Telescopic Backfill Pipe for Metallurgical Furnace Tapping
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
The existing methods for backfilling tap openings in metallurgical furnaces are inefficient and prone to human error, requiring continuous manual filling and visual inspection, which can lead to uncontrolled steel discharge and reduced service life of filling compounds due to the widening of the tapping opening.
Innovation Solution
A device featuring a telescopic backfill pipe with a control system that allows controlled filling of refractory mass into the tap opening, equipped with a detection system and a manipulator for precise filling and protection from heat and gases, enabling easy and safe backfilling while preventing overfilling.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If manual backfilling is performed with visual inspection, then the operator can monitor the filling process, but the process is time-consuming and prone to human error
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces manual visual inspection with an automated optical detection system that uses cameras and image processing to monitor the filling level of the tap hole. This substitution eliminates human error while maintaining continuous monitoring, thereby improving reliability without increasing filling time.
Solution Approach 2:
The detection system automatically detects when the tap hole is sufficiently filled and triggers the control system to stop the filling process. This self-service mechanism eliminates the need for continuous manual monitoring, reducing filling time while maintaining accurate filling levels.
2Duration of action of stationary object
If the telescopic tube remains in the parked position, then it is protected from hot gases, but filling material cannot be introduced into the tap hole
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a telescopic tube that can dynamically change its position between a parked position (protected from hot gases) and a working position (extended into the tap hole for filling). This dynamic positioning allows the system to maintain the tube's service life when not in use while enabling easy operation during filling by simply extending the tube.
Solution Approach 2:
The telescopic tube is divided into multiple extendable sections that can be deployed independently. This segmentation allows the tube to be extended only as much as needed for the filling operation, minimizing exposure to hot gases while maintaining ease of operation.
3Productivity
If the telescopic tube is extended to working position, then filling material can be introduced, but the tube is exposed to hot gases reducing its service life
Solution Approach 1:
The telescopic tube is designed to be quickly extended to the working position for filling and then rapidly retracted to the parked position. This rapid deployment and retraction minimizes the time the tube is exposed to hot gases, thereby maintaining high filling efficiency while preserving the tube's service life.
Solution Approach 2:
The dynamic telescopic mechanism allows the tube to be extended only during the actual filling operation and retracted immediately afterward. This dynamic positioning ensures the tube is exposed to hot gases only when necessary for productivity, maximizing both filling efficiency and service life.
4Productivity
If filling material is continuously supplied, then the tap hole can be filled efficiently, but overfilling may occur causing accumulation and safety issues
Solution Approach 1:
The detection system continuously monitors the filling level of the tap hole and provides real-time feedback to the control system. When the tap hole reaches the appropriate filling level, the detection system automatically signals the control system to stop the filling process. This feedback mechanism enables efficient continuous filling while preventing overfilling, thereby maintaining both productivity and reliability.
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 reduces the time and effort required for filling, enhances the service life of the backfill pipe, and ensures accurate filling by preventing overfilling and protecting the filling components from heat and gases, thus improving operational safety and efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
The intermediate section allows free-flowing, refractory filling material to fall through the telescopic tube under the influence of gravity as needed via the upper opening
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
AI summary
The invention relates to a device for the controlled filling of a tap opening, which is provided in a metallurgical furnace, with a trickle-proof, fire-resistant mass, comprising a filling pipe having a lower opening (11) and an upper opening (10), a container for the filling mass, and a closing device, wherein the upper opening (10) is connected to the container by means of the closing device, which is interposed therebetween, in such a way that the the connection can be opened and closed by means of the closing device under control by means of a control device such that filling mass falls through the filling pipe as a result of the closing device being opened, wherein the filling pipe is designed as a telescopic pipe.