Metallurgical Vessel Wall Optical Waveguide Integration
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Solution Overview
Problem
Modern arc furnaces operate inefficiently due to thermal radiation from the arc being lost to the furnace walls, leading to increased energy consumption and cooling demands, and existing temperature measurement methods, such as optical fibers, suffer from long rise times, making real-time monitoring and control challenging.
Innovation Solution
Introducing optical waveguides directly into the hot side of metallurgical vessel walls, specifically in grooves milled on the copper plates, allows for precise temperature and expansion monitoring, enabling real-time monitoring and reducing the need for excessive safety reserves, with rise times as low as 0.1 seconds using a thin cladding tube and friction stir welding for secure integration.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If optical fibers are introduced into the wall from the cold side, then installation is easier, but rise time increases to 2-3 seconds
Solution Approach 1:
The patent inverts the conventional approach by introducing optical waveguides from the hot side instead of the cold side. The grooves are milled on the hot side of the copper plate, and waveguides are embedded there, allowing light to be introduced directly at the measurement point. This inversion reduces the optical path length and thermal mass affecting the measurement, achieving rise times of 0.1 seconds while maintaining installation feasibility through the milling and embedding process.
2Ease of manufacture
If arc furnace operates with free burning arc, then melting process is simpler, but thermal radiation is lost to furnace walls increasing energy consumption
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a feedback control system using optical waveguides embedded in the furnace wall to monitor thermal radiation and wall temperature in real-time. The measured data is fed back to the control system, which adjusts the arc position and intensity to optimize energy utilization. This allows the furnace to operate with a free-burning arc for process simplicity while using feedback control to minimize thermal radiation losses to the walls, achieving energy efficiency without compromising operational simplicity.
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 enables efficient energy use by allowing the arc furnace to operate closer to its heat output limit, reduces unnecessary cooling demands, and provides accurate, real-time data for controlling the melting process, preventing overheating and extending the lifespan of vessel components.
Implementation Method 1
optical waveguides are introduced into the wall of the vessel for acquiring data of the metallurgical vessel or the first metal
Implementation Method 2
the filler piece and the material of the wall panels are connected by a welding process, in particular by friction stir welding
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2~3
AI summary
The invention relates to a metallurgical vessel having a hollow chamber for treating a first liquid metal or for liquefying a metal, said vessel comprising cooled wall plates (1) having a hot side facing the hollow chamber and a cold side facing away from the hollow chamber made of a second metal and which is provided with optical waveguides (5, 6, 7) for detecting data of the metallurgical vessel or of the first metal, characterized in that the optical waveguides (5, 6, 7) are arranged in the region of the hot side close to the surface.