Graphite Refractory Gas Injection Lance for Copper Melt
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Solution Overview
Problem
Gas injection devices for non-ferrous metal melts and slags, particularly copper, face issues with thermal cracking due to differing coefficients of thermal expansion in materials, leading to reduced service life and potential damage from steel components reacting with copper melts.
Innovation Solution
A gas injection device made from refractory materials and/or graphite, combined with ceramic elements, which reduces thermal cracking and avoids steel component interactions, using a modular structure with ceramic nozzles or perforated plates for efficient gas distribution.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If steel tubes with refractory coatings are used for gas injection, then the device can be manufactured with standard materials and processes, but thermal cracking occurs due to different coefficients of thermal expansion between steel and refractory materials
Solution Approach 1:
The gas injection device uses a composite structure where a graphite outer shell encapsulates a refractory material core. This composite design allows the outer graphite shell to accommodate thermal expansion while the inner refractory core provides structural stability and chemical resistance, resolving the thermal cracking issue while maintaining manufacturability through modular assembly of the two material components
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the material parameters by selecting graphite and refractory materials with compatible thermal expansion coefficients. This parameter matching ensures that both materials expand and contract at similar rates during temperature cycles, preventing the differential stress that causes thermal cracking in steel-refractory composites
2Device complexity
If steel components are used in contact with copper melt, then the device structure can be simplified, but iron slagging occurs due to chemical reactions between steel and copper melt
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts and removes steel components from the system entirely, replacing them with graphite and refractory materials that are chemically inert to copper melt. This elimination of reactive steel parts prevents iron slagging while maintaining structural functionality through the alternative material configuration
Solution Approach 2:
The graphite and refractory material construction creates a chemically inert environment that prevents unwanted reactions with the copper melt. These materials do not form harmful slagging compounds with copper, maintaining process purity while providing the necessary structural support for gas injection
3Reliability
If refractory materials and graphite are used throughout the gas injection device, then thermal cracking is reduced due to similar coefficients of thermal expansion, but the device complexity increases due to material compatibility requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The gas injection device is segmented into distinct functional zones: a graphite outer shell for thermal management and an inner refractory material core for structural support and chemical resistance. This segmentation allows each material to be optimized for its specific function while maintaining overall system reliability through their complementary properties
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 solution enhances the service life of gas injection devices by minimizing thermal cracking and preventing slagging, while ensuring effective gas distribution and penetration in non-ferrous metal melts and slags, improving process efficiency and reducing operational costs.
Implementation Method 1
a gas injection device for introducing a process gas into a non-ferrous metal melt and/or slag
Implementation Method 2
Due to the different coefficients of thermal expansion of the respective materials from which the lances are made, cracks form over time
Implementation Method 3
The gas injection device according to the invention is based on the essential finding that through the targeted use of a refractory material and/or of graphite in combination with a ceramic material, a gas injection device can be produced which has a low sensitivity to temperature shocks
Data Source
AI summary
A gas injection device for introducing a process gas into a non-ferrous metal melt and/or slag, in particular a copper melt and/or copper slag, including a hollow-cylindrical lance which is formed from a refractory material and/or graphite, preferably includes a refractory material and/or graphite. The lance has an inlet opening for the process gas and a gas injection module connected to the hollow-cylindrical lance and formed from a refractory material and/or graphite, preferably including a refractory material and/or graphite, with at least one outlet opening for the process gas. The outlet opening includes at least one throughflow element formed from a ceramic material via which the process gas can be introduced into the melt.