EP3645173B1 - Galvanized-wire cooling device - Google Patents

Description

The invention relates to the field of wire coating, more particularly to the dip coating of moving wires, such as for example the galvanizing of metal wires. More particularly still, the invention relates to a device for cooling coated wires, in particular coated metal wires emerging from a continuous hot-dip galvanizing bath, or more generally from an anti-corrosion bath.

Continuous hot-dip galvanizing of metal wire generally consists of immersing a metal wire in a bath of molten metal (zinc-based alloy); to control the load of the metal coating on the moving wire by means of a gas projection wiping system at the outlet of the galvanizing bath; and finally to cool the wire to an acceptable temperature before contact between the galvanizing coating and the driving parts of the moving wire. It is well known to those skilled in the art to cool a moving metal wire by spraying water, gas, or a water / gas mixture. In a continuous galvanizing line of metal wires, several wires move in parallel with respect to each other; and it is known for post-galvanizing cooling to use cooling devices forming a water jet oriented on each of the wires to be cooled.

Each water jet is conventionally formed by a nozzle oriented towards a running wire and connected to a water supply pipe. The nozzle is generally directed towards the wire in a direction forming a substantially acute angle with the direction of travel of the wire so that the water jet, at the level of the apex of its path, contacts the wire before falling back into a tray behind the wire.

In the event of a change in the size of the metal wires or of planned maintenance activities, it is necessary to stop the water supply to all the nozzle devices to stop the water jets. During this operation, the fall of water drops in the galvanizing bath must be avoided because this risks generating a splash of molten metal, which can seriously injure the operator in motion around the equipment or any person in the vicinity. This risk is even more critical in the event of failure of the galvanizing installation requiring an emergency stop.

The patent US 3,743,535 describes for example a device for cooling wires by water jets for a galvanizing installation.

Other wire cooling devices are described in US 3,853,306 , WO 2010/079452 or WO 03/104500 .

The object of the invention is to overcome the disadvantages of the state of the art, in particular of the aforementioned state of the art. More particularly, the object of the invention is to provide a cooling system the implementation of which is simple, and which allows rapid stopping of the projection of water towards the wires for better operator safety.

• un bloc d'alimentation avec une chambre pour un fluide de refroidissement et une pluralité de sorties de fluide ;
• une pluralité de têtes de projection munies chacune d'un ou plusieurs orifices de projection du fluide de refroidissement vers un fil à refroidir, chaque tête de projection étant raccordée à une sortie de fluide respective de sorte à alimenter en fluide un passage interne de la tête de projection s'étendant jusqu'à le ou les orifices de projection ;
• une vanne de service associée à chaque tête de projection apte à contrôler sélectivement l'alimentation en fluide du passage interne de la tête de projection ;
• un moyen de purge associé à chaque tête de projection configuré pour, lors de son déclenchement, permettre l'évacuation de fluide hors du passage interne, en vue d'arrêter la projection de fluide par le ou les orifices de projection.

With this objective in mind, the present invention provides a cooling system for a running yarn coating installation, which comprises:

• a power supply with a chamber for a cooling fluid and a plurality of fluid outlets;
• a plurality of projection heads each provided with one or more orifices for projecting the cooling fluid towards a wire to be cooled, each projection head being connected to a respective fluid outlet so as to supply fluid to an internal passage of the head projection extending to the projection orifice (s);
• a service valve associated with each projection head capable of selectively controlling the supply of fluid to the internal passage of the projection head;
• a purge means associated with each projection head configured to, when triggered, allow the evacuation of fluid out of the internal passage, with a view to stopping the projection of fluid through the projection orifice or orifices.

In the invention, the purge means is therefore provided to cause a loss of pressure, preferably almost instantaneous, in the internal fluid passage of the projection head, by evacuation of the fluid. This purge means, which will act downstream of the service valve, allows the cooling fluid to be evacuated to a position closer to the projection orifices, which results in an immediate stopping of the water projection.

It will be noted that the effects are immediate and in this sense innovative compared to the state of the art: more risk of water being splashed on the surface of the molten galvanizing bath. As a reminder, the major risks consist in trapping a drop of liquid, in particular water, in the molten metal bath (most often between 400 and 750 ° C depending on the metal coatings or between 50 and 300 ° C for organic coatings. or polymers). The vaporization energy of the drop of water is accompanied by a strong volumetric expansion, and projects the liquid metal several meters away generating very high risk of burns which can even be fatal for a nearby operator. The activation (triggering) of the purge means in the system of the invention therefore makes it possible to suddenly stop the spraying of water and to prevent such droplets from falling into the bath of molten metal.

The purge means of the present system is particularly advantageous for instantaneous shutdown of the cooling system, and will also be called emergency purge means. But as will be seen, the purging means can also be used for a planned maintenance shutdown or for any current operation.

Preferably, the purge means is of the vacuum type, which allows forced evacuation of the cooling fluid out of the internal passage of the projection head. Thus, the emergency purge means advantageously comprises a cooling fluid suction means. In particular, it is possible to use a vacuum chamber coupled to a vacuum pump.

According to a variant, the emergency purge means comprises for each head a purge line connecting the control head (in particular a purge orifice), via a purge solenoid valve, to the suction means (for example the vacuum chamber ).

For even greater efficiency, the activation of the emergency purge means is advantageously coupled with the closing of the service valve. That is, the cooling system control module is designed so that when an emergency stop of a given spray head is desired, activation of the emergency purge means ( opening of the purge solenoid valve) is carried out substantially simultaneously with the closing of the service valve.

• le passage interne des têtes de projection comprend une préchambre d'alimentation avec un orifice de purge coopérant avec le moyen de purge, et des conduites de projection débouchant sur les orifices de projection, les entrées des conduites de projection partant de la préchambre d'alimentation ;
• la ou les conduites de projection ont une section continue entre leur entrée et leur sortie ;
• le passage interne des têtes de projection définit un encaissement formant la partie inférieure de la préchambre d'alimentation, l'orifice de purge étant réalisé au niveau dudit encaissement ;
• le passage interne des têtes de projection comprend en outre une chambre de réserve de fluide suivie d'un passage restreint en aval de ladite chambre, ledit passage restreint étant suivi de la préchambre d'alimentation ;
• la section de la chambre de réserve se réduit avec l'approche du passage restreint vers la préchambre d'alimentation ;
• une vanne, de préférence de type diaphragme, est prévue pour régler individuellement le débit de chaque conduite de projection ;
• chacune des têtes de projection est montée de manière amovible sur le bloc d'alimentation, de préférence via une pièce raccord fixée par un premier accouplement mécanique étanche au bloc et par un deuxième accouplement mécanique étanche à la tête de projection, la pièce raccord comprenant un passage interne pour acheminer le fluide de la sortie vers le passage interne de la tête de projection ;
• la vanne de service associée à chaque tête de projection est montée sur la pièce raccord et permet d'obturer ou libérer le passage à travers le passage interne.

Depending on the variant, the system includes one or more of the following technical characteristics:

• the internal passage of the projection heads comprises a supply prechamber with a purge orifice cooperating with the purge means, and projection conduits opening onto the projection orifices, the inlets of the projection conduits leaving from the supply prechamber ;
• the projection pipe (s) have a continuous section between their inlet and their outlet;
• the internal passage of the projection heads defines a casing forming the lower part of the supply prechamber, the purge orifice being made at the level of said casing;
• the internal passage of the projection heads further comprises a fluid reserve chamber followed by a restricted passage downstream of said chamber, said restricted passage being followed by the supply prechamber;
• the section of the reserve chamber is reduced with the approach of the restricted passage towards the supply prechamber;
• a valve, preferably of the diaphragm type, is provided to individually adjust the flow rate of each projection pipe;
• each of the projection heads is removably mounted on the power supply unit, preferably via a connection piece fixed by a first sealed mechanical coupling to the block and by a second sealed mechanical coupling to the projection head, the connection piece comprising a internal passage for conveying fluid from the outlet to the internal passage of the projection head;
• the service valve associated with each projection head is mounted on the connection piece and makes it possible to close or free the passage through the internal passage.

• Figure 1 : A) une vue de dessus et B) une vue de côté d'un mode de réalisation d'un système de refroidissement pour une installation de revêtement de fils conforme à l'invention (dans la vue 1B le bloc d'alimentation est tronqué) ;
• Figure 2 : vue en coupe du système de refroidissement de la figure 1A au niveau d'une tête de projection (coupe A-A) ;
• Figures 3 et 4 : vues schématiques de deux modes de réalisation alternatifs.

Other features and characteristics of the invention will emerge from the detailed description of at least one advantageous embodiment presented below, by way of illustration, with reference to the accompanying drawings. These show:

• Figure 1 : A) a top view and B) a side view of an embodiment of a cooling system for a wire coating installation according to the invention (in view 1B the power supply unit is truncated );
• Figure 2 : sectional view of the cooling system of the figure 1A at the level of a projection head (cut AA);
• Figures 3 and 4 : schematic views of two alternative embodiments.

The figure 1 presents a cooling system 10 for an installation for galvanizing metal wires. The installation is not shown, however we can see a series of wires 11 arranged one beside the other and extending vertically. In the case of a galvanizing installation, the cooling system 10 is placed above the galvanizing bath, and the wires 11 coming out of the bath run vertically, side by side. On leaving the bath, the wires coated with a layer of anti-corrosion coating, partially solidified, are first wiped with a gas jet (most often in air or an air-neutral gas mixture), then are cooled. by water jets as mentioned in connection with the description of the prior art. The present cooling system 10 will therefore be advantageously used to produce such jets of water.

The cooling system 10 includes a power supply 12 with an internal chamber 14 for a cooling fluid; the power supply 12 is also called a collector. The power supply 12 has the shape of an elongated tube, e.g. cylindrical - here of square section (but can also be circular or other), closed at one end and includes an inlet 15 at an opposite end for connecting the block to a power source (not shown). The power source can typically be the production line water network. It is advantageously a closed circuit network, thus forming a recirculation loop. The inlet passage 15 is surrounded by a connection flange 15.1. As can be seen better on the Fig.1B , the power supply unit 12 has on a side face of the fluid outlets 16. The side face is located between the two ends of the unit. The power supply unit 12 therefore forms a water supply distributor or collector unit.

The cooling system 10 comprises projection heads, generally indicated 18, each of them being connected to one of the fluid outlets 16, preferably in a removable manner. As presented in relation to the description of the prior art, the wires 11 come out of a bath of anticorrosion metal alloy and travel vertically for their drying and their cooling.

The power supply unit 12 typically extends perpendicular to the direction of travel of the metal wires so that the projection heads 18 are located in the axis of the moving metal wires 11.

Each of the spray heads 18 comprises one or more orifices 20 for spraying cooling fluid (here three orifices 20 - Fig. 2 ). The fluid leaving each of the heads 18 via the projection orifices 20 is projected onto the corresponding wire 11.

The figure 1 presents a power supply unit 12 with more than twenty fluid outlets 16, to each of which is connected a projection head 18 respective. In an alternative embodiment, the power supply unit 12 can comprise more than thirty, even up to more than one hundred outlets in very large galvanizing installations.

The fluid projected onto the wires is not represented on the Figure 1 , however the power supply 12 is in practice disposed horizontally opposite the son 11 which scroll vertically. The projection heads 18, the configuration of which is described in detail with reference to figure 2 , are made so that the fluid is projected upwards, in the direction of travel of the son, the jet of fluid leaving the orifices 20 forming an appropriate angle, for example between 10 and 80 °, preferably between 30 and 60 ° with the horizontal. The fluid jets are shown schematically in figure 2 .

The speed of the fluid leaving the orifices 20 is predetermined so that the fluid, when it reaches its maximum altitude, comes into contact with the wire to cool it homogeneously over its entire circumference / periphery with the maximum thermal efficiency. . The shape of the jet is advantageously controlled by the flow rates and preferably by diaphragm valves (denoted 74), thus allowing control of the thermal rendering at the periphery and in the longitudinal direction of the wire. The fluid then falls back at the end of the stroke into a recovery tank (symbolically represented 27 in Fig. 1A ), usually located between the anticorrosive coating bath and the cooling system. The cooling fluid can be water or else another type of medium such as a water / air, water / gas mixture, a heat-insulated fluid, an alcoholic fluid, or a liquid gas.

Those skilled in the art will be able to design the projection head 18 so as to obtain the desired jet parameters. In general, it is designed so that the vertices of the water jets (at the tangent) impact the wire to respect the principles of fluid mechanics according to which, it is possible at this tangent, that the water jet dissociates perfectly and completely "surrounds" the wire in its circumference, which generates a very good cooling around the section of the wire. At these tangents, the turbulence of the jets is almost zero, and consequently the transfers The temperature between the wire and the fluid is optimum, which allows perfect control of the cooling rate.

As we will see better on the Figure 2 , the cooling system 10 comprises, for each of the spray heads 18, a service valve 22 so as to open or close the supply of fluid to said spray head 18; and this selectively depending on whether the head is to be put into service or not. In the event of malfunction or maintenance of a projection head 18 or of the wire feed system 11, then the service valve 22 can be closed in order to stop the water supply to the head 18. In the event of a fault in the system. the projection head 18, the latter can be dismantled and replaced, or repaired. The service valve also makes it possible to simply cut off the power supply to the head 18 if it is desired to intervene at the level of the rest of the installation, or if there is no wire in front of the head.

It will be appreciated that the cooling system 10 includes a purge means 30 which is associated with each of the spray heads 18. This is preferably a vacuum purge means. The purge means 30 is designed so that its triggering allows the evacuation of fluid out of the projection head 18, with a view to stopping the projection of fluid at the level of the projection orifices 20. It is preferably designed to empty the nozzle. the entire volume of fluid contained in the head.

Preferably, the system 10 is designed such that the triggering of the purge means 30 of a spray head 18 is coupled with the closing of the service valve 22 of the spray head 18 in question.

The purge means 30 allow immediate stopping of the water projection, if necessary. It is thus also called emergency purge means.

In normal operation, the fluid supply pressure to the projection head 18 is generally between 1 and 2 bar (absolute), for example of the order of 1.2 bar for use in gravity mode. Use in pressurized mode, for example for the projection of fine water droplets, onto an air bed, of the fine mist type, could lead to pressures of up to approximately 10 bar. To adjust the pressure of the coolant, a compressor (not shown) is preferably associated with manifold 12. This compressor also forms part of the water supply circuit of the production line.

In the event of an emergency stop, the triggering of the purge means 30 of a projection head 18 generates a sudden drop in the pressure of the fluid in the projection head 18 so that the fluid ejection pressure at the corresponding ejection holes also drops suddenly. The immediate effect is that of stopping the projection of fluid on the wire; it is also that of not generating any drops of fluid during this emergency stop. The purge means 30 allow the instantaneous stopping of the flow of cooling fluid leaving the spray heads 18. As mentioned, the establishment of the vacuum by the purge means is preferably carried out substantially simultaneously with the closing of the control valve. service 22.

As indicated, for greater efficiency, the purge means 30 is preferably of the vacuum (or suction) type, that is to say it allows forced suction of cooling fluid out of the spray head. . In the illustrated variant, the purge means 30 comprises a vacuum chamber 32, purge valves and a network of purge pipes, cooperating with a purge orifice 60 communicating with the internal fluid passage of the head 18. Each of the Conduits of the network of conduits connects the vacuum chamber 32 to a respective spray head 18, via a dedicated purge valve. The purge pipe network and the purge valves are not shown in detail on the Fig. 1 .

In more detail, the figure 2 is a sectional view of the cooling system 10, at the level of one of the projection heads 18. We can see the power supply 12, the vacuum chamber 32, one of the purge lines 34 connecting the vacuum chamber 32 to the projection head 18 via one of the purge valves 36 (solenoid valve). In practice, to serve all the projection heads, it is possible to have a common purge pipe 34 connected to the vacuum chamber 32 and passing under the assembly of the projection heads 18, to from which are stitched individual lines 34.1 carrying the dedicated bleed valve 36, as suggested in Fig. 2 .

To the right of the figure 2 , there is shown a metal wire 11 coated with a layer of alloy against corrosion (not shown) and a vertical arrow pointing upwards indicating the direction of travel of the wire 11.

The reference sign 40 designates a connecting piece associated with the projection head 18; the connection piece 40 comprises a body 40.1 with a first mechanical coupling 42 to the power supply unit 12.

A second mechanical coupling 52 is provided to allow mounting of the projection head 18 on the body 40.1.

The projection head 18 includes an internal passage 54 for the cooling fluid, which circulates from the manifold 12 through the fitting part 40.

The internal passage 54 extends from the second coupling 52 through the projection head 50 to terminate at the projection ports 20.

The first mechanical coupling 42 of the connecting piece 40 is made at the level of the fluid outlet 16 of the power supply unit 12 which allows a hydraulic connection between the chamber 14 of the power supply unit 12 and an internal passage 40.2 in the body. 40.1. The fluid outlet 16 has for example the form of a connector which is designed to cooperate with the first mechanical coupling 42, so as to ensure both the attachment of the head 18 to the power supply unit 12 and the transfer of fluid. The internal passage 40.2 opens out at the level of the second mechanical coupling 52, to supply the internal passage 54 of the projection head.

The first and second mechanical couplings 42 and 52 are fluid-tight couplings; these couplings can be of any suitable type, for example a conventional quick coupling, or even, if working under pressure, a clip-on and / or bolting connection (double fixing if necessary). Those skilled in the art will be able to envisage various embodiments for these sealed couplings. The hydraulic connection between chamber 14 of the block supply and the internal passage 54, via the connection piece 40, is therefore a sealed hydraulic connection.

The service valve 22 associated with the projection head is produced as a pneumatic shutter 22 mounted on the body 40.1.

The pneumatic shutter 22 comprises an actuator mounted with a movable piston 23 terminating in a shutter member which, in the retracted position shown, leaves the internal passage 40.2 open for the fluid in the body 40.1; that is to say that the cooling fluid can flow from the manifold 12 to the projection head 18. In the extended position of the movable piston 23 (in dotted lines), the closure member bears on a sealing seat 25 surrounding the internal passage 40.2 in the body 40.1, and thus closes the internal passage 40.2. In the closed configuration, water does not flow from the power supply 12 to the projection head 18.

Preferably, the internal passage 54 of the projection head 18 comprises a supply prechamber 56 and projection conduits 58, 58 'and 58 ". Fig. 2 , the supply prechamber 56 is not visible because it is in a plane behind that of the figure. The supply prechamber 56 comprises a purge port 60 (in dotted lines) to which the purge means 30 is connected. The inlets 62, 62 'and 62 "of each of the projection lines 58, 58' and 58" start from the outlet. feed prechamber 56. The blast lines 58, 58 'and 58 "terminate at a blast port 20.

In particular, the internal passage 54 of the projection head 18 defines a casing 64 forming the lower part of the supply prechamber 56 and the purge orifice 60 is made at the level of this casing 64.

Each of the purge lines 34 and the purge solenoid valves 36 are dedicated to a respective projection head 18. The purge line 34, starting from the vacuum chamber 32, is connected to the purge orifice 60 made at the level of the casing 64 located in the lower part of the supply prechamber 56.

The triggering of the emergency purge means 30 can be carried out for one or more cooling heads 18, depending on the planned intervention.

In the context of an incident, it may occur at the level of a single wire and then the purge means is triggered for a single projection head 18. As part of a maintenance operation, the initiation of the purge can be operated on for several purge heads.

In this context, the system advantageously comprises a control module 80 which is designed to control the actuation (opening / closing) of the service valves 22 and of the purge valves 36, as well as preferably the diaphragms 74 for regulating the flow rate at the outlet. level of tubes 58. Control module 80 also monitors the pressure in chamber 14 of power supply 12, and vacuum in vacuum chamber 32, which is preferably on during operation of cooling system 10. The control of the service valves 22 is done independently; each of the service valves can be controlled individually. The purge valves 36 can also be controlled individually, so as to be able to intervene on a given head.

Note, however, that for best performance in an emergency, it is preferred that the actuation of a purge valve 36 (i.e. its opening) is coupled or coordinated with the closing of the valve. corresponding 22 service station. The control module is therefore advantageously configured so that an emergency purge instruction triggers, in a substantially concomitant manner, the opening of the purge valve and the closing of the service valve associated with the projection head 18. L The emergency purge instruction can be given automatically following the detection of an event by a sensor, or by intervention of an operator on a console or an emergency button.

The triggering of the purge means 30 therefore involves the opening of the purge solenoid valve 36 which allows the evacuation of fluid out of the internal passage 54 of the projection head 18. The triggering of the purge means puts the chamber in hydraulic connection. vacuum 32 with the supply prechamber 56. The pressure in the vacuum chamber 32 is at a value lower than atmospheric pressure, which generates a suction of fluid. outside the internal passage 54. The pressure in the vacuum chamber can be set to a value between 0.5 bar and 0.2 bar.

The supply prechamber 56 from which the spray pipes 58, 58 'and 58 "leave is primarily emptied of fluid when the purge means 30 are triggered. The spray pipes 58, 58' and 58" are favorably of identical section. , and the corresponding inlets 62, 62 'and 62 "are preferably grouped together at the level of the supply prechamber 56 with a view to sucking at the same time the fluid located in the projection ducts.

The internal passage 54 of the projection head 18 further comprises a reserve chamber 70 at the level of the projection head 50. The supply prechamber 56 is hydraulically connected to the reserve chamber 70; the hydraulic connection is made by a passage with restricted section 72. Seen in the direction of movement of the fluid in the projection head 50, the supply prechamber 56 is located downstream of the reserve chamber 70. The section of the chamber reserve 70 is reduced with the approach of the restricted passage to the supply prechamber 56.

In practice, the system is designed so as to guarantee a controlled fluid pressure, in consideration of pressure losses; in particular, if we denote by Q1 the flow rate in the manifold 12, Q2 the flow rate in the reserve chamber 70 and Q3 the flow rate in the supply prechamber 56, we have Q1> Q2> Q3.

We will also note on the figure 2 the presence of diaphragm valves, shown diagrammatically 74, mounted on each projection pipe. The projection conduits may be integral with the body of the projection head 18 or the attached parts. In the latter case, the diaphragm valves can be designed to mount the spray pipes on the spray head. The diaphragm valves can be motorized, which allows their adjustment remotely (via control 80) or alternatively, manual.

The figures 3 and 4 relate to two variants in which two identical power supply systems with their projection heads are used and positioned in opposition to the wires. The systems are similar to the one presented above and designated 10.1 and 10.2. The projection on both sides of the wire 11 will make it possible to improve the homogeneity of the cooling.

In the figure 3 , the two cooling systems are positioned at the same height, so that the same pipes produce jets of water 8 arriving at the same height on the wire.

In the figure 4 , the cooling system 10 'placed on the right in the figure is lower than that on the left. It is for example shifted by a distance corresponding to the half-distance between two jets 8 of the left-hand system10.1.

1. A) Respect de la qualité du produit et amélioration de sa qualité de surface:
   • pas de contact de type guidage du fil, donc pas de risque d'endommager le revêtement en cours de solidification ;
   • contrôle et maitrise des vitesses de jets le long du fil en défilement vertical (meilleure maîtrise de la qualité d'aspect du produit).
   
   Comme on le sait, le contrôle du refroidissement de la couche de revêtement après la sortie du bain est essentiel dans les procédés de galvanisation. Le présent système de refroidissement apporte encore davantage de contrôle des paramètres de refroidissement et de solidification, si bien que la qualité produit est améliorée (aspect et aussi résistance à la corrosion de toute nature possible, tenue à l'environnement et aux sollicitations de l'environnement pour les revêtements organiques ou polymères, durabilité).
2. B) Amélioration de la productivité :
   • Le réglage des paramètres de refroidissement ne nécessitent plus d'arrêt de ligne. Ils peuvent se faire en ligne, en fonctionnement tout en respectant les règles de sécurité drastiques.
   • Les réglages de débit / vitesse du fluide sont individualisés fil à fil, et permettent de faciliter l'adaptation des paramètres process lors des changements de formats du produit (nature des fils, diamètres des fils, épaisseurs du revêtement, vitesse de défilement).
   • Le système est composé de deux parties distinctes, assemblées de manière parfaitement étanche (à l'eau et à l'air). Il est donc possible de démonter chaque tête de projection, selon les besoins de production, indépendamment les unes des autres, sans gêner ou ralentir les productivités des fils défilant autour de la tête 18 à démonter (pour inspection, nettoyage, réparation...).
   • Les têtes de projection 18 sont interchangeables les unes les autres, indépendamment du carnet de production. Outre un gain économique à l'achat intéressant, les gains en temps de maintenance sont considérables (1 seule référence produit)
3. C) Amélioration forte des conditions sécurité :
   • Le design intérieur des têtes de projection est fait de sorte que, couplé à l'obturateur pneumatique, les jets d'eau puissent être instantanément coupés. Ceci est possible grâce au moyen de purge en dépression. Les effets sont immédiats et innovants par rapport à l'état de l'art : plus de risques de projection d'eau en surface du bain de galvanisation en fusion.
4. D) Amélioration forte des consommations d'eau ou de fluide refroidissant :
   • Un fort avantage du présent système repose sur la non-utilisation de buses comme cela se fait habituellement. Si bien, qu'il n'y a pas de risque de bouchage des buses et donc de surconsommation ou mauvaise maitrise de la consommation d'eau (une surconsommation d'eau en circuit fermé entraine plus d'impuretés dans le circuit, un encrassement des filtres, la nécessité d'ouvrir le circuit pour purger...).
   • Par ailleurs, la possibilité de couper instantanément l'alimentation en eau, favorise grandement la maîtrise de la consommation eau, juste quand nécessaire.

The present cooling system 10 proves to be advantageous in a number of aspects.

1. A) Respect for the quality of the product and improvement of its surface quality:
   • no contact of the wire guiding type, therefore no risk of damaging the coating during solidification;
   • control and mastery of jet speeds along the vertical scrolling wire (better control of the product's appearance quality).
   
   As is known, controlling the cooling of the coating layer after leaving the bath is essential in galvanizing processes. The present cooling system provides even more control of the cooling and solidification parameters, so that the product quality is improved (appearance and also resistance to corrosion of any kind possible, resistance to the environment and to the stresses of the environment for organic or polymer coatings, durability).
2. B) Productivity improvement:
   • The adjustment of the cooling parameters no longer requires line shutdown. They can be done online, in operation while respecting drastic security rules.
   • The fluid flow rate / speed settings are individualized wire by wire, and make it possible to facilitate the adaptation of the process parameters when the product formats are changed (nature of the wires, diameters of the wires, thickness of the coating, running speed).
   • The system is made up of two distinct parts, assembled in a perfectly sealed manner (water and air). It is therefore possible to dismantle each projection head, according to production needs, independently of one another, without hampering or slowing down the productivity of the wires passing around the head 18 to be dismantled (for inspection, cleaning, repair, etc.) .
   • The projection heads 18 are interchangeable with each other, independently of the production book. In addition to an economic gain with the attractive purchase, the savings in maintenance time are considerable (only 1 product reference)
3. C) Strong improvement in safety conditions:
   • The interior design of the projection heads is made so that, coupled with the pneumatic shutter, the water jets can be instantly shut off. This is possible thanks to the vacuum purge means. The effects are immediate and innovative compared to the state of the art: no more risk of water splashing onto the surface of the molten galvanizing bath.
4. D) Strong improvement in water or cooling fluid consumption:
   • A strong advantage of the present system lies in the non-use of nozzles as is usually done. So that there is no risk of clogging of the nozzles and therefore of overconsumption or poor control of water consumption (overconsumption of water in a closed circuit leads to more impurities in the circuit, clogging filters, the need to open the circuit to purge, etc.).
   • In addition, the possibility of instantly shutting off the water supply greatly favors the control of water consumption, just when necessary.

Another advantage of the present invention is its very small size. The present cooling system can easily be fitted into existing installations, the free space of which is very limited, without the need to modify them.

The present system has been described in the context of continuous hot-dip galvanizing (Zn-based bath, Galfan® type, Zinc-Magnesium, or any other anti-corrosion metal alloy), for rolling steel wires and dip-coated. . This app is just an illustration. It is clear to those skilled in the art that the present cooling system can be used for the projection of cooling fluid on wires, metallic or polymers, coated with various coatings, anticorrosion or for other purposes, metallic, organic, mineral, or chemical.

Claims (12)

1. A cooling system for a wire-coating installation, the system being characterised by:

   a supply unit (12) with a chamber (14) for a cooling fluid and a plurality of fluid outlets (16);

   a plurality of spray heads (18) each equipped with one or more orifices (20) for spraying cooling fluid towards a wire (11) which is to be cooled, each spray head being connected to a respective fluid outlet (16) so as to supply fluid to an internal passage (54) of the spray head (18) which extends as far as the spray orifice(s);

   a service valve (22) which is associated with each spray head (18) and is capable of selectively controlling the fluid supply to the internal passage (54) of the spray head; and

   a purge means (30) which is associated with each spray head (18) and is configured, when triggered, to permit the discharge of fluid from the internal passage (54) in order to stop fluid from being sprayed through the spray orifice(s) (20).
2. A cooling system according to claim 1, characterised in that the purge means comprises a cooling fluid suction means (30), so as to bring about forcible evacuation of the cooling fluid from the internal passage (54).
3. A cooling system according to claim 2, characterised in that, for each spray head (18), the purge means (30) comprises a purge duct (34.1) which connects the spray head, via a solenoid purge valve (36), to the suction means, in particular a vacuum chamber (32).
4. A cooling system according to claim 2 or 3, characterised in that the internal passage (54) of the spray heads comprises a supply pre-chamber (56) which communicates with a purge orifice (60) which cooperates with the purge means (30), and spray ducts (58, 58', 58") which lead into the spray orifices (20), the inlets of said spray ducts departing from said supply pre-chamber.
5. A cooling system according to claim 4, characterised in that the spray duct(s) have a constant cross-section between their inlet and their outlet.
6. A cooling system according to claim 4 or 5, characterised in that a valve (74), preferably of the diaphragm type, is provided for individually controlling the flow rate of each spray duct.
7. A cooling system according to claims 4, 5 or 6, characterised in that the internal passage (54) of the cooling heads defines an encasement which forms the lower part of the supply pre-chamber, the purge orifice being provided at the level of said encasement.
8. A cooling system according to one of claims 4 to 7, characterised in that the internal passage of the cooling heads furthermore comprises a fluid reserve chamber followed by a restricted passage downstream of said chamber, said restricted passage being followed by the supply pre-chamber.
9. A cooling system according to claim 8, characterised in that the cross-section of the reserve chamber reduces as the restricted passage approaches the supply pre-chamber.
10. A cooling system according to one of claims 1 to 9, characterised in that activation of the purge means is coupled to closure of the service valve.
11. A cooling system according to one of claims 1 to 9, characterised in that each of the spray heads (18) is removably mounted on the supply unit (12), preferably via a connector part (40) fixed by a first leakproof mechanical coupling (42) to the unit (12) and by a second leakproof mechanical coupling (52) to the spray head (18), the connector part (40) comprising an internal passage (40.2) to convey the fluid from the outlet (16) towards the internal passage (54) of the spray head (18).
12. A cooling system according to claim 11, characterised in that the service valve (22) associated with each spray head (22) is mounted on the connector part (40) and makes it possible to shut off or open up passage through the internal passage (40.2).

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