Injection Lance Shield with Fluid Chamber for Heat Dissipation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing shields for injection lances in metal production furnaces face challenges with high temperature and corrosive environments, leading to potential material failure due to uneven heat conduction and the formation of hot spots.
Innovation Solution
A shield design featuring an outer and inner shell with a face plate, forming a fluid chamber for coolant flow, and including a septum and stiffening ribs that act as heat transfer fins to conduct heat away from the surface and prevent hot spots.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If water cooled shields with complex passages are used, then heat conduction capability is improved, but manufacturing complexity increases and low fluid flow locations create inadequate cooling
Solution Approach 1:
The shield is divided into an outer shell and an inner shell separated by spacers, creating multiple distinct cooling channels. This segmentation allows coolant to flow through defined pathways between the shells, improving heat conduction while avoiding the manufacturing complexity of intricate internal passages. Each shell acts as a separate thermal management component.
Solution Approach 2:
Spacers are introduced as intermediary elements between the outer and inner shells to maintain consistent spacing and define cooling channels. These spacers facilitate uniform coolant flow distribution and prevent direct contact between shells, ensuring adequate cooling throughout the shield structure without requiring complex internal passage designs.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If shields are designed to accumulate protective slag layer, then protection from corrosive environment is improved, but hot spots develop due to non-uniform heat conduction
Solution Approach 1:
The harmful slag accumulation that causes hot spots is extracted or removed from the cooling channel surfaces. The design ensures slag does not accumulate in locations that would interfere with uniform heat conduction, while still maintaining protective slag layers on the outer shell surface that faces the furnace environment. This separation of protective function from thermal management function prevents hot spot formation.
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the shield are assigned different qualities: the outer shell surface accumulates protective slag for corrosion resistance, while the inner shell and cooling channels are designed to maintain uniform heat conduction without slag accumulation. This local differentiation allows simultaneous achievement of protective function and uniform thermal management.
3Ease of operation
If portal locations are positioned down near the melt, then access for injection lances is improved, but shields are subjected to very high temperatures and corrosive environments
Solution Approach 1:
The shield employs composite construction with an outer shell made from heat-resistant material (such as refractory material or heat-resistant metal) and an inner shell made from different material properties. This composite structure allows the outer shell to withstand direct exposure to high temperatures and corrosive environments near the melt, while the inner shell provides structural support and houses cooling channels, enabling the shield to function effectively in the harsh portal environment.
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 shield effectively manages heat dissipation, preventing material failure by ensuring uniform heat conduction and maintaining structural integrity in high-temperature environments.
Implementation Method 1
The septum and stiffening ribs act as heat transfer fins to conduct heat away from the surface and prevent hot spots
Implementation Method 2
The septum and stiffening ribs act as heat transfer fins to conduct heat away from the surface and prevent hot spots
Data Source
AI summary
A shield for injection lances in metal production furnaces facilitates the adjustment of the contents of the melt in the metal production furnace. The shield has an outer shell joined to an inner shell by a face plate. The outer shell and inner shell define a fluid chamber between them and the face plate has an inlet aperture and an exit aperture for coolant flow through the fluid chamber. The shield is sized and shaped to fit into or around an aperture in the wall of the furnace. The shield has apertures through it to facilitate introduction of additives to the melt in the metal production furnace.