ES2709197T3 - Method of operation of a metal casting, system for carrying out the method and casting of metals comprising the system - Google Patents

Abstract

A method (200) of operation of a metal foundry (2), in particular a green sand metal foundry, to reduce the impact on the environment of the operation of the metal foundry (2), comprising the metal casting at least one metal casting machine (10), such as at least one of a vertical green sand molding machine (30), a mold conveyor (50), a shaker machine (60) or a sand cooler (70 ), said at least one metal casting machine (10) producing at least one disturbance in the environment when used in the operation of said metal casting (2), the method comprising the steps of: i. obtaining at least one measurement of said at least one environmental disturbance (210). ii. obtaining at least one instruction from said at least one metal casting machine (10) on the basis of said at least one measurement, said at least one instruction being configured to cause a decrease in said at least one environmental disturbance (220), and iii. using said at least one instruction to operate said at least one metal casting machine (230).

Description

DESCRIPTION

Method of operation of a metal foundry, system to carry out the method and foundry of metals that comprises the system

The present invention relates to a method for putting into operation a metal smelter, in particular a green sand smelter and a system for carrying out the method. The present invention also relates to a metal melting system comprising the system.

Techniques are known for the automatic operation of foundries. U.S. Patent No. 5,154,448 discloses an automatic casting plant in which the information relating to the characteristics of each individual mold is detected in the molding machine and used in a downstream pouring unit to control the pouring of molten metal into the mold. the mold to which the information refers. The information is disclosed in relation to the type of mold, whether or not the males have been placed in the mold, if the mold is adequately firm and if the mold is not suitable for pouring due to other reasons. Using this information, the pouring unit can be controlled to correctly place the pouring nozzle in relation to the mold, or not to pour the specific mold to which the information refers. The pouring unit can then provide information on whether it has been poured into a specific mold or not, as well as information on the specific mold weight and be used to control the water dosing unit to ensure an appropriate amount of water in the mold. the molding sand that comes out of the extraction station where the mold is broken.

The method described in the US patent US5125448 does not minimize or measure environmental disturbances caused by the operation of the foundry, but focuses solely on guaranteeing fault-free operation based on the information relating to the characteristics of each individual mold.

Likewise, the international patent WO89 / 09666 discloses a method and an apparatus for the melting by evaporation. An evaporative pattern is placed in a container. The molding medium is compacted around it and the container is placed under a pouring unit. As the molten metal is poured into the container and the pattern evaporated, the gases generated by the pattern are evacuated using a ford pump. The pressure inside the vessel is measured with pressure probes and used to control a modulating valve and a ford raising vessel connected to the pump. By controlling the pressure, the flow rate of the molten metal is controlled. The method described in the international patent WO89 / 09686 does not minimize or measure environmental disturbances caused by the operation of the foundry.

Document KR20112G055925 discloses a local ventilation device and a multiple-bell local ventilation method for fluctuating air pollutants.

DE1020090315S7 discloses a method of heat collection of a strand melt process using a heat exchanger.

The foundries of metal in the last years have focused more on the perturbations of the environment correlated with the operation of the foundry as a result of the greater focus in the disturbances of the environment and the challenges of the current society and the need to provide an environment Suitable for workers in metal foundries.

Some of the most relevant environmental alterations related to the operation of a metal smelter include air pollution, CO2 emissions, heat, noise, energy consumption, water consumption and residual products as they may be. the spent sand, the spent bentonite clay and the discarded molded parts. Worn sand and bentonite clay can not be recycled, but must be disposed of.

Other waste products include metal parts that are not part of the final molded part that is formed in the feeders and elevators, ie, deposits in the mold, which are used to ensure proper molding and solidification of the molten metal and are separated from the mold. piece molded once the part of the mold has been separated. Other raw materials, used for the operation of metal smelting, which may be considered environmental disturbances include the consumption of metal, the consumption of new sand and new bentonite clay, the consumption of any additive used to form the green sand and the consumption of pressurized air and steam to run machines or provide heating.

Each of these environmental disturbances is related to one or more operations of the metal smelting units. As an example, the molding of green sand foundry, in which molds or sand forms are used, widely employs the operations of the unit to provide green sand, forming from the green sand a green sand mold, pouring molten metal in the green sand mold, allowing the solidification of the molten metal, extracting the green sand mold from the molded part and conditioning the green sand to reuse it.

Air pollution, in the form of dust and fine particles, is usually related to the operations of the unit to manage and use green sand, that is, provide, form and extract. Furthermore, when the sand used comprises s l ^ ice, micrometric size particles can be formed when the sand in the molds is brought into contact with the molten metal during pouring of the molten metal into the molds. These particles can produce silicosis in workers. Metal castings must therefore devote considerable effort to collecting dust.

The dust caused by the different operations of the unit in the melting of metals is constituted by different substances and different compositions and can, for example, contain metals or metal oxides.

The air can also be contaminated with combustion products, such as carbon monoxide and / or volatile organic compounds (VOC).

Many operations in the melting of metals produce odors or fumes both in the interior environment, that is, within the melting of the metal, as well as in the external environment, that is to say the environment outside the melting of metals. These odors and fumes can be unpleasant or harmful to inhale.

Air in the outer environment of the metal smelter may also be contaminated with sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides in the fuel, such as coal, oil or gas, used to heat the furnaces used to melt the metal. If the metal to be melted comprises pieces of scrap or recycled metals, the paints and coatings of the metal parts can result in air pollution in the melting of metals, for example, dioxins. Also, the finishing treatment of the foundry, such as grinding and welding, can release toxic metal particles in the air.

The heat is mainly related to the operation of the pouring unit of the molten metal and its solidification. The heat is released in addition to the furnace used to melt the metal. The heat can cause dehydration, heat cramps, heat exhaustion and heat stroke in foundry workers. Workers can also develop cataracts in the eyes due to the infrared and ultraviolet radiation emitted by the molten metal. Splashes and sparks from molten metal can also cause burns.

The noise may be related to any operation of the unit and may be of short duration, as a consequence of impacts, or of longer duration, such as the noise of a shaken machine. The most common noise sources come from molding machines, shaking machines and finishing operations, such as shot blasting, grinding and deburring, grinding molded parts. Noises generally range between approximately 80 and 110dB (A), however, some noises can be as high as 116dB (A). Another source of noise is the noise of using compressed air to clean molds or to introduce mold material into the molding machine.

Although individual ear protectors are available, they are generally not used for short-term noise, but short-term noise adds to general exposure, i, e, the impact of noise on the environment. It is also closely related to vibration noise, which can affect not only the health of the worker, but also the longevity, performance and maintenance requirements of the metal casting machines, which ultimately affects the efficiency of the foundry of metals.

CO2 emissions are normally related to the energy needed to melt the metal used in the foundry and the energy needed to start the machines, for example, the sand molding machine, the mold conveyor, the shaker machine or the sand cooler, necessary to carry out the operations of the unit. More energy is needed to provide ventilation to the melting of metals.

The consumption of water is related to the extraction of the green sand from the molded parts, the conditioning of the sand to provide a good moldabilidad of the sand when it is molded in the sand molding machine, to limit the formation of dust, by example, in the shaking machine, and to cool.

Also, water consumption usually results in wastewater that must be treated properly. The waste water may contain, for example, metal dust or organic compounds. The wastewater could also be derived from the storage of scrap metal from the slag in the ground outside the metal melting because the rainwater absorbs the contaminants from the scrap or slag and seeps into the soil.

All unit operations require energy to be performed.

Production waste is related to the operations of the sand formation unit, the pouring of the molten metal, the extraction of the mold part and the conditioning of the sand for its reuse. The Production residues are also related to the control of the pieces to detect defective moldings that must be discarded, that is, they are discarded pieces. Scrap often melts again, which also applies to slag, but, in some cases, the slag must be disposed of in a landfill. Of these disturbances in the environment, air pollution, heat and noise mainly affect the worker's environment, while CO2 emissions, energy consumption; Water consumption and production residues mainly affect the environment surrounding the smelter. Energy consumption, water consumption and production waste also affect the start-up costs of metal smelting operations.

In the report "Integrated prevention and control of pollution. Reference document on the best techniques available in the forging and smelting industry of July 2004, by the European GPLI Office, you can find more information about the impact of the environment of the metal foundries.

To minimize the impact associated with the operation of a metal smelter in the environment, CO2 emissions, energy consumption, water consumption and production residues should preferably be as low as possible.

In addition, to provide a suitable working environment for metal foundry workers, air pollution and noise should be kept as low as possible and measures should be taken to prevent the heat from causing a too high melting temperature.

At the same time, metal casting must be started to provide efficient production of molded parts. For example, the number of defective molded parts that must be discarded should be as low as possible so that the number of usable parts is appropriate, that is, adequate per unit of time and the number of environmental disturbances is as high as possible. possible. This is because the discarded molded parts, which must be discarded or remelted, represent waste production if they are discarded and require energy, ie heat, if they are re-melted. Moreover, even when the piece can be machined to obtain a suitable casting, for example, if the piece is slightly defective as a result of a bad fit of the mold halves with the result of defects of the casting piece adjacent to the tiles. of separation of the mold, said machining or roughing requires both energy and labor and can expose the workers or operators of the melting of metals to a different or unhealthy work environment. Keeping this way the number of usable pieces, that is to say, appropriate, the molded pieces by unit of time and the amount of disturbances of the surroundings as high as possible, minimizes at least those disturbances of the environment related to discarded molded pieces and the energy for the recasting .

Therefore, it is important to obtain a good internal environment, that is, a low level of environmental disturbances for metal foundry workers and a good external environment, that is, a low level of environmental alterations outside the foundry. of metals. Likewise, the total level of environmental disturbances in the interior and exterior environment should be as low as possible.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a method for the operation of a metal foundry in which disturbances of the environment are minimized, while still providing an efficient production of molded parts.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a system for carrying out the method of operation of the metal melting.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a metal melt comprising the system. Still another object is to provide a method of heat reuse caused by the operation of a metal foundry.

At least one of the above objects, or at least one of the additional objects that will be apparent from the following description, is in accordance with a first aspect of the present invention that is achieved according to the method according to claim 1.

By operating the metal casting machine using at least one instruction obtained on the basis of the at least one measurement, the at least one instruction being configured to cause a decrease in the at least one disturbance of the environment, the casting is guaranteed of metals works in such a way that the impact on the environment is reduced by the operation of the metal smelter.

By putting metal smelting into operation so that the impact of the environment of the metal smelting operation is reduced, the operation of metal smelting is also optimized, at least partially.

In the context of the present invention, the reduction of the impact of the operation environment of the metal melting refers to the reduction of environmental disturbances caused by at least one metal casting machine and, consequently, by the operation of the foundry of metals, in the vicinity of the metal casting machine, in the foundry of metals and / or in the environment. Therefore, reducing the impact of the metal foundry environment is beneficial both for workers and for the operators of the metal smelting and the environment.

The melting of metals is preferably a metal foundry that makes castings using green sand molds, although other types of mold material are possible.

The metal casting machine can comprise a green sand storage and provisioning machine, a grinding machine, such as a vertical green sand molding machine, a box molding machine, an adjustment plate molding machine, a a male shooter, a mold conveyor or a molding line, a pouring unit, a shaker machine, a sand cooler and a machine for treating and cleaning the molded part, etc. In general, the metal casting machine can comprise any machine used in a metal foundry for metal casting operations.

Also, the at least one metal melting machine can comprise a ventilation device.

The steps of the method defined in claim 1 should be carried out in the order of i, ii, iii.

The at least one measurement can be quantitative, such as a number or value, or qualitative, such as a Boolean value. The at least one measurement can be obtained in the metal casting machine, in the vicinity of the metal casting machine, eg, also, above, etc., within the metal casting, ie, inside the building that houses the metal casting machine outside the metal foundry.

The at least one measurement can be a measurement of the quantity, intensity, incidence, extension or concentration, etc. of the disturbance of the environment. An example is the measurement of the energy use of a certain metal casting machine.

The measurement can be a direct measurement of the disturbance of the environment produced by the metal melting machine, or an indirect measurement of the disturbance of the environment, which is a measurement of a parameter of the environment influenced by the disturbance of the environment.

For example, air pollution is usually due to dust that forms during the handling of green sand or other mold material. The powder can be measured by direct measurement, for example, by measuring the amount of dust particles trapped in a filter or in a charged membrane for a specific time. The powder can also be measured by indirect measurement by measuring the light emitted by a light source that receives a photodetector.

When measuring multiple measurements of the at least one environmental disturbance, such as multiple measurements of air pollution from different positions in the melting of metals, these multiple measurements can be combined with measurements from other sensors by indicating the air flow in the foundry metals in a 3D model to extrapolate air pollution at any point of the metal foundry.

Therefore, the measurement can be obtained directly by means of a sensor, with the result of a measurement of the disturbance of the environment in the position of the sensor. Alternatively, the measurement can be obtained in a desired position, in which there is no sensor, using the sensor data of a series of sensors in different positions and extrapolating the measurement for the desired position of the sensor data.

The at least one instruction is configured to cause a decrease in at least one disturbance of the environment. In other words, the at least one instruction is suitable to cause a reduction of the at least one disturbance of the environment. This means that the at least one instruction is that which, when used to operate the at least one metal casting machine, is determined emphatically or analytically to cause a decrease in the at least one disturbance of the environment. Therefore, there is an empmca or analytical or logical relationship between the at least one instruction, the at least one metal melting machine and the at least one disturbance of the environment. The relationship between the at least one disturbance of the environment and the at least one instruction that causes a decrease in the disturbance of the environment can be determined on the spot by operating the at least one metal casting machine under different conditions, using different instructions and obtaining the minus a measurement of the at least one disturbance of the environment for each of the different conditions. The relationship can also be determined analytically or logically by considering how and why the metal melting machine produces at least one of the environmental disturbances. For example, it can be easily determined that spraying water in the operations of units that generate dust, such as the shaker machine, reduces dust, so that increasing the amount of water sprayed will result in a reduction in the amount of dust formed. Also, for example, it can be determined analytically or logically that reducing the speed of a molding conveyor reduces the noise caused by the operation of the molding conveyor.

In the context of the present invention, it should be understood that the term obtaining also includes the terms determination and calculation.

The use of at least one instruction may comprise controlling the at least one metal casting machine directly, that is, at least one control interface or a control computer of the metal casting machine, or indirectly controlling an external source, such as hydraulic power, pressurized air, etc., to which at least one metal casting machine is connected to receive said hydraulic energy, pressurized air, etc.

The at least one instruction can be used to operate the at least one metal casting machine for use in controlling the supply of a medium to the machine, eg, the control of a valve to supply water to the metal casting machine, motor speed control of the least one metal casting machine.

When the at least one metal melting machine produces more than one disturbance of the environment, said disturbances of the environment tend to be of different types. However, it is contemplated within the context of the present invention that more than one of the environmental disturbances produced by at least one metal casting machine may be of the same type, but is obtained from a different location in relation to the minus a metal casting machine. The type of environmental disturbance is determined by the physical nature of the environmental disturbance. For example, one type of environmental disturbance may be dust, that is, particles, while another type of environmental disturbance may be noise, ie, sound waves. Other types include heat, that is, energy and consumption of a resource.

When more than one instruction is obtained based on more than one disturbance of the environment to operate the at least the metal casting machine, it is possible that at the time that one of the more than one instruction is configured to cause a decrease of one. of more than one disturbance of the environment, an increase in another one of the more than one disturbances of the environment is caused. In this case, the method as defined in claim 1 may further comprise the step of obtaining a priority order of the more than one environmental disturbances and, on the basis of this order of priority, performing the additional step of modifying one of the more than one instructions, so that one instruction, among the more than one instructions, that causes the decrease of more than one of the disturbances of the environment that has the lowest priority becomes ineffective before using it to put in operating the at least one metal casting machine, or vice versa. Alternatively, the method as defined in claim 1 may further comprise the step of determining whether more than one disturbance of the environment and more than one instructions configured to cause a decrease of these environmental disturbances are sufficient to run the risk of that go against each other as described, as well as the stage of obtaining an order of priority between more than one environmental disturbance.

In general, a metal foundry comprises a first plurality of metal casting machines. Accordingly, claim 2 defines a preferred embodiment of the method according to the first aspect of the present invention. The embodiment according to claim 2 is advantageous, since in this embodiment the method according to claim 1, ie steps i-iii, are performed for each one between the first plurality of metal casting machines, giving as a result a large overall decrease of at least one environmental disturbance with a large decrease in the impact of the operation environment of the metal smelter.

Each of the first plurality of metal casting machines is preferably different from the other. Generally, a metal melting comprises a first plurality of metal melting machines that produces a second plurality of second environmental disturbances. Accordingly, claim 3 defines a preferred embodiment of the method according to the first aspect of the present invention. The embodiment according to claim 3 is advantageous since in this embodiment the method according to claim 1, ie, steps i-iii are performed for each one between the first plurality of metal casting machines and for each one between the second plurality of disturbances of the environment, thus resulting in a large overall decrease in the second plurality of environmental disturbances with a large decrease in the impact of the operation environment of the metal smelter.

The second plurality is preferably greater than the first plurality, in other words, at least one of the first plurality of metal melting machines preferably produces two or more perturbations of the environment.

The third plurality is preferably greater than the first plurality but may also be smaller than the first plurality. In this last case, the perturbations of the environment produced by more than one between the first The plurality of metal casting machines can be measured collectively in a single measurement for these metal casting machines.

The fourth plurality may be equal to or greater than the first plurality; in other words, each one between the first plurality of metal casting machines can be put into operation using one of the fourth plurality of instructions.

Claim 4 defines different advantageous embodiments of the method, according to the first aspect of the present invention with respect to the step of obtaining the at least one instruction. The use of at least one threshold value is a simple method to reduce the impact of the operation environment of the melting of metals, since the threshold value can be easily adjusted.

Depending on the perturbation of the measured environment, the at least one threshold value may be a higher or lower threshold value. The at least one threshold value must be selected so as to define the level at which environmental disturbances occur in an environment that is detrimental to workers or operators of metal smelting, or in which environmental disturbances cause damage to the environment. the environment or result in defective moldings.

The at least one threshold value can be established manually by a worker or operator of the metal casting and / or the metal casting machine. The at least one threshold value can also be established automatically, for example, by calculating it according to some algorithm. For example, the at least one threshold value could be established for the product of a factor and the average value of at least one measurement of the at least one disturbance of the environment during the previous month, week or day, so that the less a threshold value can be automatically updated, for example, to 110% of the average value of the at least one measurement of the at least one disturbance of the environment during the previous month. The at least one threshold value may alternatively be set so that an estimate of the integral of the at least one measurement of the environmental disturbance over a given future time period results in a total environmental disturbance below one. certain amount. The threshold value for the measurement of a first disturbance of the environment can be further influenced by the threshold value of a second disturbance of the environment, either by a synergistic effect of the first and second environmental disturbances, for example, heat and noise that have a synergistic effect on the worker's environment or because the first or second perturbation of the environment has a higher priority, that is, because it is more important to keep it within the acceptable range defined by the threshold value related to the measurement of the first disturbance of the environment, that keep it within the acceptable range defined by the threshold value related to the measurement of the second environment disturbance.

The at least one threshold value can be established according to official guidelines or legislation. For example, with respect to the contamination of lead (Pb) in air, the mandatory threshold value in air is 50 | jg lead / m3. In the lead example below, the legislation and official guidelines set higher thresholds, such thresholds being higher 50-75 jg lead / m3 with the requirement of the use of personal safety equipment and the corresponding health check of the workers. Manganese (Mn), which is an additive used in metal foundries to melt steel and special steels, has an official threshold level of 0.1 mg / m3 of manganese air in a breathable form and a threshold level of 0.2 mg / m3 of air for manganese in the form of smoke, or dust. Manganese is very toxic and can cause serious and irreparable damage to the brain and nervous system.

The at least one comparative result may be a value indicating how much the at least one measurement of at least one threshold value differs, or it may be a Boolean value indicating whether at least one measurement is within or not within the range defined by the at least one a threshold value and a measurement when metal melting is not in operation. When the at least one measurement is a direct measurement, the at least one threshold value is normally a higher threshold value, whereas when the at least one measurement is an indirect measurement, the at least one threshold value is normally a lower threshold value.

The search for at least one instruction in a look-up table is fast while using an operational function in the result of at least one comparison or the at least one measurement provides more different instructions for a more accurate and minimum operation of at least one machine of metal casting.

The look-up table may comprise measurement values where each measurement value correlates with a corresponding instruction. The instructions corresponding to a certain measurement value may have been determined directly, by examining different instructions for a specific measurement value of the disturbance of the environment and including in the look-up table the instructions for reducing the disturbance of the environment, which mainly reduces the disturbance of the environment. environment. The instruction that correlates with a certain measurement value can be determined alternatively analytically considering how different instructions affect the disturbance of the environment.

On the other hand, the instruction corresponding to a given measurement value can be established by past experience, that is, considering whether a certain instruction has been executed, such as increasing the flow of water to the shaking machine, in the past, one hour before, or one day before the operation of the metal melting for the measurement that has been obtained. Therefore, when a metal foundry operator or worker provides an instruction to operate the at least one metal casting machine, the instruction corresponding to the measurement value at the moment in which the operator or worker provided the instruction, the operator or worker can configure this instruction that corresponds to the measurement value in the query table for the instruction.

Likewise, the instructions of the look-up table for a certain measurement value can be adjusted to the instructions that prevail when the operation of the metal casting stops, for that determined value of measurement, so that the next time the operation starts again of the smelting of metals, do so with the instructions prevailing at the time of the cessation of the operation of the smelting of metals. The obtaining of instructions by a worker or metal casting operator allows the handling of exceptional environmental disturbances outside the allowed input values in the look-up table and the function. The instruction obtained by the operator or worker, together with the measurement value that drives the instruction of the worker or operator, can be stored in the query table for future use.

The look-up table may comprise more than one threshold for each measurement value. Therefore, a first instruction can be obtained in a first threshold corresponding to a comparison result that presents a small deviation from the measurement value. This first instruction can result in a small change of operation of the metal melting. In a second threshold, which corresponds to a comparison result having a large deviation from the measurement value, a second instruction obtained results in a large change in the operation of the metal casting machine. The second instruction can be obtained for example from the operator or worker of the foundry of metals.

In some embodiments of the method according to the first aspect of the present invention, the method further comprises the steps of:

Obtain information on the operation of metal smelting and

Use the information to obtain at least one instruction.

The information may include, for example, the expected rate of production of the casting of metals, the type of mold used in the casting of metals, the number of mold-carrying molds, the weight of each mold, whether the machine is running or not. of molding and mold conveyor, etc.

This information can be used to obtain instructions that proactively operate metal casting machines. For example, the measurement value of air / dust contamination in the shaker machine may reflect the low value of air pollution during a break in operation. To reduce the impact of the environment, the method tries to further reduce water consumption. When the operation is paused, molds are not supplied to the shaker machine, therefore, the shaker machine does not create dust, which allows to completely disconnect the water consumption in the last instance. With this information, in this case, with the information that the operation has started again, for example, because the molds that are being produced are being received by the molding machine, the supply of water to the shaker machine can be activated proactively so that there is already a supply of water to the shaker machine when the first mold is supplied once the operations have been restarted. In this way, it is possible to avoid the sudden release of dust from the first mold and the corresponding peak of contamination of the air before the contamination of the air has been detected and the supply of water to the shaking machine is resumed.

The information can be obtained from a control computer and / or from an operation sensor associated with the corresponding metal casting machines.

The information can be used as an additional input of the at least one measurement to modulate the obtained instruction, or it can be used to obtain an instruction different to that obtained solely on the basis of the measurement.

The information can also be used to set the instructions in the look-up table or to set thresholds. This can result in a more proactive operation of metal smelting.

This information may include, for example, information such as the current speed of a metal casting machine, which may be derived from the measurement values or instructions currently executed for other metal casting machines. Therefore, this information can be obtained, for example, from the molding machine, by analyzing the instruction currently used to start the molding machine. This information may comprise, for example, the number of molds formed per hour. This information can then be used to proactively establish in the look-up table an instruction for the shaking machine, knowing from past experience that this instruction is adequate to maintain contamination. of the air inside the thresholds.

Therefore, the lookup table can comprise more than one input parameter for each instruction. For example, the look-up table may include a first entry for the measurement value of the environmental disturbance, in this case, dust / air pollution caused by the shaker machines. The look-up table can also comprise a second entry for the number of molds per hour that is being made, the number of molds per hour being an example of the information on the operation of the metal foundry. This first and second entry can be prioritized, for example, so that during the first hour of operation the shaker machine can be put into operation using an instruction that correlates with the value of pollution in the shaker machines. In this way, a better and more robust operation of the metal casting machines can be achieved.

Information on the operation of the metal foundry can be used to obtain instructions for metal casting machines such as compressors for pressurized air. In this case, the information may include the total requirement of pressurized air for metal casting machines in metal casting. The information may also comprise pressure measurements for the compressed air reservoir of the compressor.

With regard to air pollution, information on when production should begin can be used to obtain an instruction to start a ventilation system or air filter before the actual start of the operation of the metal smelter.

Other information about whether a molding machine is working or not to obtain instructions to stop a metal casting machine, such as a shaker machine or a mold conveyor, if the molding machine does not produce molds, which saves money and resources. In this case, the information on the operation of the metal melting can be obtained directly from the control computer or by operating sensors connected to the molding machine.

In the same way, the information on the operation of the casting of metals can be used to control the lighting of the metal casting to avoid illuminating the casting of metals if the metal casting is not in operation.

When the long-term production goals are known and are included in the information, this information can be used to obtain instructions for at least one metal smelting machine to make the at least one metal casting machine run at speed. lower, allowing in spite of it that the required production is achieved.

If the Information, or the at least one measurement, comprises an air temperature, this air temperature can be used to preheat an air extraction duct so that the hot air from the metal melting does not condense in the extraction duct causing the aggregation of sand or dust in the extraction duct. These aggregations are difficult to eliminate, so it is desirable to prevent the formation of said aggregates.

Also, the information on the operation of the metal melting can be used to reduce the noise when operating the molding machine and the mold conveyor at a lower speed.

Information on the operation of metal melting can also be collected from operating sensors, such as vibration sensors, which can be used to warn of a possible failure, as diagnosed by vibrations, of the at least one casting machine of metal. This increases the longevity of the metal casting machine. Oil quality sensors can also be used to measure and analyze the lubricating or hydraulic oil to operate the metal casting machines to avoid their failure.

Other operating sensors include image sensors to obtain information on the quality of the mold. It is possible to use hyperspectral images with the use of hyperspectral sensors to measure the air pollution caused by dust and / or chemical substances.

The embodiment according to claim 5 is advantageous, since in this embodiment the operation of the metal melting is optimized, so that the total amount of environmental disturbances is minimized. The first sum and the second sum can be formed by multiplying each of the corresponding measures of environmental disturbances with a constant to obtain a common unit for the value of the sums. This unit can be, for example, cost or energy. The common unit may not have a dimension dividing each measurement with a base measurement. For example, a noise level in dB can be divided by a base measurement of 100 dB. Similarly, a power measurement in watts can be divided by a base measurement of 1000 watts. The value of the base measurement for each measurement can be used to weigh the impact each environmental disturbance must have on the sum of the environmental disturbance. Therefore, if the value of the measurement of the base is small, the disturbance of the corresponding environment will contribute to the sum of the disturbances of the environment and vice versa.

To make the sum of the disturbances of the environment, a cost value of each base measurement must be established to reflect the cost associated with the operation of the melting of metals in the amount of disturbance of the corresponding environment that is measured. For example, with respect to power, the value of the base measurement is the cost of each watt-hour of power that is consumed. Likewise, the value of the base measurement for the use of water is the cost per m3 of water consumed. The wastewater that has been released to a municipal wastewater treatment plant similarly carries a cost per m3. Filters used in air filtering devices to filter contaminated air also carry a cost per m3 of filtered air and the amount of air pollution.

Instead of having a single constant base measurement for each disturbance of the environment when the computation of the first sum is made, a base function can be established for each perturbation of the environment. The base function takes as input the measurement value of the corresponding environmental disturbance and returns a dimensionless number or a cost. In fact, a base measurement, as described, represents a simple base function. A more complicated base function may comprise a quadratic, polynomial, linear, exponential, or other relationship between measurement and cost. The base function may be more discontinuous, as for example in the case of a base function for noise in which noise levels below a first threshold do not entail costs, noise levels above the first threshold and below of a second threshold result in a moderate cost based on the cost of providing workers with atrial protections, and noise above the second threshold carries a high cost based on the need to interrupt the operation of metal casting, with the consequent loss of income due to the violation of the laws of the working environment. One more example of a discontinuous base function is the cost of electric power, where the cost per watt can be different for different times of day and night. Said differential cost of electric power will influence the operation of the metal melting. An example related to minimizing air pollution involves increasing the power of the fans in a ventilation unit during the night when electric power is cheap, which reduces the supply of water to the shaker and reduces the cost of water. During the day, when the electric power is expensive, the electrical energy of the fans is reduced and the water supply to the shaking machine is increased. Both during night operation and during daytime operation, air pollution is reduced to a minimum while at the same time taking advantage of the lower cost of electrical energy at night.

The stage vi can also comprise obtaining at least one previous instruction, the previous instruction being associated with the state of the at least one metal casting machine in which at least one measurement is obtained, storing the at least one previous instruction, and always that the estimation of the second sum is greater than the first sum that causes that at least one instruction obtained in step ii is identical to the at least one previous instruction before performing step iii.

This ensures that if the estimate of the second sum is greater than the first sum, the at least one prior instruction is used to operate the at least one metal casting machine.

The estimation can be obtained by modeling the at least one metal casting machine using an empirical or analytical or logical correlation between the measurement of the at least one disturbance of the environment and that at least one instruction.

A correlation between the measurement of the at least one disturbance of the environment and the at least one instruction can be determined, for example, by putting into operation the metal casting machines using different instructions, in the case of a mold conveyor at different speeds, and for each instruction measuring and storing the values of the environmental disturbances. In the case of a mold conveyor, the mold conveyor is started at different speeds and the noise produced at each speed is mediated and stored. The measurements can be used to construct a look-up table or, alternatively, they can serve as data to make a linear regression or another suitable for its use in a function taking as input an instruction and providing as output the amount of disturbance of the environment produced when puts the metal casting machine into operation by applying the instruction. A case of analytical or logical correlation between the measurement of the at least one disturbance of the environment and the at least one instruction can be found, for example, for the consumption of water in the shaking machine, since in this case the instruction to increase the 50% water supply logically results in an increase in water consumption by 50%.

Therefore, once the at least one instruction has been obtained, said at least one instruction is used in the query table, regression or function mentioned to obtain the corresponding measurement of the at least one perturbation of the environment. The second sum can be calculated by obtaining the cost or amount of the disturbance of the environment using the base measurement or the base function mentioned.

Claim 6 defines different disturbances of the environment. Air pollution can be air pollution due to dust, fine sand, fine minerals, chemical vapors, metal droplets, metal vapors, etc. The heat may include hot air, hot steam and hot fluids. Noise may include sound, vibrations, etc. CO2 emissions may include the CO2 emissions that are produced directly from the metal smelting machine and / or CO2 emissions that are produced indirectly through the use of energy from the metal smelting machine. The energy consumption comprises the energy consumed by the metal melting machine. The water consumption comprises the water consumed by the metal melting machine. Production waste comprises waste in the form of green sand that can not be reused, defective molded parts that must be disposed of or melted, metal left over from molten metal pouring, etc. Other environmental disturbances include air currents and air jets, release of pressurized air, etc., from the metal casting machine.

Claim 7 defines different instructions. The speed control of the metal casting machine can include reducing the speed which, depending on the metal casting machine, reduces noise, air pollution, energy consumption, water consumption and / or CO2 emissions. Controlling the water supply to the metal casting machine may include increasing the flow of water causing a reduction in the formation of dust, thus reducing air pollution. The control of the lubrication of the metal casting machine can include adding lubrication to the metal casting machine causing a reduction in energy consumption. The control means for counteracting the disturbance of the environment may comprise control fans, fresh air inlets, filters, air purifiers, etc., to reduce air pollution, control an air conditioner to reduce heat, etc.

Claim 8 and define a preferred embodiment of the method according to the present invention. The heat exchanger not only reduces the heat by absorbing it, but also makes the heat available to reuse it to heat other parts of the metal foundry or to generate electricity.

Preferably, the heat exchanger is mounted on a metal casting machine, such as a molding conveyor, a melting furnace, a casting furnace or a molding line to absorb the heat of the molten metal in the molds.

In addition, the metal casting machine on top of which or in relation to which the heat exchanger can be placed to absorb the heat includes heated pouring units and, if heated, such as pouring spoons.

Therefore, the present invention also provides that the energy can be reused from a molding conveyor, a melting furnace, a casting furnace or a molding line by absorbing the heat of the molten metal in the molds and using this heat for heating or heating. generation of electricity, through a turbine, while the absorption of heat also provides a better environment, that is, less hot, for workers or operators of the melting of metals.

Preferably, the energy absorbed by the heat exchanger is used to feed the metal casting machines and / or the ventilation machines that provide ventilation for the melting of metals. In a preferred embodiment of the method according to the first aspect of the present invention, the measurement and / or the result of the comparison can be displayed on the machine in machine-made metal, on a computer print or screen, on a central printer or computer screen, or remote on a computer, PDA or Smartphone. This is advantageous since it allows the worker or metal casting operator to be informed about the environment and the measurements of environmental disturbances.

At least one of the above objects, or at least one of the additional objects that will become apparent in the light of the following description are according to a second aspect of the present invention which are achieved according to the system according to the claim 9

The system according to the second aspect of the present invention performs the method according to the first aspect of the present invention.

Preferably, at least one sensor is placed in the vicinity of the at least one metal casting machine; however, it can also be placed within the at least one metal smelting machine, associated with a resource required by the at least one metal smelting machine, in metal smelting, or out of metal smelting.

The at least one sensor can be an air quality sensor, such as a CO2 sensor and an O2 sensor, an O3 sensor, a dust content sensor, a smoke sensor, a gas sensor, a sensor relative humidity, an airflow sensor.

The at least one sensor can also comprise a heat sensor, such as a temperature sensor or a radiant heat (IR) sensor.

The at least one sensor may also comprise a flow sensor, such as a flow sensor or water use, a flow sensor or use of green sand, etc.

The at least one sensor may also comprise a power sensor (measurement of the electrical energy used by a metal casting machine).

The at least one sensor may comprise a microphone or sound meter for measuring the noise. In addition, the sensor can be a vibration sensor to measure vibrations.

The at least one sensor can be a pressure transducer or extensometer to measure the pressures and forces present between the part of the metal casting machines and / or between the molds and the metal casting machines.

The at least one sensor can be a visual system for obtaining and processing images of metal casting machines, details of metal casting machines, molds, castings, sand, etc. The at least one sensor may also comprise an electric field sensor or a magnetic field sensor.

The at least one sensor can be a balance for weighing scrap production or green sand waste. The at least one sensor can additionally comprise a PDA, a computer or Smartphone used by a worker to manually provide a measurement, for example, the subjective air quality experienced by the workers or operators or the finished quantity of the parts, i.e. manual treatment of molded parts, such as cutting, sand blasting and polishing.

The at least one sensor can be connected to a central computer either wirelessly or by cable. The at least one sensor is configured to obtain at least one measurement of the at least one disturbance of the environment. This means that the at least one sensor is suitable to obtain at least one measurement of the at least one disturbance of the environment.

The control computer is configured to obtain at least one measurement and at least one instruction. This means that the control computer is adequate to obtain at least one measurement and at least one instruction. The control computer can be a server or a personal computer that executes a program, so that the computer is configured to perform the tasks defined in claim 9. The central computer can host a server or site to display and provide the information of the computer. the measurement and / or the result of the comparison to the workers or local or remote operators of the metal smelting. The control computer may comprise a screen for displaying the measurement information and / or the result of the comparison to the workers or operators of the metal foundry.

Preferably, the control computer is further configured, or is suitable for, communicating the at least one instruction to the control device.

The at least one control device can comprise any device for operating the at least one metal casting machine using the at least one instruction. Examples include an electronically or pneumatically operated valve, an electronic speed controller for controlling the speed of a metal casting machine, an electronically controlled lubrication pump, an electronic relay for activating an air or conditioning cleaning device. of air, etc.

The control computer may be configured to obtain the at least one instruction being configured to perform the method according to claim 4, as defined in claim 4 and described in relation to claim 4.

In some embodiments, the control computer is further configured to obtain information on the operation of the metal casting and to use the information when obtaining the at least one instruction.

The control computer, for example, can be configured to store or access the expected rate of production of the metal melting, the type of mold used in the casting of metals, the number of molds in the mold conveyor, the weight of each mold, whether or not the molding machine and the mold conveyor, etc., are running or not.

In some cases, the system according to the second aspect of the present invention may comprise at least one operational sensor configured to obtain at least part of the information. The operation sensor may comprise, for example, a motion detector, to detect the movement of the conveyor of molds, a weight sensor to determine the weight of a mold, an image sensor to detect workers in the melting of metals. The operation sensor may be associated with a metal casting machine or, alternatively, the control computer may be configured to obtain the information directly from a metal casting machine.

The control computer may be configured to use the information as to an additional input to the at least one measurement to modulate the instruction obtained. In some cases, the control computer may be configured to prevent execution of the instruction obtained until the information shows that a criterion is met, for example, that the production is running.

Other operating sensors include vibration sensors, oil quality sensors, image sensors, humidity sensors and hyperspectral sensors.

A preferred embodiment of the system according to the present invention is defined in claim 10. In general, metal smelters comprise a first plurality of metal smelting machines that produce a second plurality of disturbances of the environment, so that embodiments according to claim 10 they are advantageous since they decrease the total amount of environmental disturbances.

The fifth plurality may be greater than the second plurality where more than one sensor is configured to obtain a measurement of the same disturbance of the environment.

The sixth plurality may be less than the fourth plurality where at least one of the control devices can handle more than one instruction.

In correspondence with the method according to claim 1, the control computer can be configured to obtain an order of priority for disturbances of the environment to prioritize the instructions if there is more than one disturbance of the environment and more than one instruction.

The preferred embodiment of the system according to the present invention defined in claim 11 minimizes the impact on the environment.

The addition module, the modeling module and the control module can be implemented in the hardware or software. The control computer is preferably configured to perform the method according to claim 5, as defined in claim 5 and is described in relation to the previous claim 5. The smelting of metals, as defined in claim 12, has a minor impact on the environment.

The melting of metals, as defined in claim 13, has an even smaller impact on the environment.

The system according to the second aspect of the present invention is especially suitable for a green sand metal melt, as defined in claim 14.

The preferred embodiment of the metal casting, as defined in claim 15, provides even less impact on the environment by reusing the heat of the metal casting machines.

The means for converting the heat absorbed by the heat exchanger may include a thermocouple, a steam turbine, a heat pump, etc. The energy can be heat energy or electrical energy, etc.

The heat exchanger, as defined in claim 15 may be used in a foundry, as defined in claim 15, without the system according to the second aspect of the present invention.

Thus, a metal melt comprising any one of a mold conveyor, a pour unit, a melting furnace, a casting furnace or a molding line, may comprise a heat exchanger placed to absorb the heat of any of said Mold conveyor, pouring unit, foundry furnace, casting furnace or molding line and metal smelting may further comprise means for converting the heat absorbed by the heat exchanger into energy to operate the metal smelter and the metal casting machines in the foundry of metals.

The invention and its many advantages will be described in more detail below with reference to the accompanying schematic drawings, which illustrate some non-exhaustive embodiments, and in which: Figure 1 shows a metal casting comprising a system in accordance with the second aspect of the present invention for operating the metal casting according to the method according to the first aspect of the present invention;

Figure 2 shows the system according to the second aspect of the present invention and its connection to an example of a metal casting machine, and

Figure 3 presents flow diagrams of embodiments of the method according to the first aspect of the present invention.

In the following description, a supermix in Roman numerals that adds a reference number indicates that the referenced item has the same function or function similar to that of the item designated as the reference number without a supermix, but which differs in its structure.

When additional embodiments of the invention are presented in the figures, the elements that are new, in relation to the embodiments presented above, have new reference numbers, while referring to the elements presented above as indicated above. The elements that are identical in the different embodiments have been given the same reference numbers and no more explanations of these elements will be given.

Figure 1 shows a metal smelter, designated in its entirety with the reference number 2. The metal smelter 2 comprises a plurality of metal smelting machines, as described below. A first metal casting machine is a machine that provides and stores green sand 10 comprising a silo 12 for retaining green sand, an elevator 14 for receiving extrafined sand and transporting it to the silo 12, a screen 16 for conditioning and sorting sand, a sand mixer 18 for mixing the sand and a sand measuring device 20 to provide a controlled flow of the green sand to a conveyor or 22.

The green sand is supplied from the storing machine and provides green sand 10 through the conveyor 22 to a second metal casting machine which is a vertical green sand molding machine 30. The vertical green sand molding machine 30 receives the green sand with a hopper or a sand supply unit 32 and shape the green sands in the mold by pressing a shot of green sand between a pair of standard plates (not shown). When it is necessary to form a hole in the molding piece, a male (not shown) can be attached to one or both sides of the green sand mold 34 that comes out of the vertical green sand molding machine 30. The male is produced from green sand or other materials in a third metal casting machine that is a male 40 shot machine.

Once the green sand mold 34 has left the vertical green sand molding machine 30, it is passed to a growing line of sand molds transported by a fourth metal casting machine which is a mold conveyor 50. Two green sand molds 34, when placed together, form in between a mold cavity to receive molten metal.

The molten metal is then poured through a pouring unit, such as a casting spoon (not shown) into the mold cavities formed by the matrix of the green sand molds 34 present in the mold conveyor 50.

During the pouring, the ashes from the combustion of the components of the green sand mold 34 can escape into the air and, therefore, these ashes involve the contamination of the air produced when the mold conveyor 50 and / or pouring unit.

There is a heat exchanger 52 placed on the conveyor 50 to receive part of the heat emitted by the molten metal in the green sand molds 34. The heat exchanger 52 may include an elongated cover to collect the hot air rising from the molds of green sand 34 on the connector 50 and the tube placed inside the cover, through which a heat exchanger fluid is passed to be heated by the hot air. The heated fluid can be used to drive a turbine to convert heat from hot air to electrical energy through a generator connected to. the turbine. Alternatively, the heated fluid can be used to heat other parts of the metal smelter or to provide steam for the metal smelting machines. Electric power can also be used to power metal casting machines.

Once the molten metal has solidified, the green sand mold is deposited in a fifth metal melting machine which is a shaker 60. The shaken machine 60 causes the green sand molds 34 to separate and break, so that the green sand molds 34 are removed from the castings. Water is added through sprinklers, one of which is designated with the reference number 62.

The shaker machine 60 then passes the molded parts and the green sand molds 32 to a sixth metal melting machine which is a sand cooler 70 comprising a drum 72 through which the molded parts and the sand molds are driven. green 34. Water is added to the drum 72 to further remove the green sand from the molded parts and to further decompose and cool the green sand. The water moistens the sand even more and reduces the air pollution in the form of sand and dust that is produced when starting up the sand cooler 70. Sand cooler 70 also fills molded parts. The sand cooler 70 further includes a disintegrator to further break down the sand into individual grains before the green sand passes into a seventh metal smelting machine which is a third conveyor 80 which transports the sand back to the storage machine and provision of green sand 10 for reuse. The third conveyor 80 further comprises a magnetic separator 82 for removing any iron or steel particles that may be present in the green sand.

After passing through the sand cooler 70, the molded parts pass to an eighth metal casting machine which is the machine for cleaning and treating the molded part 90 in which the molded parts continue to be cleaned and any residue of sand, they are cooled and collected to continue processing.

With regard to environmental disturbances, the machine that stores and provides the green sand 10, when used in the operation of the metal melting 2, produces dust and noise, therefore, air pollution and noise are disturbances of the environment of this machine. Other environmental disturbances related to the machine that stores and provides green sand and 10 are water consumption and energy consumption.

The vertical green sand molding machine 30 and the core shooting machine 40, when used in the operation of metal casting 2, also produce dust and noise, therefore, air pollution and noise are disturbances of the environment for these machines. In addition, these machines require energy, therefore, the energy consumption is also a disturbance of the environment for these machines.

The mold conveyor 50, when used in the operation of metal casting 2, requires energy and generates noise, therefore, the use of energy and noise are disturbances of the environment for this machine. Furthermore, the heat of the molten metal in the green sand molds 34 causes the green molds 34 to emit a large amount of heat in the mold conveyor 50, whereby the heat is a disturbance of the environment related to this machine.

The shaker machine 60 generates, when used in the operation of the metal melting 2, both dust and noise, therefore the air pollution and the noise are disturbances of the environment for this machine. In addition, this machine requires energy consumption to operate and water consumption to limit the production of dust, environmental disturbances for this machine,

The sand cooler 70 generates, when used in the operation of metal melting 2, both dust and noise, therefore air pollution and noise are disturbances of the environment for this machine. To cool the green sand and the molded parts and to limit the formation of dust, the sand cooler 70 uses water, so the use of water is an environmental parameter of this machine. This machine also uses energy, so the use of energy is also a disturbance of the environment of this machine.

The third conveyor 80 requires energy to start up and generates dust and noise, so the use of energy, air pollution and noise are disturbances of the environment for this machine.

The machine for cleaning and treatment of molded parts requires energy to start and generates noise, so the use of energy and noise are disturbances of the environment for this machine.

The metal smelter 10 further comprises a system, designated globally with the reference number 100, to operate the metal smelter. The system 100 comprises a control computer 110, a plurality of environmental disturbance sensors (not shown in Figure 1) and a plurality of operating devices or control devices (not shown in Figure 1). The environmental disturbance sensors are distributed throughout the metal melting 10 and the metal casting machines are preferably placed next.

The control computer 110 includes a screen 112, the use of which will be described in relation to Figures 2 and 3. The control computer 110 may additionally communicate through the network 140 with a Smartphone 150 as will be described below.

The vertical green sand molding machine 30 shown in Figure 1 can be replaced by a plate molding machine without a horizontal box.

The male triggering machine 40 can be any of a Cold Box, Hot-Box, Croning, SO2 or inorganic male triggering machine.

Figure 2 presents the system 100 in relation to an example of a metal casting machine, in this case a shaking machine 60. An environmental disturbance sensor is placed which is an air quality sensor 120 next to the shaking machine 60 and control computer 110 is connected by cable or wirelessly. The air quality sensor 120 is placed to measure the quality of the air and, consequently, any air pollution caused by the shaking machine 60.

The system 100 also comprises a control device, connected by cable or wirelessly to the control computer 110, to control the operation of the shaker machine 80. In figure 2, this control device is integrated by a controllable valve 130 which governs the supply of water to the shaker machine 60.

Other environmental disturbance sensors comprising the system 100 include the noise sensor 1201, the heat sensor 12011, the energy consumption sensor 120m, the water consumption sensor 120IV and the production waste sensor 120V

The control computer 110 can manage the measurement and / or the result of the comparison through the network 140 to the Smartphone 150 as described below.

Although in Figure 2 the corresponding sensors, including among others the air quality sensor 120, are located close to the metal casting machine, alternatively, the sensors can be located separated from the metal casting machines. In this case, the metal casting machines that produce a certain disturbance of the environment can be operated together through the control computer 110.

The control computer 110 may include a control interface for establishing threshold values and functions for the corresponding disturbances of the environment. The control computer may further include a server for housing a control interface for displaying the measurement information, threshold values, functions and / or instructions and for receiving commands for configuring the threshold values, modifying or setting the functions or issuing instructions through the network 140, the network 140 may comprise a LAN, WLAN or WAN, such as the Internet.

The control computer 110 comprises a data storage for continuously storing measurements, current threshold values and functions and / or instructions in a log file. The control computer preferably provides the log file to be displayed on the screen 112 or the control interface. The control computer 110 may be programmed to display a 2D or 3D image of the metal casting and to display the corresponding measurements and threshold values adjacent to the corresponding metal casting machine in the image.

The control computer 110, preferably and as shown in FIG. 1, is located in the metal melting 2, However, alternatively, the control computer 110 can be located remote from the metal melting 2. In the latter case, the control computer can be located in a building adjacent to the the casting of metals 2 or even further, provided that the appropriate communication links, wired or wireless, interconnect the control computer 110 with the air quality sensor 120 and the controllable valve 130.

If desired, the control computer 110 can be programmed to provide an alarm, either by displaying a visual serial on the screen 112, emitting a sound using a loudspeaker (not shown) or by email and / or SMS, to a worker or metal smelting operator 2 to alert the worker or operator of metal smelting 2 when the measurement is diverted, for example, by being too high or too low, with respect to the threshold value.

Fig. 3A presents a flow chart 200 of an embodiment of the method performed by the system 100. The steps are described below with reference to the system 100 presented in Fig. 2. In step 210, the control computer 110 obtains a measurement of the air quality sensor 120. In step 220, this measurement is compared to a threshold value corresponding to the maximum allowable air pollution, that is, the amount of sand dust in the air. If the amount of air pollution is above the threshold value, the method obtains an instruction in step 230, instruction which is then communicated to the controllable valve 130 to increase the amount of water to reduce the formation of dust in the shaker machine 60. In this way air quality is conveniently maintained for workers.

A status report that includes the measurement and / or result is sent to the workers using the networks 140 and the Smartphone 150, or is displayed on the screen 112 in step 240.

In case the amount of air pollution is below the threshold value, the method can return directly to step 210 or, alternatively, go to step 230, but generate an instruction that makes the controllable valve 130 remain as it is. .

If the system 100 includes a water usage sensor located in such a way as to measure the water consumption of the shaker machine 60, the method 200 may also require the steps to measure, compare and operate on the Water consumption base. In this case, the operation of the controllable valve 130 that has been described, to increase the flow of water to reduce the formation of dust, can result in the consumption of water directed by the control computer 110 using the increase over the value threshold of the water consumption sensor for water consumption. In this case, the control computer will obtain an instruction and communicate it to the controllable valve 130 to reduce water consumption. The control computer 110 is preferably programmed to prioritize the perturbations of the environment so that those that are related to the worker's environment and, ultimately, to the worker's health are prioritized. Therefore, the control computer 110 is preferably programmed to keep the use of water below the threshold value for water consumption only if the measurement of the air quality is below the threshold value for air quality. Therefore, the method 200 can comprise steps for measuring a plurality of disturbances of the environment, comparing the measurements with a plurality of threshold values, generating a plurality of prioritized instructions according to the priority of the environment disturbance corresponding to the Instruction and setting in The shaker machine 60 is operated applying only the instructions of maximum priority for each type of instruction.

The control computer 110 may alternatively be programmed to modify the instructions associated with the perturbations of the environment that have lower priorities to render them ineffective.

Fig. 3B presents a flow chart 2001 similar to Fig. 3A, but in this embodiment, the power consumption of the mold conveyor 50 is measured in step 2101 and compared to the threshold value in step 2201. If the power consumption is too high, an instruction is obtained to activate the means for providing lubrication to the mold conveyor in step 2301 and is used to operate the mold conveyor 50. A status report is sent including the measurement and / or the result of the comparison to the workers through network 140 and Smartphone 150, or through screen display 112 in step 2401. Fig. 3C presents a flow chart 2001 similar to that of Fig. 3A having the same steps 210 and 220, but, in this embodiment, if the air quality is too bad, a diagnostic alarm is sent to the operator in step 250, when 150 is sent, and the operator manually instructs the computer of control 110 to increase the flow of water to the shaker machine 60 in step 260. Finally, a status report is sent to the control computer for storage in step 270.

Fig. 3D presents a flow chart 2001 similar to that of Fig. 3A has the same step 210 but in this embodiment the instruction is generated using a function that is put into operation on air quality, ie, f (A ) in step 2201. In this case the instruction is applied to adjust the flow of water to the shaker machine 60, in step 2301. f (A) can be for example the water flow ~ k * concentration of particles in the air with k as a constant. Therefore, when the concentration of airborne particles increases, the water flow will also increase. Therefore, the instruction generated by function is configured to cause a decrease in the concentration of airborne particles.

Fig. 3E presents some flow diagrams 200iv of an embodiment of the method performed by the system 100. In step 2101 a third plurality of measurements of a second plurality of environmental disturbances produced by a first plurality of metal casting machines is obtained. metals using a fifth group of sensors such as sensors 120, 1201, 1201, 12011, 120IV and 120v. In step 280, the sum of the third plurality of measurements is determined by representing the total amount of environmental disturbance caused by the melting of metals 2. In determining the sum, suitable constants can be used to transform the measurements into a common unit, such as energy, cost, etc. The sum determined in step 280 is stored in system 100, for example, in computer 110.

In step 220III the second plurality of measurements is used; obtaining a fourth plurality of instructions for reducing environmental perturbations associated with the third plurality of measurements. These instructions are then used in step 290 in a metal melting model 2 to estimate the sum of environmental disturbances that signal the result if the instructions obtained in step 220m were used to start the metal casting machines . The principles of this model have been described above in relation to claim 5. In step 300, this estimated sum is compared to the stored sum determined in step 280 and as long as the estimated sum is less than the stored sum, it is they use the instructions obtained in step 220m to start the metal casting machines in step 230IN. If the estimated sum is greater than the stored sum, the method returns to 220 "to try to obtain better instructions, if a second, or third or fourth, etc., as established by the metal smelting operator 2, group If the instruction is still not resulting in an estimated sum that is less than the stored sum, then the method exits and fly to step 210. " The group of second, third or fourth instructions can be obtained by adding a random value to the other plurality of instructions obtained in step 220IN in order to try to find a new minimum sum of environmental perturbations.

The instructions in step 220IIN can be obtained using thresholds as described with reference to Figures 3A4B, using the operator input, as described with reference to Figure 3G, or through a function, as described with reference to FIG. reference to Figure 3D. Different measurements can be used of the third plurality of measurements to obtain instructions according to different methods, is dedr, threshold, manual input, function.

As an alternative to that presented in Figure 3D, steps 290 and 300 can be dispensed and the sum stored in step 280 can be used simply as a reference or visualization for workers or operators of the metal smelter 2.

Li r n r r r n l l l

Claims (15)

1. A method (200) of operation of a metal smelter (2), in particular, a green sand metal smelter, to reduce the impact on the environment of the operation of the metal smelter (2), including casting of metals at least one metal melting machine (10), such as at least one between a vertical green sand molding machine (30), a mold conveyor (50), a shaker machine (60) or a sand cooler (70), said at least one metal melting machine (10) producing at least one disturbance in the environment when it is used in the operation of said metal melting (2), the method comprising the steps of: i. obtain at least one measurement of said at least one disturbance of the environment (210). ii. obtaining at least one instruction from said at least one metal melting machine (10) on the basis of said at least one measurement, said at least one instruction being configured to cause a decrease in said at least one disturbance of the environment (220), Y iii. using said at least one instruction to operate said at least one metal casting machine (230). The method (200) according to claim 1, said metal melting (2) comprising a first plurality of said metal casting machines (10, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90), the method being performed for each metal casting machine of said first plurality of said metal casting machines (10, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90). The method (200IV) according to claim 2, producing said first plurality of metal casting machines (10, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90), a second plurality of disturbances of the environment when they are used in the operation of said metal melting (2), comprising step i, obtaining a third plurality of measurements (2101) of said second plurality of disturbances of the environment, step ii comprising obtaining a fourth plurality of instructions (220m) for said first plurality of metal casting machines, said fourth plurality of instructions being configured to cause a decrease of said second plurality of disturbances of the environment and comprising step iii the use of said fourth plurality of instructions to put into operation (230m) said first plurality of metal casting machines (10, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90). The method (200) according to any of the preceding claims, the step of obtaining said at least one instruction comprising the sub-step of: a comparison of said at least one measure with at least one threshold value to obtain at least one comparison result (220) and provided that said at least one comparison result indicates that said at least one measurement is not within the acceptable range defined by said at least one threshold value, either by consulting said at least one instruction in at least one look-up table using at least one comparison result, obtaining said at least one instruction using at least one function operation on said at least one result of comparison or said at least one measurement (2201) or communicating said at least one comparison result or said at least one measurement to the worker or operator of said metal foundry to obtain said at least one instruction from said worker or operation said said casting metals, or, alternatively, the sub-stage of: b. computing said at least one instruction using at least one operation of the function on said at least one measurement (2201). 5. The method (200iV) according to any of the preceding claims comprising the steps of: iv. obtaining a first sum of said at least one measurement (280) of said at least one disturbance of the environment before performing step III. v. obtaining an estimate of a second sum of said at least one measurement (290) of said at least one perturbation of the environment, said estimate being based on an estimate of said decrease of said at least one disturbance of the environment caused by the completion of step iii using said at least one instruction, and saw. comparing said first sum of said estimate of said second sum (3000) and, when said estimate and said second sum is less than said first sum, performing step iii. The method (200) according to any of the preceding claims, said at least one disturbance of the environment comprising air pollution, heat, noise, CO2 emissions, energy consumption, water consumption or production residues. The method (200) according to any of the preceding claims, said at least one instruction comprising an instruction to control the speed of said metal casting machine (10), an instruction to control the supply of water to said machine. metal melting (10), an instruction to control the lubrication of said metal melting machine (50) or an instruction to control the operation of a means (52) to counteract such disturbance of the environment. The method (200) according to claim 7, said method for counteracting the disturbance of the environment any one between a heat exchanger (52) for absorbing heat, a ventilation unit for ventilating said metal melting and a dust filter to trap the dust. 9. A system (100) for the operation of a metal smelter (2) to reduce the impact on the environment of the operation of the metal smelting (2), the metal smelting (2) comprising at least one smelting machine of metals (10), such as at least one vertical green sand molding machine (30), a mold conveyor (50), a shaker machine (60) or a sand cooler (70), producing said at least one machine of metal melting (10) at least one disturbance of the environment when it is used in the operation of said metal melting (2), the system (100) comprising: at least one sensor (120) configured to obtain at least one measurement of said at least one disturbance of the environment a control computer (110) configured to obtain said at least one measurement, said control computer (110) being further configured to obtain at least one instruction for said at least one metal casting machine (10), based on the The result of said at least one measurement, said at least one instruction being configured to cause a decrease of said at least one disturbance of the environment and a control device (130) to operate said at least one metal casting machine (2). ) using at least one instruction. The system (100) of claim 9, said metal casting (2) comprising a first plurality of said metal casting machines (10, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90), producing said first plurality of metal casting machines (10, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90) a second plurality of environmental disturbances when used in the operation of said metal melting (2), the system comprising also: a fifth plurality of said sensors (120), said control computer (110) being configured to obtain a third plurality of said measurement, said control computer (110) being further configured to obtain a fourth plurality of said instructions of said first plurality of metal casting machines and a sixth plurality of said control devices (130) for operating said first plurality of metal casting machines (10) using said fourth plurality of instructions. The system (100) according to any of claims 9-10, further comprising said control computer (10) a summing module to obtain a first sum of said at least one measurement of said at least one disturbance of the environment, a modeling module for obtaining an estimate of a second sum of said at least one measurement of said at least one disturbance of the environment, said estimate being based on an estimate of said decrease of said at least one disturbance of the environment caused by the operation of said at minus a metal casting machine using said at least one instruction, and a command module for operating said at least one metal melting machine (10) and / or said at least one control device (130) using said at least one instruction if said estimation of said second sum is less than said first sum. A metal smelter (2) comprising at least one metal smelting machine (10), as at least one vertical green sand molding machine (3), a mold conveyor (50), a shaking machine (60) ) and a sand cooler (70), said at least one metal melting machine (10) producing at least one disturbance of the environment when it is used in the operation of said metal melting (2), said metal melting ( 2) a system (100) according to any of claims 9 11. 13. The metal casting (2) according to claim 12, the metal casting (2) comprising a first plurality of metal casting machines (10, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90) , as a first plurality of any one between a vertical green sand molding machine (30), a mold conveyor (50), a shaker machine (60) and a sand cooler (70), producing said first plurality of casting machines of metals (10, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90) a second plurality of disturbances of the environment when they are used in the operation of said metal casting, said casting also comprising a system according to any of claims 10-11. 14. The metal smelting (2) according to any of claims 12-13, said metal smelting (2) being a metal melting of green sand. A metal smelter (2) according to any of claims 12-14, said metal smelter (2) comprising any between a molding conveyor (50), a pouring unit, a smelting furnace, a furnace of casting or a molding line, said metal melting (2) further comprising at least one heat exchanger (52) positioned to absorb the heat of either between said molding conveyor (50), pouring unit, casting furnace, casting furnace or molding line, and said metal melting (2) also comprising means for converting said heat absorbed by said heat exchanger into energy to put into operation the metal melting (2).