Blast Furnace Cooling Plate Wear Detection
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Cooling plates in metallurgical furnaces face significant wear due to thermal loads and abrasive particles, making it difficult to monitor and manage wear effectively, especially in the absence of a refractory brick lining, which can lead to rapid deterioration.
Innovation Solution
Integration of closed pressure chambers with pressure sensors within the cooling plate body, allowing for the detection of wear by monitoring pressure deviations from a reference pressure, enabling the tracking of wear status across multiple regions and depths.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If ultrasonic probe wear detection system is used, then wear detection capability is provided, but device complexity and implementation difficulty increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical ultrasonic probe contact method with a pressure-based detection system. Pressure chambers are drilled into the cooling plate and filled with gas or liquid at a known reference pressure. When wear occurs and the plate thickness decreases, the pressure chamber becomes exposed to the furnace environment, causing pressure equalization that can be detected by pressure sensors. This substitution eliminates the complexity of ultrasonic probe implementation while providing reliable wear detection.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces pressure chambers as intermediary elements between the cooling plate structure and the detection system. These chambers act as mediators that translate physical wear (thickness reduction) into measurable pressure changes. The pressure chambers are sealed during manufacturing and contain a fluid at reference pressure, serving as an intermediate sensing mechanism that simplifies the overall detection system.
2Measurement precision
If multiple pressure chambers are distributed at different locations and depths, then wear monitoring precision and spatial resolution are improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the cooling plate into multiple monitoring zones by distributing pressure chambers at different locations and depths within the plate structure. Each pressure chamber monitors a specific region and depth level, enabling localized wear detection. This segmentation allows the system to identify not only the presence of wear but also its spatial distribution and progression through the plate thickness, providing comprehensive wear monitoring without requiring excessive sensors.
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
Provides a reliable and cost-effective method for monitoring wear on cooling plates, allowing for timely detection and differentiation of wear levels across various regions, enhancing maintenance and extending the lifespan of the plates.
Implementation Method 1
A pressure sensor is associated with each pressure chamber in order to detect a deviation from a reference pressure when a pressure chamber becomes open due to wear out of the body portion
Data Source
AI summary
A cooling plate for a metallurgical furnace comprising a body (12) with a front face (18) and an opposite rear face (20), the body having at least one coolant channel (14) therein; the front face (18) being turned towards the furnace interior and preferably comprises alternating ribs (22) and grooves (24). The cooling plate includes wear detection means comprising: a plurality of closed pressure chambers (26, 28) distributed at different locations in said body, said pressure chambers being positioned at predetermined depths below the front face (18) of said body; and a pressure sensor (30) associated with each pressure chamber (26, 28) in order to detect a deviation from a reference pressure inside said pressure chamber when the latter becomes open due to wear out of said body.