Bellow Compensator Flexible Liner Dust Accumulation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Bellow compensators in metallurgical furnace charging installations suffer from dust accumulation in their pockets, leading to reduced flexibility and eventual clogging, which impairs the weighing system's accuracy in determining material amounts fed into the furnace.
Innovation Solution
A non-structural flexible liner made of wire mesh with layers of silicone and synthetic fibers, such as Kevlar®, is fixedly connected between the inlet and outlet ends of the bellow section, preventing dust and material from entering the pockets and maintaining the compensator's functionality.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If a protection plate is arranged inside the compensator to direct material past the pockets, then material accumulation in pockets is reduced, but dust can still penetrate through the annular gasket and accumulate in the pockets over time
Solution Approach 1:
A flexible liner made of fabric impregnated with plastic material is arranged inside the bellow compensator, extending along the inner wall and covering the pockets. This flexible film structure effectively blocks dust and material from entering the pockets while accommodating the compensator's expansion and contraction movements, solving the problem of dust penetration through rigid protection plates and gaskets.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If a rigid protection plate is used to prevent material accumulation, then material is directed past the pockets, but the device cannot accommodate relative movement between inlet and outlet ends
Solution Approach 1:
The protection structure is made dynamic by using a flexible liner that can deform and move with the compensator's expansion and contraction. The fabric impregnated with plastic material provides both protective function and flexibility, allowing the liner to move with the bellow sections while maintaining its dust-blocking function throughout the compensator's operational range.
Solution Approach 2:
The flexible liner acts as a dynamic barrier that moves with the compensator structure. Its fabric-construction-with-plastic-impregnation provides both mechanical flexibility for movement accommodation and functional rigidity for dust prevention, replacing the static rigid protection plate with a dynamic flexible solution.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the bellow section is made flexible with folds and pockets, then relative movement between inlet and outlet ends is enabled, but dust and material accumulate in the pockets reducing flexibility
Solution Approach 1:
The flexible liner is arranged to cover the inner wall of the bellow compensator and extend over the pockets. This flexible film maintains the compensator's movement capability while creating a barrier that prevents dust and material from entering and accumulating in the pockets, thus preserving flexibility without the harmful accumulation effect.
Solution Approach 2:
The flexible liner acts as an intermediary element between the dust-laden material flow and the bellow pockets. It mediates by allowing the compensator to maintain its flexible structure for movement while simultaneously blocking the harmful dust and material from reaching the pockets, thus protecting the functional areas from contamination.
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
The flexible liner effectively prevents dust accumulation, ensuring the bellow compensator's flexibility and accuracy in material feeding, eliminating the need for a rigid protection plate and reducing maintenance, with the ability to withstand high pressures and temperatures.
Implementation Method 1
a non-structural flexible liner is arranged along an inner wall of the bellow compensator and extends over at least some of the length of the bellow section
Implementation Method 2
The non-structural flexible liner has a first end and a second end, wherein the first end is fixedly connected to the inlet end pipe and the second end is fixedly connected to the outlet end pipe
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a bellow compensator for a charging installation of a metallurgical furnace. The bellow compensator comprises an inlet end pipe 40 and an opposite outlet end pipe 42 and a bellow section 44 arranged between the inlet end pipe 40 and the outlet end pipe 42, the bellow section 44 being formed by a series of folds and allowing relative movement between the inlet end pipe 40 and the outlet end pipe 42. According to the present invention, a non-structural flexible liner 60, preferably wire mesh gasket, is arranged along an inner wall 62 of the bellow compensator and extends over at least some of the length of the bellow section 44. The non-structural flexible liner 60 has a first end 64 and a second end 66, wherein the first end 64 is fixedly connected to the inlet end pipe 40 and the second end 66 is fixedly connected to the outlet end pipe 42.