EP2098603B1 - Verfahren zum Schmelzen von Aluminium - Google Patents

Verfahren zum Schmelzen von Aluminium Download PDF

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Publication number
EP2098603B1
EP2098603B1 EP20080004192 EP08004192A EP2098603B1 EP 2098603 B1 EP2098603 B1 EP 2098603B1 EP 20080004192 EP20080004192 EP 20080004192 EP 08004192 A EP08004192 A EP 08004192A EP 2098603 B1 EP2098603 B1 EP 2098603B1
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EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
burner
furnace
during
temperature
starting material
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Not-in-force
Application number
EP20080004192
Other languages
English (en)
French (fr)
Other versions
EP2098603A1 (de
Inventor
Henrik Gripenberg
Johannes Lodin
Lars-Göran Elfgren
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Linde GmbH
Original Assignee
Linde GmbH
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Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Linde GmbH filed Critical Linde GmbH
Priority to EP20080004192 priority Critical patent/EP2098603B1/de
Publication of EP2098603A1 publication Critical patent/EP2098603A1/de
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of EP2098603B1 publication Critical patent/EP2098603B1/de
Not-in-force legal-status Critical Current
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical

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Classifications

    • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
    • C22—METALLURGY; FERROUS OR NON-FERROUS ALLOYS; TREATMENT OF ALLOYS OR NON-FERROUS METALS
    • C22B—PRODUCTION AND REFINING OF METALS; PRETREATMENT OF RAW MATERIALS
    • C22B21/00—Obtaining aluminium
    • C22B21/0084—Obtaining aluminium melting and handling molten aluminium
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F27—FURNACES; KILNS; OVENS; RETORTS
    • F27B—FURNACES, KILNS, OVENS, OR RETORTS IN GENERAL; OPEN SINTERING OR LIKE APPARATUS
    • F27B3/00—Hearth-type furnaces, e.g. of reverberatory type; Tank furnaces
    • F27B3/10—Details, accessories, or equipment peculiar to hearth-type furnaces
    • F27B3/20—Arrangements of heating devices
    • F27B3/205—Burners
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F27—FURNACES; KILNS; OVENS; RETORTS
    • F27B—FURNACES, KILNS, OVENS, OR RETORTS IN GENERAL; OPEN SINTERING OR LIKE APPARATUS
    • F27B3/00—Hearth-type furnaces, e.g. of reverberatory type; Tank furnaces
    • F27B3/10—Details, accessories, or equipment peculiar to hearth-type furnaces
    • F27B3/28—Arrangement of controlling, monitoring, alarm or the like devices

Definitions

  • the invention relates to a method for heating and melting of a starting material in a furnace by means of at least one burner which is operated with a fuel and an oxygen-containing gas, wherein said starting material contains a metal, especially aluminium, comprising the steps of
  • the invention relates in particular to the heating and melting of aluminium in reverberatory furnaces heated by means of fuel-fired burners.
  • the process is typically a batch process.
  • the material to be melted for example scrap or ingots, is charged through large doors into the furnace.
  • a furnace is charged one or more times during a process cycle.
  • the scrap is heated to the melting point, melted and the resulting liquid aluminium is superheated to the specified end temperature.
  • An example of an end temperature is 720°C.
  • reverberatory furnaces as described in WO 2004/07924 A2 , it is state of the art to measure the temperature in the furnace so that the burner power can be reduced when the maximum allowed working temperature of the refractory has been reached. That means, the measuring devices are mainly used to protect the refractory. A typical example of such a maximum working temperature is 1100°C.
  • thermodynamic data show that about 94% of the theoretical energy needed for that process is for heating and melting of the aluminium and the remaining 6% of the theoretical energy is for superheating of the liquid metal.
  • This object is achieved by a method for heating and melting of a starting material in a furnace by means of at least one burner which is operated with a fuel and an oxygen-containing gas, wherein said starting material contains a metal comprising the steps of
  • step b) shall mean a time interval which is at least 30%, preferably 50%, more preferred 75% of the time needed for the phase transformation of the metal from the solid to the liquid state. Even more preferred, this term comprises the time interval when 10% of the starting material, more preferred 5% of the starting material, has been melted until 90% of the starting material, more preferred 95% of the starting material, has been melted.
  • the purpose of the invention is to optimise the energy input during the heating and melting phase individually and independent of each other and thereby increase the productivity and reduce metal oxidation.
  • the invention is in particular useful for heating and melting aluminium.
  • the invention will be described with reference to aluminium heating and melting. But the man skilled in the art will acknowledge that the invention as well as the different inventive embodiments can also be used for heating and melting of other metals, such as copper, lead and iron.
  • aluminium in solid state is not sensitive to oxidation. In fact, oxidation during heating up to the melting point of aluminium can be neglected.
  • the theoretical energy for heating the metal to the melting point represents 59% of the total theoretical energy needed for heating up, melting and superheating.
  • the theoretical energy needed for the phase transformation from solid to liquid aluminium represents 35% of the total theoretical energy needed.
  • aluminium in liquid state is more sensitive to oxidation.
  • the oxidation rate is temperature dependent.
  • the metal consumes energy without increasing its temperature.
  • the first formed liquid metal will increase its temperature.
  • the temperature of the liquid aluminium might increase to such a value that is critical for oxidation.
  • the idea of the invention is to divide the process into three steps a), b) c) instead of two steps as in prior art.
  • the first step a) is characterized by heating up the starting material to the melting point of aluminium.
  • a very high energy input can be used without any risk of oxidation.
  • the second step b) is the phase transformation from solid aluminium to the liquid phase.
  • step b) a new way of controlling the burner power based on a variable power limitation is introduced.
  • the burner power is preferably as high as possible without overheating and oxidising the liquid aluminium that is formed. This is achieved by controlling the output power of the burner depending on the furnace temperature.
  • the third step c) is the phase of superheating the liquid aluminium.
  • the output power of the burner is preferably controlled depending on the temperature of the liquid metal as already known from the prior art.
  • the energy input is optimised individually for step a) and b), and preferably also for step c).
  • the furnace temperature is kept substantially constant at least during a part of the phase transformation step b).
  • the energy supply to the furnace corresponds to what the starting material can utilize for the phase transformation at any time interval.
  • the term "substantially constant” shall mean that the furnace temperature fluctuates less than 10%, preferably less than 5%.
  • the maximum temperature deviation ⁇ T shall be less than 10 %, preferably less than 5% of the average furnace temperature during that part of the phase transformation step. For example, in the time interval from 10% of the starting material being melted to 90% of the starting material being melted the furnace temperature is kept within the temperature range from 900 °C to 980 °C.
  • the output power of said burner is a continuous function of the furnace temperature.
  • Continuous function shall mean a function for which, intuitively, small changes in the input result in small changes in the output. That is, small changes in the furnace temperature shall only result in small changes of the energy input into the furnace.
  • the functional relation between burner power and furnace temperature is no step function, that is the burner power is not changed stepwise in response to small changes of the furnace temperature.
  • the output power of said burner is a monotonically decreasing function of the furnace temperature.
  • a function f is called monotonically decreasing if, whenever x ⁇ y, then f(x) ⁇ f(y), so it reverses the order.
  • Oxyfuel burners have much higher potential to supply energy than air fuel burners. Especially at the beginning of a batch when the temperature of the furnace is low, there is a process window when the oxyfuel burners could be operated at much higher powers than is state of the art today. However, it is important to reduce the power once liquid metal starts to form in order to avoid oxidation.
  • oxyfuel burner shall mean a burner which is operated with a fossil fuel, in particular a liquid or gaseous fuel, and a gas containing more than 21 % oxygen.
  • the gas contains at least 80% oxygen.
  • the oxyfuel burner can also be operated in the all oxyfuel mode meaning that the oxygen containing gas is technical pure oxygen.
  • aluminium melting inventive process step b) should preferably start at a furnace temperature between 850 and 970 °C, preferred at 850 °C, more preferred at 900 °C, more preferred at 920 °C.
  • the starting temperature for process step b) may also be within a temperature range of ⁇ 10 °C of the above mentioned temperatures.
  • step c) commences at a furnace temperature between 930°C and 1000 °C, more preferred between 940°C and 970°C. Then the burner control is preferably changed from a control depending on the furnace temperature to a control depending on the temperature of the liquid aluminium.
  • furnace bath area shall mean the area of the furnace floor, that is the area which is covered by the molten starting material at the end of the melting process.
  • the burner power preferably varies between 90 kW/m 2 and 260 kW/m 2 depending on the furnace temperature.
  • the burner power input is again related to the furnace bath area.
  • An aluminium melting furnace is fired with oxyfuel burners which are operated with a gaseous fossil fuel and oxygen.
  • oxyfuel burners which are operated with a gaseous fossil fuel and oxygen.
  • the starting material is charged to a furnace and heated by means of oxyfuel burners.
  • oxidation of aluminium can be neglected.
  • the oxyfuel burners are operated at a high power of 3000 kW (step a).
  • process step b) commences.
  • the maximum burner power is chosen as a function of the furnace temperature. This data is programmed in the PLC or an equivalent system.
  • the furnace temperature is the temperature read from a thermocouple located at the inside of the furnace and close to the furnace roof refractory.
  • the maximum burner power is fixed (in this example 3000 kW) as long as there is only solid aluminium present.
  • the oxyfuel burner is operated at maximum power at temperatures lower than 900°C.
  • the burner power limitation is variable.
  • the PLC calculates the burner power limitation as a function of the furnace temperature. Between these two temperatures, the power limitation is continuously and linear reduced from 3000 kW at 900°C down to 1200kW at 950°C.
  • heating and melting would have a fixed power limitation, for example 2000 kW, and control the power based on the signal from a thermo couple.
  • the furnace temperature approaches the set point (e.g. 1100°C) the burner power is reduced by the controller.
  • Figure 2 shows the furnace temperature and the accumulated burner energy curves for a batch of 9t aluminium.
  • the solid Al is heated with 3000 kW. After 0.57h the temperature has reached 900°C and the variable power limitation according to the invention starts. Also the phase transformation starts (step b).
  • the temperature curve (bold line) becomes almost flat. There is established a balance between the energy supplied and the energy consumed for the phase transformation solid to liquid.
  • the temperature increase after 1.37h indicates that most of the metal is molten and that the temperature of the liquid metal is increasing. In the example the burner was shut off after 1.55h.

Landscapes

  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
  • General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Manufacturing & Machinery (AREA)
  • Materials Engineering (AREA)
  • Metallurgy (AREA)
  • Organic Chemistry (AREA)
  • Vertical, Hearth, Or Arc Furnaces (AREA)
  • Manufacture And Refinement Of Metals (AREA)

Claims (10)

  1. Verfahren zum Erhitzen und Schmelzen eines Ausgangsmaterials in einem Ofen mittels mindestens eines mit einem Brennstoff und einem sauerstoffhaltigen Gas betriebenen Brenners, bei dem das Ausgangsmaterial ein Metall enthält, wobei das Verfahren die folgenden Schritte umfasst:
    a) Erhitzen des Ausgangsmaterials bis zum Schmelzpunkt des Metalls, wobei Schritt a) endet, wenn die Phasenumwandlung einsetzt und sich flüssiges Metall zu bilden beginnt;
    b) Umwandeln des Metalls aus der festen Phase in die flüssige Phase; und
    c) Überhitzen des in der flüssigen Phase befindlichen Metalls,
    dadurch gekennzeichnet, dass mindestens während eines Teils des Schritts b) die abgegebene Leistung des Brenners abhängig von der Ofentemperatur kontrolliert wird, wobei während des Teils des Schritts b) die abgegebene Leistung des Brenners in Abhängigkeit von der Ofentemperatur gleichförmig abnimmt, dass die Ofentemperatur mindestens während eines Teils des Phasenumwandlungsschritts b) im Wesentlichen konstant gehalten wird, und dass während des Schritts c) die abgegebene Leistung des Brenners abhängig von der Temperatur des flüssigen Metalls kontrolliert wird.
  2. Verfahren nach Anspruch 1, dadurch gekennzeichnet, dass der Mindestteil von Schritt b) die Zeitspanne umfasst, während der 10% des Ausgangsmaterials bis zu 90% des Ausgangsmaterials geschmolzen werden.
  3. Verfahren nach einem der Ansprüche 1 oder 2, dadurch gekennzeichnet, dass während des Teils von Schritt b) die Leistung des Brenners fortlaufend in Abhängigkeit von der Ofentemperatur abgegeben wird.
  4. Verfahren nach einem der Ansprüche 1 bis 3, dadurch gekennzeichnet, dass während des Teils von Schritt b) die abgegebene Leistung des Brenners mit zunehmender Ofentemperatur reduziert wird.
  5. Verfahren nach einem der Ansprüche 1 bis 4, dadurch gekennzeichnet, dass während des Teils von Schritt b) die Ofentemperatur weniger als 10% schwankt.
  6. Verfahren nach einem der Ansprüche 1 bis 5, dadurch gekennzeichnet, dass das sauerstoffhaltige Gas mehr als 21% Sauerstoff enthält.
  7. Verfahren nach einem der Ansprüche 1 bis 6, dadurch gekennzeichnet, dass das Ausgangsmaterial Aluminium enthält und dass die abgegebene Leistung des Brenners abhängig von der Ofentemperatur bei Temperaturen von mehr als 850°C kontrolliert wird.
  8. Verfahren nach einem der Ansprüche 1 bis 7, dadurch gekennzeichnet, dass während des Schritts a) die abgegebene Leistung des Brenners/der Brenner mindestens 220 kW pro m2 Ofenbadfläche, vorzugsweise mindestens 260 kW pro m2 Ofenbadfläche beträgt, und/oder dass die abgegebene Leistung während des Teils von Schritt b) zwischen 260 kW pro m2 Ofenbadfläche und 90 kW pro m2 Ofenbadfläche liegt.
  9. Verfahren nach einem der Ansprüche 1 bis 8, dadurch gekennzeichnet, dass das Ausgangsmaterial Aluminium enthält.
  10. Verfahren nach einem der Ansprüche 1 bis 9, dadurch gekennzeichnet, dass das sauerstoffhaltige Gas mehr als 80% Sauerstoff enthält.
EP20080004192 2008-03-06 2008-03-06 Verfahren zum Schmelzen von Aluminium Not-in-force EP2098603B1 (de)

Priority Applications (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
EP20080004192 EP2098603B1 (de) 2008-03-06 2008-03-06 Verfahren zum Schmelzen von Aluminium

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
EP20080004192 EP2098603B1 (de) 2008-03-06 2008-03-06 Verfahren zum Schmelzen von Aluminium

Publications (2)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP2098603A1 EP2098603A1 (de) 2009-09-09
EP2098603B1 true EP2098603B1 (de) 2013-01-23

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* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
DE102010029648A1 (de) 2010-06-02 2011-04-07 Kutzner, Dieter, Dipl.-Ing. Verfahren zum Schmelzen von Metallen oder Glas oder zur Wärmebehandlung von Metallen

Family Cites Families (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
JPS59229175A (ja) * 1983-06-08 1984-12-22 住友軽金属工業株式会社 溶解炉等の加熱制御方法
AT409269B (de) * 2000-09-08 2002-07-25 Heribert Dipl Ing Dr Summer Verfahren zum salzlosen und oxidationsfreien umschmelzen von aluminium
GB0304306D0 (en) * 2003-02-26 2003-04-02 Evans Thomas H Furnace

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