Gas Injection Lance Tip Cooling via Segmented Radial Passages
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing gas injection lances for high-temperature metallurgical processes, such as the HIsmelt process, face challenges in effectively cooling the tip and maintaining structural strength under extreme conditions, leading to inefficiencies in heat transfer and potential damage from high temperatures.
Innovation Solution
The apparatus features a duct with inner and outer water passages and an annular duct tip composed of multiple components, including an annular inner, outer, and central components with radially extending dividers, which enhances cooling and structural integrity by promoting even heat transfer and water flow through the tip, allowing for improved heat management and durability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If a single annular cooling passage is used in the duct tip, then the structure is simple, but the cooling effectiveness and heat transfer uniformity are insufficient under extreme high-temperature conditions
Solution Approach 1:
The single annular cooling passage is segmented into multiple discrete radial cooling passages by radially extending dividers. This segmentation allows cooling water to flow through multiple separate paths, improving heat transfer uniformity and effectiveness across the duct tip surface while managing the high-temperature environment more efficiently.
Solution Approach 2:
The cooling water flow is directed radially outward through the dividers from the central inlet to the periphery, creating a multi-dimensional cooling pattern. This radial flow arrangement through multiple passages enhances heat transfer from different zones of the duct tip simultaneously, improving overall cooling effectiveness.
2Temperature
If cooling water flow rate is increased to improve cooling, then heat transfer effectiveness improves, but pressure drop and energy consumption increase
Solution Approach 1:
The cooling load is distributed across multiple radial passages instead of concentrating flow through a single passage. This allows the total cooling requirement to be divided into manageable flow rates per passage, reducing the pressure drop in each individual passage while achieving the same overall heat transfer effectiveness.
Solution Approach 2:
Each radial passage can be optimized for its specific location and heat load characteristics. The multi-passage design allows local adjustment of flow distribution to match thermal conditions, improving heat transfer efficiency without requiring excessive overall water flow and associated energy consumption.
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 design provides more effective cooling and structural strength, enabling the lance to withstand high temperatures and maintain efficiency in gas injection processes, reducing the risk of damage and improving overall process performance.
Implementation Method 1
The tip is internally water cooled by cooling water which flows through supply and return passages within the wall of the duct
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus for injecting particulate and/or gaseous material into a metallurgical vessel for use in a metallurgical process includes a duct to inject the material. The duct includes a duct wall of concentric annular passages for inflow of cooling water from a rear end to a forward end of the duct along a first of the annular passages and for outflow of cooling water from the forward end to the rear end of the duct wall along a second of the annular passages. The concentric annular passages are provided by concentric sleeves that consist of an inner sleeve, an outer sleeve, and an intermediate sleeve. The apparatus also includes a duct tip at a forward end of the duct joining at least the inner and outer sleeves so as to provide a water flow connection between the first and second water flow passages.