The invention concerns a metallurgical vessel, especially a converter.
Mainly AOD converters are used to produce stainless steel. In the AOD (Argon Oxygen Decarburization) process, process gases (argon, oxygen, or even nitrogen) are mixed into the molten bath. Due to the strong dynamic bath motion in the converter vessel that is associated with the process, the refractory lining of the converter is subject to strong wear, so that the converter lining must be replaced at regular intervals. To keep the converter downtime as short as possible, it is common practice to work with exchange vessels. To allow the converter to be changed, it is necessary to disconnect the vessel mounting from the trunnion ring surrounding the converter and to detach the process gas and inert gas lines.
In converters with a charge weight above about 80 tonnes, well-known mounting elements, for example, swing bolts, take on dimensions that make them difficult to handle manually due to their weight. In addition, the heat radiation from the converter and the poor and dangerous access make activity more difficult. The same is true of process gases, which are carried by flexible hoses and pipelines to the tuyeres mounted on the vessel.
After the converter has been disconnected from the trunnion ring, it is lifted out of the trunnion ring. If the building crane cannot act directly on the converter, a converter change car can be used to lift the converter in the converter stand and move it out of the U-shaped trunnion ring, i.e., out of the side of the trunnion ring that is open in the direction of travel. The trunnion ring may be cooled or uncooled. There are limits to how high the converter can be lifted, because the waste gas hood is mounted directly above the converter.
A manual operating system of the type described above is disclosed in DE 20 51 382 A1, which describes a tiltable crucible or converter with a releasable clamping device between a trunnion ring that surrounds the converter and supporting trunnions on the converter. The supporting trunnions are supported in bearing bushings that are releasably joined with the trunnion ring. The bearing boxes themselves are mounted on the support body by draw hooks, which can be swiveled in and out of an engaged position, where this draw hook connection can be manually broken and reestablished.
Furthermore, solutions are known which already create a mounting system without manual engagement in the vicinity of the converter, as described in the additional application DE 25 11 610 A1 to DE 20 51 382 A1 cited above. In particular, each supporting trunnion has a lower bearing bushing half and an upper bearing bushing bolting piece, which surround the bearing bushing of the supporting trunnions in the engaged position. The upper bearing bushing bolting piece can be swung away by a pressure medium cylinder, so that the bearing bushing is released towards the top, and the converter can be lifted from the support body. In addition, the upper side of this bearing bushing bolting piece has a fitting surface, with which the hook end of a draw hook rotatably supported on the support body can be engaged. This draw hook is moved by a separate pressure medium cylinder. The draw hook is held locked in the engaged position by self-locking clamping devices mounted on the support body. All together, in this solution, the supporting trunnion is locked indirectly by the bearing bushing bolting piece and the draw hook that acts on it. Due to its dimensions, this mounting system requires a large lifting height, i.e., a generous amount of clearance above the converter.
In another embodiment according to DE 25 11 610 A1, the converter has claw-like brackets joined with the converter wall as bearing elements instead of the supporting trunnions and the bearing bushings. The brackets have inclined surfaces, with which the hook ends of the draw hooks can be engaged and disengaged. The undersides of the brackets are flat. They lie on the flat upper side of the support body. This is associated with the disadvantage of insecure clamping.
Accordingly, the objective of the invention is to create a converter with a mounting system for a support body which eliminates the disadvantages of the previously known systems. It must be possible to clamp the converter securely on the supporting trunnion and to connect the lines for the process gases securely on the converter.
In particular, the invention proposes that the support brackets and a mounting area of the support body or trunnion ring that receives each support bracket are suitably configured relative to each other in such a way that the support bracket is securely guided and fixed when mechanical and/or thermal movements occur.
The converter vessel is securely held by an automatically operated lever clamping system, especially a lever clamping system that can be hydraulically operated on one side, in combination with a compact vessel guide with a low design. In the opened state of the clamping lever system, the converter is to be lifted only by the amount that is necessary for it to come safely out of the vessel guide.
The automatic mounting system consists essentially of two components. First, clamping means or a hydraulically operated single-action clamping lever, which describes a rotational movement by means of a lifting cylinder, is integrated in the support body or trunnion ring. Second, each support bracket has an integrated vessel guiding and/or vessel fixing shape, such that the support bracket tapers towards its underside and/or outside. This vessel guiding and/or vessel fixing shape is preferably conical. This guide serves the purpose of securely guiding and/or fixing the vessel relative to the support body during thermal expansion and tilting movements, i.e., during thermal and mechanical movements. A connection that is both secure and releasable is thus produced between the support body and the converter vessel. The clamping lever is swiveled by the support brackets and in its end position presses the brackets securely against the support body.
In accordance with a preferred variant, independent release of the clamping lever is prevented by an automatic self-locking mechanism.
The support brackets in the support body are reliably guided into their working position both in the axial direction and in the tangential and radial direction and are fixed during operation.
As described earlier, it is not merely necessary to lift the metallurgical vessel out of the support body and insert it again. In this operation, it is also necessary to make sure that the lines that convey the process gases and inert gases to the converter are reliably detached from the vessel and later reattached to the vessel. Therefore, the invention also proposes a coupling device for automatically disconnecting and connecting the media supply system that supplies process gases and/or inert gases for the vessel. This device comprises a first coupling component or male part on the support body and a second coupling component or female part on the converter or in the converter wall with sealing elements and a coupling mechanism relative to the first coupling component.
To be able to compensate variable distances between the support body and converter vessel, for example, due to different thermal expansions, the coupling components are designed to be self-centering relative to each other. In this way, a secure connection is always guaranteed.
Further details and advantages of the invention are apparent from the following description, in which the specific embodiments of the invention illustrated in the drawings are explained in greater detail. The invention includes not only the combinations of features described above but also the described features alone or in other combinations.
The tiltable metallurgical vessel 1 shown in
The converter 2 is held on the trunnion ring 4 by an automatic mounting system 9, which in the present case is formed on three sides of the converter. One side of the trunnion ring 4 is left open to allow the converter 2 to be moved in and out. To allow the converter 2 to be mounted, three support brackets 10 are arranged on the vessel wall 3 of the converter 2. The support brackets 10 rest in a suitably configured mounting area 11 of the trunnion ring 4.
The automatic mounting system 9 comprises clamping means 12 in the form of a clamping lever 13 that embraces the respective support brackets 10 on one side. This clamping lever 13 is rotatably supported on a first lower arm 14. The clamping lever 13 is connected with a hydraulic pressure unit 17 by a second lower arm 15 and a coupling element 16 that can be swiveled. The piston of the hydraulic pressure unit 17 can be moved along a guide 18 and rotates the clamping lever 13 about a swivel bearing 19. The dot-dash line indicates the clamping lever 13 in an opened position, and the solid line indicates the clamping lever 13 in its engaged position or clamping position. The clamping lever 13 is mounted on the trunnion ring 4 by the swivel bearing 19 and the hydraulic pressure unit 17.
A groove-like mounting area 11 for the support brackets 10 of the converter 2 is formed on the upper side 20 (see
If the support bracket 10 is located in this predetermined position or fixing position, the clamping lever 13 automatically swivels out of its opened position along the indicated circular arc (see
In the embodiment shown here, the support bracket 10 itself is welded together from a plate construction in order to bring about the desired configuration with respect to the lower support bracket region 24 (see especially
The proposed invention thus creates a converter 2 with an automatic mounting system 9, which produces optimum efficiency even in the event of thermal fluctuations. At the same time, a coupling device is proposed, which allows optimum disconnection of the supply system during a converter change and at the same time can compensate thermal fluctuations during operation. This coupling device is shown in
All together, the invention creates an automatic vessel mounting system with automatic process gas coupling for converter systems with process gas tuyeres. The changing of a metallurgical vessel is greatly simplified, because the manual disconnection of the usual vessel mounting elements is eliminated. In addition, automatic disconnection/connection of the process gas and inert gas supply without manual action is ensured. The changing times for metallurgical exchange vessels are greatly reduced. Furthermore, the invention ensures that no operating personnel will have to work on the converter support body or trunnion ring or in the immediate vicinity of the vessel, which is desirable due to the otherwise poor and dangerous accessibility.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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10 2004 062 871 | Dec 2004 | DE | national |
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind | 371c Date |
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PCT/EP2005/013680 | 12/19/2005 | WO | 00 | 1/28/2008 |
Publishing Document | Publishing Date | Country | Kind |
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WO2006/066854 | 6/29/2006 | WO | A |
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6331269 | Moriceau | Dec 2001 | B1 |
20060131796 | Schubert et al. | Jun 2006 | A1 |
Number | Date | Country |
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9929912 | Jun 1999 | WO |
WO 9929912 | Jun 1999 | WO |
2004042091 | May 2004 | WO |
Number | Date | Country | |
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20080111286 A1 | May 2008 | US |