WO2021077805A1 - Automatic continuous heat exchange device for metal powder - Google Patents

Abstract

Provided in the present utility model is an automatic continuous heat exchange device for metal powder, comprising a circulating cooling water inlet, a circulating cooling water outlet, a metal powder inlet, a circulating cooling water outlet pipeline, a circulating cooling water inlet pipeline, a heat exchanger tank body, a temperature sensor, a material level measuring instrument, a slide gate valve, a straight pipe section, a metal powder outlet, a material blowing device and a hollow heat exchange plate. A transition section is further formed in an inner cavity of the heat exchanger tank body, so that the metal powder naturally falls from heat exchange channels and forms buildup in the straight pipe section, transition section and heat exchange channels above the slide gate valve when the slide gate valve is closed. The top of the inner cavity of the heat exchanger tank body is further provided with a dispersing device which communicates with the metal powder inlet. The metal powder is dispersed into a plurality of heat exchange channels by means of a plurality of dispersion channels. The present utility model may ensure that a high-temperature metal powder that has a relatively high activity is rapidly heat-exchanged and cooled under an inert gas atmosphere, and at the same time, may achieve an automatic continuous heat exchange process for the metal powder.

Description

Metal powder automatic continuous heat exchange device Technical field

The utility model relates to the technical field of metal powder preparation, in particular to a powder heat exchange device, in particular to an automatic continuous heat exchange device for metal powder.

Background technique

The powder heat exchange device is a machine for heat exchange and cooling of high temperature material powder. The powder involved is widely used in many fields, including food, agricultural and sideline products, and metallurgy. In recent years, with the large-scale production of metal powders, especially the demand for additive manufacturing powders, the demand for heat exchange and cooling of high-temperature powder products has increased.

At this stage, the cooling method of high-temperature metal powder is to collect the powder in a water jacket box, and cool it by circulating cooling water on the side wall of the water jacket box. After cooling for a certain period of time, open the water jacket box to obtain the cooled powder. Then proceed to the subsequent powder processing steps. The entire process is basically based on manual and personal experience to judge the operation. Long waiting time for cooling will lead to inefficiency, and short waiting time for cooling will cause high-temperature active powder to be exposed to the air to cause oxidation and cause performance degradation. At the same time, the annular wall cooling of the water jacket box is bound to face the problem of low cooling efficiency, especially the problem of excessively high intermediate powder temperature, which is difficult to solve, resulting in poor heat exchange and cooling effects and low efficiency of the overall device.

The heat exchange and cooling methods widely used in the heat exchange equipment of the prior art often require a lot of manpower and time cost. The continuous automation of powder heat exchange and cooling is not high, and it is increasingly difficult to meet the requirements of today’s powder market for powder heat exchange devices. . Therefore, how to complete the heat exchange and cooling process of metal powder with high quality, efficiency and continuous automation has become an important technical problem to be solved urgently.

Utility model content

The purpose of the utility model is to provide an automatic continuous heat exchange device for metal powder, which can accurately control the temperature change of the powder, and ensure that the high-temperature metal powder with higher activity can perform rapid heat exchange and cooling under an inert gas atmosphere, and at the same time realize the metal powder The automatic continuous heat exchange process.

In order to achieve the above objectives, the technical solutions adopted by the present utility model are as follows:

An automatic continuous heat exchange device for metal powder, comprising:

The heat exchanger tank body has a cavity formed inside, the top of the cavity is connected with the metal powder inlet, the bottom of the tank body extends downward to form a straight pipe section, and the bottom of the straight pipe section forms a metal powder outlet;

A plurality of hollow heat exchange plates located in the vertical direction inside the heat exchanger tank, and the hollow heat exchange plates are arranged in parallel to form a plurality of heat exchange channels from top to bottom;

The circulating cooling water inlet channel and the circulating cooling water outlet channel located outside the heat exchanger tank, wherein the circulating cooling water inlet channel is connected to the bottom of a hollow heat exchange plate through an independent pipe, and the top of the hollow heat exchange plate is connected to the bottom through an independent pipe Circulating cooling water flows out of the channel, thereby forming a cooling water circulation in each hollow heat exchange plate;

The flapper valve located in the straight pipe section is set to be externally operable to switch between closed and open states;

The material level measuring instrument located in the straight pipe section is set above the flapper valve to observe the level of metal powder;

Wherein, a transition section is also formed in the inner cavity of the heat exchanger tank above the straight pipe section, so that the metal powder will naturally fall from the heat exchange channel and be at the straight pipe section above the plate valve when the plate valve is closed. , Accumulation is formed in the transition section and the heat exchange channel, and the transition section is provided with a temperature sensor for detecting the temperature of the metal powder;

The top of the internal cavity of the heat exchanger tank is also provided with a dispersing device, which communicates with the metal powder inlet, and disperses the metal powder into the plurality of heat exchange channels through a plurality of dispersing channels.

Further, the plurality of dispersion channels are uniformly distributed circumferentially around the metal powder inlet, and the outlet of the dispersion channel faces downward obliquely.

Further, the top of the internal cavity of the heat exchanger tank is also fixed with a blowing device with an air outlet facing the heat exchange channel, which is used to blow the metal powder remaining between the hollow heat exchange plates into the straight pipe section.

Further, the blowing device is fixed on the dispersing device.

Further, the metal powder inlet extends into the cavity of the heat exchanger tank.

Further, it also includes a control system, which is electrically connected to the temperature sensor, the material level measuring instrument, the plug valve and the blowing device, receives the measurement feedback signals of the temperature sensor and the material level measuring instrument, and controls the plug valve and the blowing device On and off.

Further, the plug-in valve is set to keep closed when the metal powder accumulates and exchange heat, and keep open when discharging.

Further, the hollow heat exchange plate is a thin-walled hollow heat exchange plate.

In combination with the continuous heat exchange device of the foregoing embodiment, before the high-temperature metal powder enters the heat exchanger tank through the metal powder inlet, the circulating cooling water can be turned on to work. The cooling water enters the hollow heat exchange plate from the circulating cooling water channel. The bottom, then flows out through the circulating cooling water outflow channel at the top of the hollow heat exchange plate, and cyclically cools. The metal powder that enters the heat exchanger tank falls into the dispersing device for dispersion. The metal powder is dispersed into several parts and then falls into the heat exchange channel between the hollow heat exchange plates. Because the plug-in valve is closed, the metal powder will be The hollow heat exchange plates are piled up, and the temperature sensor quickly heats up to the temperature of the metal powder. The circulating cooling water inside the hollow heat exchange plate takes away the heat of the high temperature metal powder. After the temperature sensor shows that the temperature drops to normal temperature, the flapper valve opens, and then the normal temperature metal powder passes through the straight pipe section and leaves the heat exchanger tank through the metal powder outlet At the same time, the blowing device is turned on, and the remaining metal powder on the hollow heat exchange plate is purged and dropped into the straight pipe section. At this time, the level measuring instrument shows that there is metal powder in the straight pipe section. After the metal powder in the heat exchanger tank has all flowed from the metal powder outlet, the level measuring instrument shows that there is no metal powder in the straight pipe section, and then the flapper valve and blowing device can be closed, and the next metal powder exchange can be completed. Thermal process.

In the powder heat exchange process, the control system adjusts and controls the opening and closing operations of the plug-in valve and the blowing device by receiving the signals from the temperature sensor and the level measuring instrument, thereby helping to realize the automatic continuous type of the entire metal powder heat exchange device control.

Compared with the prior art, the significant beneficial effects of the metal powder automatic continuous heat exchange device of the present invention are:

(1) The utility model realizes the automatic continuous process of dispersing heat exchange and cooling of the metal powder of the heat exchanger tank, which greatly improves the heat exchange efficiency of the metal powder, and can also greatly reduce the time in the heat exchange process of the metal powder. In addition to labor costs, the automatic operation of vacuuming and filling with inert protective gas can also be carried out at the same time;

(2) The utility model can realize the visible and controllable operation control in the heat exchange process of the metal powder, ensure the continuous and accurate control of the temperature of the metal powder, and keep track of the powder state, which can meet the requirements of different customers and scenarios. Specific requirements for heat exchange;

(3) The utility model can ensure the realization of easy operation of metal powder heat exchange, eliminate the frequent reciprocating detection and handling of the powder state on the powder heat exchange site, avoid the occurrence of powder scattering and dust, and reduce the metal powder heat exchange and follow-up The amount of waste in processing.

It should be understood that all combinations of the aforementioned concepts and the additional concepts described in more detail below can be regarded as a part of the utility model subject of the present disclosure as long as such concepts are not mutually contradictory. In addition, all combinations of the claimed subject matter are regarded as part of the utility model subject matter of the present disclosure.

The foregoing and other aspects, embodiments and features of the teachings of the present invention can be more fully understood from the following description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Other additional aspects of the present invention, such as the features and/or beneficial effects of the exemplary embodiments, will be apparent in the following description, or learned from the practice of the specific embodiments taught by the present invention.

Description of the drawings

The drawings are not intended to be drawn to scale. In the drawings, each identical or nearly identical component shown in each figure may be represented by the same reference numeral. For the sake of clarity, not every component is labeled in every figure. Now, the embodiments of various aspects of the present invention will be described through examples and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of a metal powder automatic continuous heat exchange device provided by an embodiment of the present invention.

2 is a schematic diagram of the internal cross-section of the metal powder automatic continuous heat exchange device provided by the embodiment of the present invention.

3 is a schematic diagram of the external cross-section of the metal powder automatic continuous heat exchange device provided by the embodiment of the present invention.

Description of reference signs:

1—Circulating cooling water inlet; 2—Circulating cooling water outlet; 3—Metal powder inlet;

4—Circulating cooling water outlet pipeline; 5—Circulating cooling water inlet pipeline; 6—Heat exchanger tank;

7—temperature sensor; 8—material level measuring instrument; 9—plug valve; 10—straight pipe section;

11—Metal powder outlet; 12—Transition section

13—Blowing device; 14—Dispersing device; 15—Hollow heat exchange plate.

Detailed ways

In order to better understand the technical content of the present utility model, specific embodiments are described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

In this disclosure, various aspects of the present invention are described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which many illustrated embodiments are shown. The embodiments of the present disclosure are not necessarily intended to include all aspects of the invention. It should be understood that the various concepts and embodiments described above, as well as those described in more detail below, can be implemented in any of many ways, which should be the concepts and embodiments disclosed for this utility model. It is not limited to any embodiment. In addition, some aspects disclosed in the present utility model can be used alone or in any appropriate combination with other aspects disclosed in the present utility model.

With reference to Figures 1 to 3, the metal powder automatic continuous heat exchange device according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention includes a circulating cooling water inlet 1, a circulating cooling water outlet 2, a metal powder inlet 3, and a circulating cooling water outlet Pipeline 4, circulating cooling water inlet pipeline 5, heat exchanger tank 6, temperature sensor 7, material level measuring instrument 8, flapper valve 9, straight pipe section 10, metal powder outlet 11, blowing device 13, dispersion device 14 and the hollow heat exchange plate 15.

With reference to Figure 1, the heat exchanger tank body 6 has a cavity formed therein, the top of the cavity is connected to the metal powder inlet 3, the bottom of the tank body extends downward to form a straight pipe section 10, and the bottom of the straight pipe section 10 forms a metal powder outlet 11, The powder is discharged through the metal powder outlet 11. The metal powder outlet 11 is used for the heat exchange and cooling of the normal temperature metal powder to flow out of the heat exchanger tank 6 for subsequent powder processing.

With reference to Figures 1 and 2, the arrangement of the straight pipe section 10 can be used to restrict the cross-sectional area of the metal powder flow, and is convenient for connection with subsequent equipment, and at the same time facilitates the installation and use of the level measuring instrument 8 and the plug-in valve 9.

With reference to Figures 1 and 3, the circulating cooling water inlet 1 and the circulating cooling water inlet pipeline 5 form an external circulating cooling water inlet channel, and the circulating cooling water inlet channel provides cooling medium water to the heat exchanger tank 6 for heat exchange and cooling .

The circulating cooling water outlet 2 and the circulating cooling water outlet pipe 4 constitute an external circulating cooling water outflow channel, and the cooling water in each hollow heat exchange plate 15 is collected and discharged through the circulating cooling water outlet 2.

With reference to Figure 1, the circulating cooling water inlet 1 is used to provide a passage for cooling medium water to enter the heat exchanger tank 6 for heat exchange and cooling. The circulating cooling water outlet 2 is a channel for the cooling medium water to flow out of the heat exchanger tank 6 and forms an external circuit of cooling water together with the circulating cooling water inlet 1.

The circulating cooling water outlet pipeline 4 is used to collect the cooling water in each hollow heat exchange plate 15 and discharge it through the circulating cooling water outlet 2. The circulating cooling water inlet pipeline 5 is used to disperse the cooling water passed through the circulating cooling water inlet 1 into the hollow heat exchange plates 15 to perform heat exchange and cooling on the high temperature metal powder.

With reference to Figures 2 and 3, the circulating cooling water inlet channel and the circulating cooling water outflow channel located outside the heat exchanger tank. The circulating cooling water inlet channel is connected to the bottom of a hollow heat exchange plate 15 through an independent pipe. The hollow heat exchange plate The top of 15 is connected to the circulating cooling water outflow channel through an independent pipe, thereby forming a cooling water circulation in each hollow heat exchange plate;

The metal powder inlet 3 is a channel for high-temperature metal powder to enter the heat exchanger tank 6 for heat exchange and cooling, and the upper part is connected to the outlet of the powder making equipment. Preferably, the metal powder inlet 3 extends into the cavity of the heat exchanger tank.

A plurality of hollow heat exchange plates located in the vertical direction inside the heat exchanger tank 6 are used to realize the contact heat exchange with the high-temperature metal powder, and the internal hollow structure is used to circulate cooling water. The synergy of multiple heat exchange plates accelerates the heat exchange cooling rate. With reference to FIG. 2, the hollow heat exchange plates 15 are arranged in parallel to form a plurality of heat exchange channels from top to bottom.

Preferably, the hollow heat exchange plate is a thin-walled hollow heat exchange plate to facilitate heat exchange.

The flapper valve 9 located in the straight pipe section is set to be externally operable to switch between closed and open states. Specifically, the flapper valve 9 is set to remain closed when the metal powder accumulates and exchanges heat, and to remain open when the material is discharged.

With reference to Figures 1 and 2, the flapper valve 9 has high temperature resistance and excellent sealing performance. It is used to accumulate high-temperature metal powder in the heat exchanger tank 6, and at the same time, it plays a sealing role during the vacuuming process before the heat exchange and cooling of the equipment. .

As shown in Figures 1, 2, and 3, a transition section 12 is also formed in the inner cavity of the heat exchanger tank above the straight pipe section 10, so that the metal powder will naturally fall from the heat exchange channel and when the flapper valve is closed Stacks are formed in the straight pipe section, the transition section and the heat exchange channel above the plug-in valve, and the transition section 12 is provided with a temperature sensor 7 for detecting the temperature of the metal powder. The temperature sensor 7 is used to monitor the temperature and change process of the high-temperature metal powder in the process of cooling to room temperature after the high-temperature metal powder enters the heat exchanger tank 6 through heat exchange, so as to realize precise visual control of the metal powder temperature.

The material level measuring instrument 8 is arranged at the upper position of the plug-in valve 9 for observing the material level of the metal powder. The specific address can monitor the presence or absence of metal powder materials in the straight pipe section 10, and feed back the corresponding material level signal at the same time.

With reference to Figure 1, the top of the internal cavity of the heat exchanger tank 6 is also provided with a dispersing device 14 which is connected to the metal powder inlet 3. The dispersing device 14 has a corresponding dispersing channel to form a powder split, and the metal is divided through a plurality of dispersing channels. The powder is dispersed into multiple heat exchange channels. In this way, the high-temperature metal powder entering the metal powder inlet 3 can be dispersed into the gaps between the hollow heat exchange plates 15 through the dispersing device 14, which facilitates more uniform heat exchange and cooling of the high-temperature metal powder and improves heat exchange efficiency.

In some alternative embodiments, the dispersing device 14 is configured as a flow-through tube, which is obliquely fixed to the metal powder inlet 3 and communicates with the inside thereof.

Preferably, the plurality of dispersion channels are uniformly distributed circumferentially around the metal powder inlet, and the outlet of the dispersion channel faces downward obliquely.

Preferably, the top of the internal cavity of the heat exchanger tank 6 is also fixed with a blowing device 13 with an air outlet facing the heat exchange channel, which is used to blow the metal powder remaining between the hollow heat exchange plates into the straight pipe section 10. In this way, in one working cycle, the metal powder remaining in the heat exchanger tank 6 can be blown into the straight pipe section 10 through the blowing device 13, reducing the loss of the metal powder during the heat exchange process, and avoiding subsequent damage. Mixed contamination of batches of metal powders.

In order to facilitate fixing, the blowing device 13 can be fixed on the dispersing device 14. Optionally, the blowing device 13 has a blower with an air outlet facing the heat exchange channel.

Preferably, the continuous heat exchange device of the present invention can also be provided with a control system, such as a control cabinet or a control box, which is electrically connected with a temperature sensor, a material level measuring instrument, a plug-in valve, and a blowing device, as well as signal transmission, and temperature reception. The measurement feedback signal of the sensor and the material level measuring instrument, and control the opening and closing of the flapper valve and the blowing device, so as to realize the control of the automatic continuous heat exchange and cooling of the whole set of equipment in one or more cycles.

With reference to FIGS. 1 and 2 and the heat exchange devices of the above embodiments, the following takes the heat exchange and cooling of the TC4 titanium alloy metal powder as an example to further illustrate its working process.

Before the TC4 titanium alloy metal powder enters the heat exchanger tank 6, the temperature sensor 7 shows normal temperature, the feedback signal of the material level measuring instrument 8 is no powder, the flapper valve 9 is closed, and the material level measuring instrument 8 connects the straight pipe section 10 The signal without metal powder is fed back to the control system. The metal powder inlet 3 is connected to the upper powder making equipment. The entire equipment is evacuated until the pressure is less than 5Pa, and then 99.999% high-purity inert gas argon is filled into the equipment for protection. During this process, the flapper valve 9 is able to withstand pressure Sealing function.

Then the circulating cooling water is turned on to work. The cooling water enters the bottom of the hollow heat exchange plate 15 through the inlet pipe 5 from the water inlet 1, and then flows out from the water outlet 2 through the outlet pipe 4 on the top of the hollow heat exchange plate 15 to form a whole A reciprocating cooling water circuit.

The high-temperature TC4 metal powder obtained by the pulverizing equipment enters the top of the heat exchanger tank 6 through the metal powder inlet 3, and falls into the dispersion device 14 for dispersion. The high-temperature TC4 metal powder is dispersed into several parts and then falls into the hollow heat exchange plates. Between 15. Since the flapper valve 9 is closed at this time, the high-temperature TC4 metal powder will accumulate to a certain height between the hollow heat exchange plates 15, and the temperature sensor 7 installed inside the heat exchanger tank 6 will quickly display that the temperature has risen to metal In the high temperature state of the powder, the flapper valve 9 plays a role of high temperature resistance during this process. Then the cooling water circulating inside the hollow heat exchange plate 15 will dissipate the heat of the high-temperature TC4 metal powder through the contact heat exchanger until the temperature sensor 7 shows that the temperature drops below 50°C, and the control system automatically controls to open the flapper valve 9. Then the normal temperature TC4 metal powder passes through the straight pipe section 10 and leaves the heat exchanger tank 6 through the metal powder outlet 11, and at the same time, the control system automatically controls to turn on the blowing device 13 to blow away the remaining TC4 metal powder between the hollow heat exchange plates 15 Entering the straight pipe section 10, the material level measuring instrument 8 indicates that there is metal powder in the straight pipe section 10 at this time.

After all the TC4 metal powder in the heat exchanger tank 6 flows out from the metal powder outlet 11, the level measuring instrument 8 displays that there is no metal powder in the straight pipe section 10 and feeds the signal back to the control system, then the control system automatically controls the board The valve 9 and the blowing device 13 are closed, waiting for the subsequent completion of the heat exchange process of the next batch of metal powder.

The above steps complete the automatic continuous heat exchange cooling process for TC4 metal powder.

Although the present utility model has been disclosed as above in a preferred embodiment, it is not intended to limit the present utility model. Those with ordinary knowledge in the technical field to which the present utility model belongs can make various changes and modifications without departing from the spirit and scope of the present utility model. Therefore, the protection scope of the present utility model shall be subject to what is defined in the claims.

Claims (8)

1. An automatic continuous heat exchange device for metal powder, which is characterized in that it comprises:

   The heat exchanger tank body has a cavity formed inside, the top of the cavity is connected with the metal powder inlet, the bottom of the tank body extends downward to form a straight pipe section, and the bottom of the straight pipe section forms a metal powder outlet;

   A plurality of hollow heat exchange plates located in the vertical direction inside the heat exchanger tank, and the hollow heat exchange plates are arranged in parallel to form a plurality of heat exchange channels from top to bottom;

   The circulating cooling water inlet channel and the circulating cooling water outlet channel located outside the heat exchanger tank, wherein the circulating cooling water inlet channel is connected to the bottom of a hollow heat exchange plate through an independent pipe, and the top of the hollow heat exchange plate is connected to the bottom through an independent pipe Circulating cooling water flows out of the channel, thereby forming a cooling water circulation in each hollow heat exchange plate;

   The flapper valve located in the straight pipe section is set to be externally operable to switch between closed and open states;

   The material level measuring instrument located in the straight pipe section is set above the flapper valve to observe the level of metal powder;

   Wherein, a transition section is also formed in the inner cavity of the heat exchanger tank above the straight pipe section, so that the metal powder will naturally fall from the heat exchange channel and be at the straight pipe section above the plate valve when the plate valve is closed. , Accumulation is formed in the transition section and the heat exchange channel, and the transition section is provided with a temperature sensor for detecting the temperature of the metal powder;

   The top of the internal cavity of the heat exchanger tank is also provided with a dispersing device, which communicates with the metal powder inlet, and disperses the metal powder into the plurality of heat exchange channels through a plurality of dispersing channels.
2. The metal powder automatic continuous heat exchange device according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of dispersing channels are uniformly distributed circumferentially around the metal powder inlet, and the outlet of the dispersing channel faces downward obliquely.
3. The metal powder automatic continuous heat exchange device according to claim 1, wherein the top of the internal cavity of the heat exchanger tank is also fixed with a blowing device with an air outlet facing the heat exchange channel, which is used to The remaining metal powder between the hollow heat exchange plates is swept into the straight pipe section.
4. The metal powder automatic continuous heat exchange device according to claim 3, wherein the blowing device is fixed on the dispersing device.
5. The metal powder automatic continuous heat exchange device according to claim 1, wherein the metal powder inlet extends into the cavity of the heat exchanger tank.
6. The metal powder automatic continuous heat exchange device according to claim 1, further comprising a control system, which is electrically connected with the temperature sensor, the material level measuring instrument, the plug-in valve and the material blowing device, and receives the temperature sensor and the material The measurement feedback signal of the position measuring instrument, and controls the opening and closing of the flapper valve and the blowing device.
7. The metal powder automatic continuous heat exchange device according to claim 1, wherein the plug-in valve is set to keep closed when the metal powder accumulates and exchange heat, and keeps open when discharging.
8. The metal powder automatic continuous heat exchange device according to claim 1, wherein the hollow heat exchange plate is a thin-walled hollow heat exchange plate.

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