Acute-Angle Water-Cooled Base Plate for Furnace Injector Sealing
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing melting units, such as injectors, blowing lances, and burners, in melting furnaces require extensive downtimes for replacement due to leaks, leading to production and energy losses, and pose safety risks due to incomplete sealing and thermal stresses, especially around outlet openings.
Innovation Solution
An upper furnace design with an indentation in the furnace wall featuring a water-cooled base plate at an acute angle allows for quick and safe exchange of injectors, lances, or burners without removing the entire wall element, using a subrack system with adjustable angles and a dummy seal for leaks, ensuring a gas-tight furnace.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the injector, lance or burner is firmly inserted into the furnace wall, then the sealing is improved, but the replacement time increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The system is divided into separate components: a wall element with through bores that remains in the furnace wall, and interchangeable injector/lance/burner units that can be independently replaced. This segmentation allows the sealing structure to remain while only the problematic component is changed, reducing replacement time without compromising sealing integrity.
2Ease of repair
If the wall element is completely removed for replacement, then the injector can be changed, but production losses and energy losses increase
Solution Approach 1:
The injector, lance or burners are extracted as separate replaceable components from the wall element structure. This allows the component needing repair to be removed and replaced without taking out the entire wall element, enabling maintenance while keeping the furnace structure intact and operational.
3Temperature
If cooling water penetrates into the furnace interior, then the cooling function is provided, but safety risks increase due to dangerous conditions
Solution Approach 1:
A flexible sealing element (such as a packing or gasket) is used in the through bores of the wall element to create a gas-tight seal. This flexible sealing mechanism prevents cooling water from penetrating into the furnace interior while maintaining the necessary cooling function, thereby eliminating safety risks associated with water ingress.
4Adaptability or versatility
If an annular gap is provided for changing direction, then the injector can be adjusted, but sealing is compromised allowing flames and hot gases to escape
Solution Approach 1:
A flexible sealing element is installed in the through bores of the wall element to create a gas-tight seal that accommodates directional adjustments. This flexible seal prevents flames and hot gases from escaping through the annular gap while still allowing the injector, lance or burner to be positioned at different angles.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This solution reduces changeover times, minimizes energy losses, and enhances safety by allowing for rapid replacement with reduced risk, avoiding complete disassembly and maintaining a sealed furnace environment during repairs.
Implementation Method 1
an indentation directed towards the interior of the furnace, which is delimited by a water-cooled base plate
Data Source
AI summary
Melting arrangement comprises an indentation (3e) directed into the inside of an oven (3d) and delimited using a water-cooled base plate (7) running at an acute angle to the molten bath surface (5).