Microporous Ceramic Rod Nozzle for Argon Blowing Control
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing ladle furnace refined ladle gas-permeable upper nozzle pocket blocks face issues such as insufficient soft blowing time, excessive refining time, inaccurate argon flow control, and blockage due to large ceramic rod height and poor molding quality, leading to inefficient inclusion removal and increased productivity constraints.
Innovation Solution
A ladle furnace refined ladle gas-permeable upper nozzle pocket block with microporous ceramic rods, featuring a cylindrical design, reduced rod height, and increased ventilation holes, combined with an argon blowing control method that adjusts flow rates based on molten steel weight, ensuring effective argon distribution and preventing blockages.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If a single gas-permeable ceramic rod with small diameter is used, then the device structure is simple, but the gas permeation area is small and the distribution density of pores is low, resulting in insufficient argon bubble formation for inclusion removal
Solution Approach 1:
The single ceramic rod is divided into multiple microporous ceramic rods arranged in a circular array. This segmentation increases the total gas permeation area and pore distribution density, enabling formation of sufficient argon bubbles for effective inclusion removal while maintaining structural simplicity through modular arrangement.
2Reliability
If the ceramic rod is made high to ensure sufficient argon blowing, then the argon distribution improves, but the ceramic rod becomes difficult to mold and position accurately
Solution Approach 1:
The high ceramic rod is segmented into multiple shorter microporous ceramic rods of reduced height. This segmentation makes each rod easier to mold and position accurately while maintaining effective argon blowing through the distributed arrangement of multiple rods, resolving the contradiction between blowing effectiveness and manufacturability.
3Productivity
If argon is blown at high flow rate throughout the process, then stirring and mixing are effective, but the molten steel temperature drops greatly and slag entrapment occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The argon blowing process is divided into periodic stages: high flow rate blowing at the beginning for effective stirring and mixing, followed by reduced flow rate blowing for inclusion removal. This periodic action maintains productivity during stirring while preventing excessive temperature drop and slag entrapment during the inclusion removal phase.
4Temperature
If the argon blowing flow rate is reduced at low molten steel level, then temperature drop and slag entrapment are prevented, but inclusion removal effect deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The single blowing point is segmented into multiple microporous ceramic rods distributed in a circular array. This segmentation allows the system to maintain effective inclusion removal at reduced flow rates by distributing the gas flow across multiple permeation points, enhancing the metallurgical effect even when total flow rate is lowered to prevent temperature drop and slag entrapment.
5Reliability
If excessive LF refining time is used to ensure quality steel, then inclusion removal is thorough, but the furnace and machine become mismatched and productivity decreases
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple microporous ceramic rods with optimized pore structures enable more efficient argon permeation and bubble formation. This enhances the inclusion removal effect during soft blowing, allowing thorough steel quality improvement to be achieved in reduced time, thereby resolving the mismatch between furnace refining time and machine processing capacity.
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 inclusion removal efficiency, reduces molten steel temperature drop, increases oxygen burning-free blowing rates, and prolongs the service life of the nozzle pocket block, while maintaining high inclusion removal rates and preventing steel infiltration.
Implementation Method 1
60-120 ventilation holes are formed in the microporous ceramic rods (2) along the axial directions of the microporous ceramic rods (2); the ventilation holes are uniformly distributed on cross sections of the microporous ceramic rods (2); an inner diameter of each ventilation hole is 0.075-0.1 mm
Implementation Method 2
by means of reducing the inner diameter of the ventilation hole in the ceramic rod and increasing the number of the ventilation holes in the ceramic rods, argon bubbles that are more and smaller than those formed in the ceramic pipe
Implementation Method 3
by means of reducing the inner diameter of the ventilation hole in the ceramic rod and increasing the number of the ventilation holes in the ceramic rods, argon bubbles that are more and smaller than those formed in the ceramic pipe are formed by argon blowing, so that the capabilities of capturing the argon bubbles and removing inclusions are improved
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2~3
Figure 4
AI summary
Provided are a ladle furnace (LF) refined ladle gas-permeable upper nozzle pocket block with microporous ceramic rods, and an argon blowing control method thereof. The gas-permeable upper nozzle pocket block of the present invention includes an iron ring and microporous ceramic rods; a diameter d of each microporous ceramic rod is 35-45 mm, and a height h of each ceramic rod is 140-180 mm; 60-120 ventilation holes are formed in the microporous ceramic rods along an axial directions of the microporous ceramic rods; the ventilation holes are uniformly distributed on cross sections of the microporous ceramic rods; an inner diameter of each ventilation hole is 0.075-0.1 mm; and the ventilation holes longitudinally run through upper end faces and lower end faces of the microporous rods. The present invention further provides an argon blowing control device and an argon blowing control method. In the present invention, before an automatic soft blowing mode is selected, a manual bypass in an argon pipeline system is first used to blow through the gas-permeable upper nozzle pocket block; the argon blowing flow rate is accurately controlled; and the oxygen burning-free blowing rate and the service life of the ladle gas-permeable upper nozzle pocket block are improved.