US2133045A - Regenerative furnace and means for measuring the temperature thereof - Google Patents

Description

Oct. 11, 1938. L. RUMFORD. 2D I v 2,133,045 1 REG ENERATIVE FURNACE AND MEANS FOR MEASURING THE TEMPERATURE THEREOF Filed Dec 24, 1936 RADATION PYROMETER TEMPERATURE RECORDER GAS ATTORNEYS I Patented Oct. 11, 1938 REGENERATIVE FURNACE AND MEANS FOR gIEEASURING THE TEMPERATURE THERE- .Lewis Rumford, 11, Wilmington, Del., asslgnor to United States Steel Corporation, New York, N Y., a corporation of New Jersey Application December 24, 1936, Serial No. 117,665 4 Claims. (01. 73-343) UNITED STATESEPATENT. OFFICE Otherwise the reversing of the furnace manually or automatically is performed purely by guesswork, which at best is unreliable and unsatisfactory.

' 15 One of the objects of the present invention is to provide means to obtain a continuous record of checker chamber temperatures to facilitate the operation of a regenerative furnace and to obtain thereby the maximum efficiency thereof.

20 Another object is to provide means to determine the temperatures attained by the checkerbrick located at the hottest point in the checker chamber during the' time the said checker chamher is being heated by outgoing gases and to pro- 25 vide means associated therewith to interrupt or discontinue such temperature measurements while the said checker chamber'is cooling down during the passage of incoming gases therethrough. Other objects will be apparent as the 30 invention is more fully disclosed. In accordance with the objects of the presen invention I dispose a radiation pyrometer in a position to be sighted through an opening in the I checker chamber wall upon the checker brick- 35 work therein at the point where the brick is subjected to the maximum heating effects incident to the passage of heated gases therethrough and provide means for closing automatically the said opening when the furnace is reversed so that no 40 temperature measurements then are made until a following reversal automatically uncovers the saidopening. As a specific embodiment of the present invention I preferably employ a shutter and solenoid actuated means for moving the 45 shutter into positionto cover and uncover the said opening.

" Referencein this connection should be made to the single figure of the accompanying drawing wherein I have schematically illustrated the 50 present invention.

Referring to the drawing, the regenerative furnace is indicated schematically as comprising a hearth l retaining a metal bath 2 and enclosed from the atmosphere by roof 3. The regenera- 55 tive furnace indicated is the'type adapted to be heated by producer gas. It is customary to preheat both the producer gas and the .air admixed therewith for combustion purposes before passing the gas and air into the furnace. This is accomplished by providing two checker chambers at each end of the furnace indicated as AA and BB', chambers A and B serving as preheat chambers for the air and chambers AB' serving as preheat chambers for the producer gas. In the position indicated in the drawing cham- 10 has A-Av are serving as preheat chamber for the air and producer gas respectively during one heating cycle and chambers BB are being heated by the outgoing gases of combustion, the

flow of gases being indicated by arrows.

In accordance with the present invention I dispose radiation pyrometers Pl, P2, P3 and P4 in a position to be sighted through suitable openings in the walls of chambers A, A, B and'B' respectively upon the top of the checker brickwork 4 located therein and then provide solenoid actuated shutter means SI and S2 to cover up the openings in chambers A and B (the producer gas preheat chambers) when the said chambers are being utilized as preheat chambers but to uncover the openings when the chambers are being utilized as exhaust chambers. and are being heated up preparatory to again serving as preheat chambers.

In the normal reversing procedure, the manually operating and the automatically operating reversing means provided functions to simultaneously reverse .valves VI and V2 into the dotted position indicated and then back to the solid line position indicated, the period of reversal depending upon the temperatures attained in the checker chambers at each heating up cycle. Re-

' versal of valves VI and V2 is accomplished by hydraulic rams R (indicated schematically).

To avoid danger of explosion by the escape of producer gas through the openings through which pyrometers Pi and P4 are sighted or by the entrance of air into the chamberthrough these openings, it is essential that the solenoid actuated means SI and S2 covering and uncovering these openings should act positively upon the actuation of valve V2.

I therefore dispose an. extension rod 6 upon the hydraulic ram R. actuating valve V2 in such position as to strike spring contacts 6-6 at opposite strokes of theram causing them to make electrical contact with contacts I -I. Numeral 5' indicates the position taken by rod 5 at the other end of the stroke of ram R.

Upon the closing of either contacts 6-8" with 1-4 solenoid SI are: (as the case m'ay be} is energized thereby operating to open the shutter and uncovering the opening through which pyrometer R4 (or Pl as the case may be) is sighted. In the position'shown in the drawing the checker chambers to the left (A'--A) are operating on what is known as the preheat or ingoing cy'cleand chambers 8-3 (to the right) are operating on the heating up or outgoing gas cycle. The arrangement-indicated' permits solenoid S2 tobe energized and pyrometer P4 to record the tem-' peratures attained whereas solenoid SI is deenergized and pyrometer Pi is prevented from recording. Pyrometers P2 and P3, however, record the temperatures obtained in chambers A and B respectively. Upon reversal solenoid Si is energized and solenoid S2 de-energized and pyrometer I-l becomes'recording whereas pyrometer P4 does not record.

Having described the present invention and given one specific embodiment of the same, it is apparent that modifications and adaptations may be made thereof and all such are contemplated as may .fall within the scope of. the

1 during the heating up period of the checker accompanying claims: What I claim is:

1. A regenerative furnace, checker chambers type, a pair of checker chambers disposed ad adapted to preheat the air and gaseous fuel in said furnace, each chamber being provided with an opening in one wall thereof, a

radiation pyrometer device closing said opening,

shutter means disposed in said opening intermediate said pyrometer and the interior of said chamber, and solenoid actuated means to move said shutter means to open and closed positions and means actuated upon reversal of said furnace to energize and de-energize the said solenoid means. i I

2. A regenerative furnace including checker chambers disposed adjacent end of said furnace and provided with means to reverse the fuel and airsupply to the furnace thereby to alternately heat up and cool down-said chambers by the passage ct'outgoing gases of combustion and ingcing fuel and air therethrough respectively, each checker chamber being provided with means to determine the temperatures attained by the checker brickwork in said checker chamhers during the heating up'cycle, said means including an opening extending through the wall of said chamber adjacent the top thereof, a radiation pyrometer closing said opening from the atmosphere, a shutter element disposed in said opening intermediate the pyrometer device and the interior of the chamber.- solenoid actuated means te move the shutter to shut and open potition, and means actuated by said furnace revers ing means to energize and de-energize said solenoid means upon operation of said reversing means, said energlzation and de-energization of the solenoid means being adapted to open the shutter element in the opening during the heating up period for the chamber and to close the shutter ,during the period of cooling down,

3. A regenerative furnace including checker chambersdisposed adjacent each end 'of the furmace for the preheating of air and gaseous fuel for the furnace meanstc reverse the said furnace; to alternately pass the gaseous products of combustion from the furnace-through the said check chambers, an opening through the wall of ,each checker chamber adjacent the top thereof, a radiation pyrometer device each opening, a shutter element located 'in each opening, solenoid actuated means to position each smutter to block 011 radiation passing to the pyrometer from said chamber, and means actuated by said furnace reversing means to energize each solenoid actuated means to thereby position said shutter in blocking position during the cooting period and in unblocking position 4. A regenerative furnace of the gaseous fuel iacent each end of said furnace and communicating therewith, means to pass air and gaseous fuel through one pair of chambers while the opposite pair are being heated up by the passage of gaseous products of combustion from the each checker chamber and a radiation pyrometer device closing ,each of, said openings, shutter means in each opening of the chambers through which gaseous fuel passes and adopted in one position to close oif one of said radiation pyrometer devices from radiation emitted from one of said chambers and in a second position to permit said radiation to pass to said pyrometer de said shutter means into said two positions, and means actuated automatically by said reversing 'meansto energize the said solenoid actuated means operating the shutter means to thereby close ofi radiations passing to said pyrometer detherethrough, means to reverse the flow of said vice, solenoid actuated means to operate each of vices during the cooling down period and to open the shutter means during heating up period.

7 LEWIS RUMFQRD, 11.

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