GB2158733A

GB2158733A - Device for closing a charging hole of containers resistant to pressure

Info

Publication number: GB2158733A
Application number: GB08420094A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Pavle Ivanovski; Wolfgang Finsterriegler
Original assignee: Voestalpine AG
Current assignee: Voestalpine AG
Priority date: 1984-05-14
Filing date: 1984-08-07
Publication date: 1985-11-20
Also published as: CS254983B2; AU4026785A; YU43671B; FR2564062A1; AU576228B2; PL144632B1; JPS60244331A; PL252388A1; AT380803B; DD233788A5; GR851104B; CA1229561A; GB2158733B; GB8420094D0; DE3505131C2; DE3505131A1; FR2564062B1; HU189118B; YU135084A; ATA158084A

Abstract

A device for closing the charging hole (2) of a container (1) resistant to pressure comprises a lid (3) pivoted such as to permit swiveling inwards and a drive assembly (10) linked to the outside of the container (1) which drive assembly is connected with the lid (3) by a traction element (13) turned round over a roller (15) arranged above the charging hole (2). Outside the container (1) a charging chute (7) closed on all sides is connected with the edge (4) of the charging hole (2). <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Device for closing a charging hole of containers resistant to pressure The invention relates to a device for closing a charging hole of containers resistant to pressure, particularly autoclaves, comprising a lid which can be lowered inwards into the container and the outer diameter of which lid exceeds the inside diameter of the charging hole, and a drive assembly which is supported against the outside of the container for opening and closing the lid, wherein a charging chute closed on all sides is supported against, particularly connected with the edge of the charging hole. Favourably the lid is arranged such as to be lowered inwards into the container for opening, because by this means the internal pressure of the container andes'or the autoclave supports tight closing of the lid.Such a device is which the lid is opened into the interior of the autoclave is known from the DE-OS 3 241 784. In this well known embodiment the lid is connected by a rod with a drive assembly formed by a hydraulic piston-cylinder unit. This rod must be guided through the chute and the lid is guided by this rod only when being opened or closed. The lid is subjected to great strain, as the material in pellets supplied by the chute drops onto the lid when it is opened, and such a guidance by means of a rod is therefore greatly strained, susceptible to damage and expensive. Except for that the lowered lid obstructs the supply of the material in pellets and,or the coal to the autoclave and the space of time required for filling the autoclave increases.

The invention is designed to provide a sturdy and safe device for operating the lid and to reduce the space of time required for filling the container.

The invention consists herein essentially in the lid being pivoted to the edge of the charge hole such as to permit swivelling inwards, in the drive assembly being supported against the outside of the container itself and being connected with the lid by at least one traction element and a deflection device for the traction element being supported against the charging chute above the charging hole. By the lid being pivoted to the edge of the charging hole and not being guided by a rod which allows vertical lowering, the charging hole is completely cleared when the lid is open. Thus a shorter stretch of time for supplying the container with material in pellets is required. Such an autoclave is perticularly suitable for a process for drying coal according to Fleissner.In such a process the coal to oe dried is fed to the autoclave and subsequently charged wi h sperheated andior saturated steam under pressure. By reducing the time of filling the stretch of time required for carrying out the whole process is reduced. Good guidance of the lid in opening and closing is also achieved. When the lid is guided by a rod as it is in the known embodiment there is the risk of the rod being damaged or deformed by the material filled, by which means safe closing of the lid is impaired. By the lid being closed and opened by means of a traction element this element this risk of an impairment of the safe guidance of the lid is cleared up. The guidance of a rod at the charging chute above the filling hole is not accurate.By the fact that only one deflection device for the traction element is supported against the charging chute and that the operation of the lid is effected by the traction element in the embodiment according to the invention, inaccuracies which can occur by the support against the charging chute do not affect the function of the lid.

A higher filling level of the autoclave is also made possible, as the lowered lid dips only by a peripheral zone into the material filled.

According to the invention the lid is pivoted with clearance in direction vertically to the plain of the edge of the charging hole. This can be simply effected by the pivot axis of the lid being guided in oblong holes extending vertically to the plain of the edge of the charging hole. Owing to this clearance the lid can be lifted vertically by the traction element in the last closing stage and be pressed evenly with its whole circumference against the sealing edge of the charging hole. According to the invention the lid comprises suitably a supporting bracket protruding upwards to which the traction element holds at a distance of the plain of the lid and axially towards the lid. In this way centering of the lid when being attached to the sealing edge of the charging hole is facilitated.Herein particularly the upper side of the lid is covered by a pyramidor cone-shaped casing, wherein the traction element holds to the top of the pyramid or the cone of the casing. By this casing piling up of the loose material andor the coal on the lid is avoided. The lid is of a heavy weight. For achieving greater stability the supporting bracket can be formed according to the invention by essentially triangular metal sheets arranged radially and vertically to the lid which are optionally covered by pyramid- or coneshaped casing faces.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention the arrangement is effected so that the edge of the charging hole and the lid have cone-shnped contact surfaces and a ring conduit comprising outlet nozzies which is intersected by the generators the cone-shaped surface of the edge of the charging hole is arranged below the edge of the charging hole. Through these outlet nozzles steam or compressed air is exhausted in the last stage of closing the lid and, as this ring conduit is intersected by the generators of the cone-shaped surface, the jets run through the gap between the lid and the edge of the charging hole and clean this gap, so that tight closing is ensured.

According to the Inven:;c.-l the charging chute which is located between a atop valve separating a charging bunker and the autoclave is detachable, particularly slidable laterally over slide bars fixed to the valve frame. The dead weight of the charging chute can be lifted up by an auxiliary lifting device and thus the charging chute can be moved laterally without expenditure. By detaching this constituent the lid, the edge of the charging hole and also the stop valve become accessibie for cleaning and repair work.

According to the invention the drive assembly is suitably formed by a hydraulic piston-cylinder unit, the traction element is formed by a chain or a rope and the deflection device by a roller.

In the drawing the invention is explained schematically with reference to the embodiments.

Figure 1 shows a vertical section through an autoclave with the charging chute, Figure 2 shows a top view onto an embodiment of the lid and Figure 3 shows the pivot joint of the lid to the edge of the charging hole of the autoclave.

The autoclave 1 has at its upper side a charging hole 2 which is shut off by a lid 3. The lid is swivelmounted to the edge 4 of the charging hole by means of a pivot 5 and can be opened downwards into the position 3' marked by a broken line. 6 is a reinforcement welded to the side 9 of the autoclave 1 to which reinforcement the edge 4 of the charging hole 2 is screwed on. To the edge 4 of the charging hole 2 a charging chute 7 is rigidly mounted by screws 8 (see Figure 3). To the side 9 of the autoclave 1 a hydraulic piston-cylinder unit 10 is pivoted such as to permit swiveling about an axis 11. The lid 3 has a supporting bracket 12 protruding upwards. By a traction element 13, for instance a chain or a rope, the upper end 14 of the supporting bracket 12 is connected with the pistoncylinder unit 10.The traction element 13 is guided over a deflection device formed by a roller which is supported against the chute 7. By means of the hydraulic piston-cylinder unit 10 the lid 3 can be lowered into the open-position 3'. With 16 the maximum filling level of the autoclave is marked.

The lid 3 can dip into the filling taper 16 wherein it has to displace only a small amount of the material filled when being closed.

The lid has two bent claws 17, as is also shown in Figure 2 to which a pivot 5 is fixed. The pivot 5 is guided in lugs 18 welded to the reinforcement 6 which lugs comprise oblong holes 29 extending vertically to the plain of the edge 4 of the filling hole 2. Thus in the last stage of closing the lid can be lifted up vertically so that its cone-shaped sealing faces 19 can abut the taper-hole sealing faces 20 of the edge 4 of the charging hole 2. 21 is a sealing element.

In the embodiments according to Figure 1 and 3 the supporting bracket 12 is formed by pyramidshaped metal sheets 22, wherein the point 14 to which the traction element 13 holds is placed at the top of the pyramid. The supporting bracket 12 can also be formed by radially arranged triangular metal sheets 23 as is shown in Figure 2. Also in this embodiment the outside of these metal sheets 23 can be encased by metal sheets 22, wherein in consideration of the radially arranged metal sheets 23 these metal sheets 22 can be thinner.

Owing to the guidance of the pivot 5 in oblong holes 29 there is a tapered gap between the sealing faces 19 and 20 in the last stage of the closing procedure which gap is closed by further lifting of the lid. Below the edge 4 of the charging hole a ring conduit 24 is arranged with is intersected by the generators of the cone-shaped sealing face 20.

This ring conduit has nozzles for the exhaust of steam or compressed air. Through these nozzles the steam or compressed air is blown through the tapered gap existing in the last stage of the closing procedure in direction of the generators and this gap is cleaned.

25 is a charging bunker for coal and the like. By a valve 26 which is actuated by a hydraulic piston cylinder unit 27 the chute 7 is shut off the charging bunker before closing the lid 3. Between a valve frame 28 and the fixed edge 4 of the charging hole 2 the charging chute 7 is arranged, which com prises the deflection devive 15 and adjoins to the valve frame 28 by its topmost member 7' over a connecting piece 7". The charging chute 7 can be arranged movably along slide bars connected with the valve frame 28 and be provided with a (not represented) suspension loop. By this means lateral lifting up of the charging chute 7 over the slide bars is made possible by means of a lifting device.

For this the traction element 13 is detached from the cylinder 10. By lateral lifting up of the charging chute 7 the charging holes 2 and also the valve 26 are cleared so that cleaning and repair works can be carried out without hindrance at the lid 3, at the edge of the charging hole 2 and also at the valve 26.

Contiguously to the charging hole 2 an open charging funnel 30 is arranged in the autoclave which funnel guides the material in pellets andlor the coal to the longitudinal axis of the autoclave and in this way protects the side 9 of the autoclave from abrasion.

Claims

1. Device for closing a charging hole of containers resistant to pressure, particularly autoclaves, comprising a lid which can be lowered inwards into the container and the outer diameter of which lid exceeds the inside diameter of the charging hole, and a drive assembly which is supported against the outside of the container for opening and closing the lid, wherein a charging chuted closed on all sides is supported against, particularly connected with the edge of the charging hole, characterized in that the lid is pivoted to the edge of the charging hole such as to permit swiveling inwards, that the drive assembly is supported against the outside of the container itself and is connected to the lid by at least one traction element and that a deflection device for the traction element is supported against the charging chute above the charging hole.

2. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that the lid is pivoted with clearance in direction vertically to the plain of the edge of the charging hole.

3. Device according to claim 2, characterized in that the pivot axis of the lid is guided in oblong holes extending vertically to the plain of the edge of the charging hole.

4. Device according to claim 1, 2 or 3, characterized in that the lid comprises a supporting bracket protruding upwards to which the traction element holds at a distance of the plain of the lid and axially towards the lid.

5. Device according to one of the claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the upper side of the lid is covered by a pyramid- or cone-shaped casing and the traction element holds to the top of the pyramid or of the cone of the casing.

6. Device according to one of the claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the supporting bracket is formed by essentially triangular metal sheets arranged radially and vertically to the lid which are optionally covered by pyramid- or cone-shaped casing faces.

7. Device according to one of the claim 1 to 6, characterized in that the edge of the charging hole and the lid have cone-shaped contact surfaces and a ring conduit comprising outlet nozzles which is intersected by the generators of the cone-shaped surface of the edge of the charging hole is arranged below the edge of the charging hole.

8. Device according to one of the claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the charging chute which is located between a stop valve separating a charging bunker and the autoclave is detachable, particularly slidable laterally.

9. Device according to one of the claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the drive assembly is formed by a hydraulic piston-cylinder unit, the traction element is formed by a chain or a rope and the deflection device is formed by a roller.

10. Device according to one of the claims 1 to 9, characterized in that a charging funnel guides the material in pellets to the longitudinal axis of the container resistant to pressure.

11. Device according to claim 1, substantially as herein described with reference to, and as shown in, the accompanying drawings.