated W is swirling, the flow of the object to be heated W may be accelerated by the downward flow due to the effect of its own weight. As a result, a portion of the object to be heated W guided downward by the third guide surface 77 escapes outside the swirling flow and collides with the receiving surface 78. The receiving surface 78 is located directly below and in front of the third guide surface 77, with its front side raised, so that the object to be heated W that escapes from the swirling flow can be guided back into the swirling flow.

[0050] According to the above embodiment, a high-temperature swirling flow can be generated by utilizing the flow of water plasma J, which becomes a high-temperature airflow by the swirling flow generating unit 72, and the object to be heated W contained in the container 65 can be heated while being stirred by the water plasma J. Therefore, simply by spraying the water plasma J, it is possible to easily ensure a long heating time for the object to be heated W with the water plasma J and to raise the heating temperature to a high level. This improves the ability to decompose and vaporize components contained in the object to be heated W, and to decompose and vaporize harmful substances contained in the object to be heated W to render them harmless.

[0051] Furthermore, since the object to be heated W is agitated by the high-temperature swirling flow of the water plasma J, the object to be heated W can be heated to a high temperature while suppressing variations in heating of the object to be heated W.

[0052] Furthermore, since the flow of water plasma J is guided and converted into a swirling flow by each guide surface 75 to 77 of the swirling flow generating section 72, a power source for generating the swirling flow in the container 65 is not required, thereby simplifying the configuration and reducing the number of parts.

[0053] Furthermore, since each of the guide surfaces 75 to 77 is formed by a curved surface, the flow of the water plasma J can be smoothly converted into a swirling flow, and the object to be heated W can be heated more effectively.

[0054] Furthermore, since an inlet path 66 connected to the container 65 is provided, it is possible to adjust the distance between the water plasma generator 11 and the container 65 while introducing high-temperature water plasma J into the container 65. Also, an exhaust pipe 80 can be provided in the inlet path 66, so that gas generated and flowing into the container 65 can be easily exhausted.

[0055] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications can be made to the embodiment. In the above-described embodiment, the size, shape, direction, etc. shown in the accompanying drawings are not limited to these, and can be modified as appropriate within the scope of the effects of the present invention. In addition, the present invention can be modified as appropriate without departing from the scope of the object of the present invention.

[0056] In the above embodiment, the container 65 and the swirl flow generating unit 72 are formed in a generally oval shape with a front-to-back width greater than a vertical width, but this is not limited thereto. For example, as shown in FIG. 8 , the container 65 and the swirl flow generating unit 72 may be formed in a generally oval shape with a vertical width greater than a vertical width. With this configuration, as in the above embodiment, the object to be heated W can be heated while being stirred using the flow of water plasma J. Furthermore, by increasing the vertical width of the container 65, the momentum of the swirling object to be heated W falling before reaching the third guide surface 77 can be utilized to stir the object to be heated.

[0057] Furthermore, instead of being roughly oval, the container 65 and the swirl flow generating section 72 may be changed to a circular, elliptical, or polygonal shape with rounded corners.

[0058] Furthermore, the entire treatment device 12 may be formed of a heat-resistant material other than metal, as long as the swirling flow generating section 72 can be formed. The container 65 and the inlet passage 66 may be made of different materials. For example, as shown in FIG. 9 , the inlet passage 96 may be formed of firebricks. The inlet passage 96 of FIG. 9 is formed of firebricks instead of metal as the inlet passage 66 in the treatment device 12 of FIG. 8 , and the firebricks forming the upper part of the inlet passage 96 are provided with an outlet passage 97 communicating with the outside. In the configuration of FIG. 9 , the inlet passage 96 can be formed separately from the container 65, which facilitates maintenance such as replacing the inlet passage 96, which is susceptible to damage at high temperatures.

[0059] Furthermore, although the heat source generating device is a water plasma generating device 11, it is not limited to this and may be, for example, a burner using fuel such as gas, or a blower that injects hot air, as long as it can inject high-temperature airflow into the processing device 12.

[0060] The present invention provides an effect that the object to be heated, which is a powder or granular material, can be easily heated to a high temperature by a supply device that supplies the object to be heated to a high temperature airflow.

[0061] This application is based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2024-082457, filed May 21, 2024, the contents of which are incorporated herein in their entirety.

Claims

1. A heating device comprising: a processing device used to heat a powder or granular material to be heated with a high-temperature air current; and a heat source generator that injects the high-temperature air current into the processing device, wherein the heat source generator is a water plasma generator that passes an arc discharge through a vortex water current to inject water plasma as the high-temperature air current, and the water plasma generator comprises a chamber that forms the vortex water current with water supplied thereto and injects the water plasma from an injection port, and an anode and a cathode that generate an arc discharge that passes through the vortex water current in the chamber, wherein the processing device comprises: a container that contains the material to be heated and into which the water plasma injected from the injection port flows to heat the material to be heated, and an inlet path that is connected to the container upstream of the injection direction of the water plasma and introduces the water plasma injected from the injection port into the container, and wherein the container comprises a swirling flow generating unit that converts the flow in the injection direction into a swirling flow to agitate the material to be heated.

2. A heating device comprising: a processing device used to heat a powder or granular material to be heated with a high-temperature air current; and a heat source generator that injects the high-temperature air current into the processing device, wherein the heat source generator is a water plasma generator that passes an arc discharge through a vortex water current to inject water plasma as the high-temperature air current, and the water plasma generator comprises a chamber that forms the vortex water current with water supplied thereto and injects the water plasma from an injection port, and an anode and a cathode that generate an arc discharge that passes through the vortex water current in the chamber, wherein the processing device comprises a container that contains the material to be heated and into which the water plasma injected from the injection port flows to heat the material to be heated, and the container comprises a swirling flow generating unit that converts the flow of the water plasma in the injection direction into a swirling flow and agitates the material to be heated, and wherein the swirling flow generating unit is formed so that its width in the vertical direction is greater than its width in the injection direction.

3. The heating device described in claim 1 or claim 2, characterized in that the swirling flow generating section comprises: a mounting surface on which the object to be heated can be placed; a first guide surface arranged on the mounting surface downstream in the injection direction and guiding the flow of the high-temperature airflow in an upward direction; a second guide surface that guides the flow guided by the first guide surface upstream in the injection direction; and a third guide surface that guides the flow guided by the second guide surface in a downward direction.

4. The heating device described in claim 3, characterized in that the container further comprises a receiving surface that is connected to the placement surface and is positioned upstream of the injection direction from directly below the third guide surface, and the receiving surface is raised on the upstream side of the injection direction.

5. The heating device according to claim 1, further comprising a cooling space communicating with said introduction path and said container, through which cooling water flows.

6. The heating device according to claim 1, wherein the inlet passage is formed by refractory bricks.

7. The heating device according to claim 1, wherein the introduction path is formed in a cylindrical shape and has a passage through which the water plasma injected from the chamber passes.

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