Segmented Mechanical Conveyor and Pressure Pump for Abrasive Material Handling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for conveying materials, especially those containing abrasive particles, are not robust enough to handle variations in composition, particle size, and viscosity, and result in significant wear and tear on system components, particularly when used in high-pressure environments like shaft furnaces for pig iron production.
Innovation Solution
A method and device that combines a mechanical conveyor working without pressure, such as a screw conveyor, with a pressure pump to move materials through a cavity, allowing for robust conveying and minimizing wear by adjusting the power of each component based on resistance and using a conveying agent like compressed air to aid in flow.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Length of stationary object
If a pressure pump is used to convey abrasive materials into the pressure zone of shaft furnaces, then the material can be conveyed over longer distances and into high-pressure zones, but the wear and tear on pump components becomes excessively high
Solution Approach 1:
The conveying system is divided into two distinct sections: a pressureless mechanical conveying section (first conveying means) and a pressurized pumping section (second conveying means). This segmentation allows each component to perform its function optimally - the mechanical conveyor handles abrasive materials without pressure to minimize wear, while the pump only operates over a short distance to achieve the required pressure, thereby reducing overall wear and tear on pump components.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention combines two different conveying mechanisms - a pressureless mechanical conveyor and a pressure pump - into a single integrated system. The mechanical conveyor transfers material to the pump inlet, and the pump provides the necessary pressure for final delivery into the furnace pressure zone. This combination allows the system to achieve long-distance conveying capability while protecting the pump from excessive wear by limiting its exposure to abrasive materials.
2Reliability
If a shaftless screw conveyor is used for pressureless conveying of material mixtures, then the system becomes robust against fluctuations in material properties, but the wear and tear on components in contact with the material becomes unacceptably high
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments the conveying function between a pressureless mechanical conveyor and a pressure pump. The shaftless screw conveyor is used only for the pressureless section where it benefits from robustness against material variations, while the pump handles the pressurized section. This segmentation reduces the overall wear on the screw conveyor by limiting its operation to the pressureless zone and transferring the high-wear pressurization function to a dedicated pump designed for that purpose.
3Device complexity
If only a pressure pump is used to convey materials, then the conveying process can be simplified, but the energy consumption and operational costs become excessively high due to the need for high-power pumps
Solution Approach 1:
The conveying system is segmented into a pressureless mechanical conveying section and a pressurized pumping section. The mechanical conveyor (shaftless screw conveyor) handles the bulk of the material transfer without requiring high power, as it operates without pressure buildup. The pump only needs to provide pressure for the final short distance into the furnace, significantly reducing its power requirements compared to a full-length pressurized system. This segmentation leads to lower overall energy consumption while maintaining conveying effectiveness.
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 approach reduces wear and tear, energy consumption, and operational costs while enabling the conveyance of abrasive materials over longer distances with minimal equipment restrictions, making it suitable for a wide range of materials, including those with abrasive particles, and is particularly effective in the pressure zone of shaft furnaces.
Implementation Method 1
moved essentially by direct contact with a moving surface of the conveyor; The material is first mixed, then conveyed without pressurization as close as possible to the point of entry at the processing plant, and finally introduced into the processing plant by a pressurized pump
Implementation Method 2
using a conveying agent like compressed air to aid in flow
Data Source
Figure 1
AI summary
The invention relates to a method and to a device for delivering deliverable materials through a hollow chamber that is closed off from the outside air in a pressure-tight manner and that is supplied with materials (1) via a storage container (2) serving as a lock and that ends in the furnace chamber via a connecting tube. The delivery of the materials within the hollow chamber closed off from the outside air in a pressure-tight manner is carried out by means of depressurized mechanical conveyors (3, 5).