EP0056942B1 - Installation for the holding and changing of immersion lances - Google Patents

Abstract

1. Apparatus for holding and changing an immersion lance which may be connected to a supply pipe (19) by means of a spring loaded sealing and insertion device (18), characterized by a gripping arm (8) rotatable about a shaft (9) and connected to a drive (12) via linkage (10, 11), said gripping arm (8) being self-locking in the operating position, wherein the arm (8), the linkage (10, 11) and the sealing and insertion device (18) are mounted on a common base plate (7).

Description

The invention relates to a device for holding and changing a submersible lance which can be connected to a feed line via a spring-loaded plug-in and sealing device.

It has been known for decades to desulfurize iron melts by adding substances that are able to react with the sulfur compounds contained in the melts at high temperatures and under reducing conditions. The powdered or granular products are introduced into the melt in metered amounts by means of an immersion lance and carrier gas, preferably argon.

Such a method and a device for dosing are described for example in EP-A-0013550. A novel system for introducing substances into the melt is also described in EP-A-0 056 944.

However, a problem is inadequately solved in the known systems, namely the attachment and changing of the diving lances. On these systems, the diving lances are laboriously changed by hand or comprise an unreasonably complex fastening and changing device, which also places great demands on the maintenance company.

From DE-A-2 738 291 a device for supplying substances by means of one or more lances in electric furnaces is also known. However, this device, in which the lance can be moved in an inclined plane with a slide, is relatively complicated.

The object of the present invention is to propose a device which is able to hold a diving lance in a simple manner and to prevent it from falling out, and which, if appropriate, allows automatic changing.

To achieve this object, the device according to the invention is characterized by a gripper and support arm connected to a drive via a linkage with a drive and pivotable about a horizontal axis in the operating position, the gripper and support arm, the linkage and as well as the insertion and sealing device on one common base plate are attached.

The drive consists of a hydraulically operated cylinder.

The linkage itself is designed so that during the diving lance insertion or. Sealing process describes curves that cross an imaginary line, whereby the plunger is automatically locked by the spring assembly, even if the hydraulic pressure fails.

Another unit of the device according to the invention consists of a diving lance holder which is adapted to the holding device and which allows the diving lance to be changed without any problems and without manual intervention.

In a preferred embodiment, the immersion lance quiver comprises a quiver which is arranged centrally on a turntable and has the required holders for the immersion lances. The quiver itself can be removed as a complete unit together with the diving lances attached to it with a crane and exchanged for another. For this purpose, the rotary table has an upward-tapering royal column, which ensures that the quiver is automatically centered on the rotary table.

• Figur 1a, eine bevorzugte Ausführung der erfindungsgemässen Vorrichtung in geöffneter, d. h. Ruhestellung ;
• Figur 1b, die Vorrichtung beim Ergreifen der Tauchlanze ;
• Figur 1c, die Vorrichtung in geschlossener, d. h. Arbeitsstellung ;
• Figur 2, eine bevorzugte Ausführungsform des Tauchlanzen-Köchers in Arbeitsstellung ;
• Figur 3, den Tauchlanzenköcher selbst ;
• Figur 4, eine Draufsicht der erfindungsgemässen Vorrichtung und des Lanzenköchers.

The invention is explained below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Show it :

• Figure 1a, a preferred embodiment of the device according to the invention in the open, ie rest position;
• Figure 1b, the device when gripping the diving lance;
• Figure 1c, the device in the closed, ie working position;
• Figure 2, a preferred embodiment of the diving lance quiver in the working position;
• Figure 3, the diving lance quiver itself;
• Figure 4 is a plan view of the device according to the invention and the lance holder.

FIG. 1 shows an immersion lance 1 which comprises at its upper end a tube (2) which, at a certain distance from each other, has a pair of nozzles 3 and 4 offset by 180 °. The nozzles 3 and 4 are preferably formed by round rods or thick-walled tubes, and are connected to the tube 2 in solidarity. The tube 2 can be connected in various ways with the immersion lance 1, for. B. by screwing or flange. At the end of the tube 2 there is a seal 5, which in the preferred embodiment is made of soft material, for. B. consists of an O-ring made of Viton. Furthermore, an arm 6 of a lance holder can be seen, which receives the immersion lance 2 via the two nozzles 4 which are offset by 180 °.

In the present example of the device according to the invention, a holder 7 is attached, which is connected to a guide device which, for. B. is described in the aforementioned document EP-A-56 944.

A gripper 8 is rotatably mounted on the holder 7 via an axis 9. The gripper 8 is moved about the axis 9 via a linkage 10 and 11 and a hydraulic cylinder 12. The cylinder 12 and the linkage 10 and 11 are rotatably mounted on the bracket 7 via axes 13 and 14, respectively. The linkage 10 and 11 is connected to one another via a further axis 15, the rod 11 at its end opposite the axis 15 via an axis of rotation 17 to the The piston rod of the cylinder 12 and the rod 10 are connected at their end opposite the axis 15 to the gripper 8 via a further axis 16. It should also be emphasized that the rod 11 can preferably also be designed as a triangle as shown in FIGS. 1 a, 1 b, 1 c.

Furthermore, a sealing device 18 is attached to the holder 7, which essentially comprises a pneumatic delivery line 19 fastened by screwing, a collecting funnel 20 provided for the tube 2, a spring assembly 21, and a spherical support surface 22 of the tube 2.

The mode of operation of the device according to the invention can be seen from FIGS. 1b and 1c.

To attach the immersion lance 1 to the immersion lance guide construction, the piston rod of the cylinder (12) is extended. This movement is passed on to the gripper 8 via the linkage 10 and 11 and via the axes of rotation 14, 15, 16 and 17. Here, the gripper 8 rotates about its axis of rotation 9 and comes into contact with the tube 2 via the two connecting pieces 3, which are offset by 180 °, and lifts the tube 2 with the immersion lance 1 out of the immersion lance holder 6. The tube 2 comes via the seal 5 in contact with the support surface 22. When the piston rod of the cylinder 12 is carried out further, the spring assembly 21 is now compressed and ensures absolutely reliable contact between the seal 5 and the support surface 22, which is required for the pneumatic transport.

A preferred embodiment of the device according to the invention consists in that during the extension of the cylinder 12, the axis 15 crosses the imaginary line between the axes 14 and 16. This ensures that the dead center of the system is exceeded, i. H. automatic self-locking of the gripper 8 is ensured. The self-locking system can only be unlocked via the cylinder 12. This is of great advantage since the cylinder 12 is only required for moving the gripper 8 and the sealing during the operation of the immersion lance 1 is carried out by the system as described above. The embodiment according to the invention is particularly advantageous if the cylinder 12 fails during the blowing.

It should also be emphasized that on the one hand the gripper 8, on the other hand the nozzles 3 and 4 and the immersion lance holder 6 are designed in such a way that when the gripper 8 is open (FIG. 1a) the immersion lance holder 6 rotates and when the gripper 8 is closed (FIG. 1c) Moving the entire sealing device 18 with the immersion lance 1 is guaranteed.

FIG. 2 shows the side view of a preferred embodiment of a submersible lance quiver on a centrally arranged rotary table 23 which is rotated via an electric motor 24 and a gear 25.

The rotary table 23 comprises a vertical king column 26, which is slightly conical at the top, for receiving the diving lance quiver. The submersible lance holder mainly consists of a central tree 27 which understands a certain number of lance holders 6a, 6b, into which submersible lances 1a, 1 are suspended via the connecting pieces 4a, 4b. An eyelet 28 is also provided for receiving a crane hook (see FIG. 3). So that the immersion lances 1a, 1b remain in a vertical position during transport, holders 29a, 29b are provided, into which the immersion lances 1a, 1b are inserted at their lower end.

The central tree 27 has a conical attachment 30, which automatically ensures centering together with the royal column 26.

The immersion lance holder is rotated so that the immersion lances 1a, 1b are always brought into a specific position. In a preferred embodiment, this can be done e.g. B. Limit switches can be reached. Furthermore, the rotation of the plate 23 can be achieved with the aid of a cylinder.

Figure 3 shows the entire immersion lance holder in the expanded position, such. B. to replace used diving lances at a point remote from the desulfurization system.

FIG. 4 schematically shows a top view during the diving lance change. It can be seen here that the immersion lance holder 7, arranged rotatably on a bracket 33 via a holding arm 31, is moved in or out tangentially into the immersion lance holder 26. Furthermore, among other things, the steel pan 34 and the rigid piping 32 with swivel joints of the pneumatic transport can be seen.

Instead of providing a round drivable quiver, a displaceable quiver can also be used in which the lances are suspended in rows next to one another.

Claims (5)

1. Apparatus for holding and changing an immersion lance which may be connected to a supply pipe (19) by means of a spring loaded sealing and insertion device (18), characterized by a gripping arm (8) rotatable about a shaft (9) and connected to a drive (12) via linkage (10,11), said gripping arm (8) being self-locking in the operating position, wherein the arm (8), the linkage (10,11) and the sealing and insertion device (18) are mounted on a common base plate (7).

2. Apparatus in accordance with Claim 1, characterized by the fact that the linkage (10, 11) is so arranged that in the closing operation, a dead centre is passed, resulting in the locking of the gripping device (8).

3. Apparatus in accordance with Claim 2, characterized by the fact that the driving device consists of a hydraulically actuated cylinder (12).

4. Apparatus in accordance with Claim 1, characterized by an immersion lance holder resting on a conical main column (26) integrally connected with a rotary table (23).

5. Apparatus in accordance with Claim 4, characterized by the fact that the driving system of the rotary table (23) comprises a gearing (25) and an electric motor (24).

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