Mechanical apparatus for removing a copper Tuyere or Tymp from a shaft or blastfurnace
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Del.icio.us| IP.com Number | IPCOM000011182D |
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| Dated | Feb 12, 2003 UTC | ||
| Size | 7 page(s) (0.97 MB) | ||
Publication Summary
The invention described in this disclosure is a simple mechanical device adapted for the removal of a water-cooled tubular copper tuyere fitted into a blast furnace cooling ring, commonly known as a tymp. Also disclosed is a second version of the device adapted for the removing a water-cooled copper tymp, frictionally held in a rosette ring surrounding a hot air injection port in a blastfurnace. The tuyere removal device consists of a gripper on the end of a long threaded shaft, which passes through a central hole in a yoke or web, designed to be affixed to the outer perimeter of a rosette ring surrounding a blastfurnace hot air injection port. A separate coaxial wedge is slid down the length of the free end of the shaft and jammed against the interior wall of the tuyere, thereby locking the gripper securely to the outer tip of the tuyere. A threaded nut is placed on the free end of the shaft and is rotated until it makes contact with the surface of the yoke. A conventional pneumatic explosive-actuated tool is fitted over the nut and rotated, such that the nut bears on the yoke, creating a tractive force on the gripper, which is in contact with the end of the tuyere, resulting in extraction of the tuyere from the tymp. Alternately, the tymp removal device consists of a narrow steel plate having a central opening, and a plate length slightly larger than the diameter of the tymp opening extending into the blastfurnace. After placing the opening in the plate, coaxially on the shaft, the plate is slid diagonally along the shaft into the tymp and is allowed to enter the furnace interior suspended by the end of the shaft. The shaft end is enlarged, so that the plate can not pass over the end of the shaft and fall off into the furnace. The shaft is then retracted, causing the plate to abut the enlarged end of the shaft, so that the plate is made to bridge across the inner opening of the tymp. A threaded nut is placed on the free end of the shaft and rotated until it makes contact with the surface of the yoke, forcing the plate on the end of the shaft to be compressed against the end of the tymp extending into the blastfurnace. A conventional pneumatic explosive-actuated tool is fitted over the nut and rotated, such that the nut bears on the yoke creating a tractive force on the steel plate bridging the interior opening of the tymp, thereby extracting the tymp from the rosette plate.| Country | United States |
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| Language | English (United States) |
| Related Person(s) |
(CONTACT) jim Casey |
| Related Document(s) |
(PATENT) US 5,203,063
(PATENT) US 5925321 (PATENT) US 5127633 |
| Copyright | Dofasco Inc. Hamilton, Ont. 02/03 |
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Dofasco
Mechanical Tuyere Extractor
Background of the Invention
In a blast furnace, air must be supplied for making iron products. Thus, several tuyeres are installed near the bottom portion of the furnace for feeding air into the furnace. The tuyeres must be periodically removed from the furnace for maintenance and replacement.
Generally the furnace has a wall member or rosette providing an entry hole into the external wall of the furnace, with a tubular cooling ring retainer secured therein. The purpose of the cooling ring or tymp is to protect the refractory brick in the furnace interior from being exposed to the localized high temperature air being blown through the entry hole. The tuyere is a tubular frustaconal body that is fitted into the interior of the frustaconal-cooling ring, both of which are made of copper. The tuyere is designed such that it is held in place by a frictional fit due to its smaller diameter, while the end portion of the tuyere extends beyond the end of the cooling ring into the furnace interior. When disassembling a tuyere from a cooling ring, the hot air source is turned off and the hot air injection piping is removed from the injection port exposing the cooling ring and tuyere opening. This allows a bar, typically of about 4 meters in length, with a hook (“toe”) on the end, to be inserted into the interior of the cooling ring/ tuyere assembly from outside the furnace. The toe is hooked over the interior nose of the tuyere extending into the body of the furnace and up to 12 laborers join forces to pull the “hooked” tuyere forward, away from the cooling ring, using sliding impact on the end of the bar, extending out of the furnace. Significant force is required to break the frictional fit between the outer frustaconial surface of the tuyere body and the inner frustaconal surface of the cooling ring or tymp. Therefore, disassembly of the tuyere from the cooling ring is a labor-intensive, time consuming operation. In addition, because of the tight engagement between the cooling ring and the tuyere and the amount of force required to dislodge it, injuries to operators can easily occur during the disassembly operation, causing among other things back strain and crushed limbs.
Various mechanical methods have been described in the literature and in particular US patents # 5,127,633, US 5,925,312 that are specifically directed to the removal and installing of tuyeres in a blast furnace.
In the case of US Patent 5,127,633, Mailliet describes a hydraulic device consisting of a 3-claw head for removal of either a tuyere or a cooling ring (tymp) from a furnace wall. The device is overly complicated in design, heavy and awkward for a laborer to use, requiring mechanical lifting means to position the device. It also employs ancillary equipment, including hydraulic piping and compressors which all must be available at the work site.
In the case of US 5,925,312, Lin describes a hook device requiring the use of a for...