Modular furnace, in particular for the oxidative stabilization of a carbon fiber starting material

Abstract

A modular furnace, in particular for the oxidative stabilization of a carbon fiber starting material comprising a cuboidal furnace chamber, on the upper face of which first deflecting rollers are arranged in a mutually spaced and parallel manner and on the lower face of which second deflecting rollers are arranged in a mutually spaced and parallel manner such that the carbon fiber starting material runs upwards and downwards in a laterally adjacent and slightly spaced manner so as to meander vertically in the area of the furnace chamber. A carbon fiber inlet locking device and a carbon fiber outlet locking device are provided on the upper face of the furnace chamber, and an air guiding device is connected to the furnace chamber. A supply air portion of the air guiding device is connected to a vertical air inlet side of the furnace chamber, and a discharge air portion of the air guiding device is fluidically connected to a furnace chamber vertical air outlet side opposite the vertical air inlet side. The air guiding device has an air drive device between the supply air portion and the discharge air portion.

Claims

1. A modular furnace comprising a rectangular-block shaped furnace chamber, first deflection rollers being disposed so as to be mutually spaced apart and mutually parallel on the upper side of the furnace chamber, and second deflection rollers being disposed so as to be mutually spaced apart and mutually parallel on the lower side of the furnace chamber in such a manner that the carbon thread starting material in the furnace space of the furnace chamber runs side-by-side and mutually slightly spaced apart in a meandering vertical up-and-down manner, a carbon thread entry lock installation and a carbon thread exit lock installation provided on the upper side of the furnace chamber, an air guiding installation which by way of an intake air portion is connected to a vertical air entry side of the furnace chamber and by way of an exhaust air portion is connected in fluidic terms to a vertical air exit side of the furnace chamber that is opposite the vertical air entry side being connected to the furnace chamber, and the air guiding installation having an air driving installation between the intake air portion and the exhaust air portion and wherein the modular furnace comprises an air exchange installation which has a fresh air inlet and an exhausting air outlet and in that at least one gas sensor is operatively linked to the fresh air inlet and to the exhaust air outlet of the air exchange installation which is provided in the exhaust air portion and/or in the intake air portion of the air guiding installation.

2. The modular furnace as claimed in claim 1, wherein each first and/or each second deflection roller is in each case connected to one drive installation.

3. The modular furnace as claimed in claim 1, wherein a lid space in which the first deflection rollers are located is provided on the upper side of the furnace chamber, in that a base space in which the second deflection rollers are located is provided on the lower side of the furnace space, and in that the lid space has the carbon thread entry lock installation and the carbon thread exit lock installation.

4. The modular furnace as claimed in claim 1, wherein a screen installation is provided between the vertical air entry side of the furnace chamber and the intake air portion of the air guiding installation, and/or between the vertical air exit side of the furnace chamber and the exhaust air portion of the air guiding installation.

5. The modular furnace as claimed in claim 4, wherein the screen installation is provided for homogenizing the air stream in the furnace chamber and is configured as a particle retention installation.

6. The modular furnace as claimed in claim 1, wherein the air driving installation has at least one cross-flow fan.

7. The modular furnace as claimed in claim 6, wherein the at least one cross-flow fan is connected to a diffusor which forms a part-portion of the intake air portion of the air guiding installation.

8. The modular furnace as claimed in claim 1, wherein the intake air portion and the exhaust air portion of the air guiding installation are in each case configured so as to be bent, and air directing elements are provided in the region of the respective bend.

9. The modular furnace as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least one flow rate sensor is provided in the intake air portion and/or in the exhaust air portion of the air guiding installation.

10. The modular furnace as claimed in claim 1, wherein a heating installation is provided in the intake air portion of the air guiding installation.

11. The modular furnace as claimed in claim 10, wherein the air driving installation has at least one cross-flow fan, wherein the at least one cross-flow fan is connected to a diffusor which forms a part-portion of the intake air portion of the air guiding installation and wherein the heating installation is provided downstream of the diffusor.

12. The modular furnace as claimed in claim 10, wherein the heating installation as a zonal heating installation has at least two heating elements which are disposed so as to be mutually spaced apart and vertically on top of one another.

13. The modular furnace as claimed in claim 12, wherein temperature sensors which are disposed vertically on top of one another so as to correspond to the vertical positions of the heating elements are mutually spaced apart in the furnace space, wherein the respective at least one temperature sensor is connected to the associated at least one heating element of the respective temperature zone.

14. The modular furnace as claimed in claim 1, wherein the modular furnace is surrounded by a thermal insulation.

Description

(1) In the drawings:

(2) FIG. 1 shows a schematic illustration of an embodiment of the modular furnace according to the invention when viewed from above;

(3) FIG. 2 shows a schematic illustration of the modular furnace according to FIG. 1 in a side view; and

(4) FIG. 3 shows a schematic side view, similar to that of FIG. 2, for highlighting in particular the heating installation of the modular furnace according to FIGS. 1 and 2, said heating installation being configured as a zonal heating installation.

(5) FIGS. 1 to 3 schematically show an embodiment of the modular furnace 10 which in particular is provided for the oxidative stabilization of carbon thread starting material 12. The modular furnace 10 has a rectangular-block shaped furnace chamber 14, first deflection rollers 18 being disposed on the upper side 16 thereof so as to be mutually spaced apart and mutually parallel, and second deflection rollers 22 being disposed on the lower side 20 thereof so as to be mutually spaced apart and mutually parallel, mounted in a rotatable manner such that the carbon thread starting material 12 in the furnace space 24 of the rectangular-block shaped furnace chamber 14 run side-by-side 8 (cf. FIG. 1) and slightly spaced apart in a meandering vertical up and down manner (cf. FIG. 2).

(6) The first deflection rollers 18 are disposed in a lid space 26 which is provided on the upper side 16 of the furnace chamber 14. A base space 28 in which the second deflection rollers 22 are located is provided on the lower side 20 of the furnace chamber 14.

(7) The lid space 26 for the carbon thread starting material 12 that is formed from a number of threads that are provided side-by-side has a carbon thread entry lock installation 30 and a carbon thread exit lock installation 32.

(8) Each first deflection roller 18 is connected to an associated dedicated drive installation 34, and each second deflection roller 22 is connected to an associated dedicated drive installation 36 such that it is possible for the thread tension of the threads from the carbon thread starting material 12 in the furnace space 24 of the furnace chamber 14 to be set as desired by way of targeted controlling of the drive installations 34, 36.

(9) In order for the hot air stream (indicated by the arrow 38) in the furnace space 24 of the furnace chamber 14 to be homogenized, in each case a screen installation 50 which has the effect of homogenizing the stream of hot air in the furnace space 24 of the furnace chamber 14 is provided on the vertical air entry side 40 of the furnace chamber 14, at the downstream end of an intake air portion 42 of an air guiding installation 44 of the modular furnace 10, and on the vertical air exit side 46 of the rectangular-block shaped furnace chamber 14, at the upstream end of an exhaust air portion 48 of the air guiding installation 44. The respective screen installation 50 serves simultaneously as a particle retention installation. The respective screen installation 50 is formed by a woven mesh fabric, for example, and is provided for holding back fine particles or filament portions, respectively, of the carbon thread starting material 12 and keeping the latter away from the furnace space 24. The respective screen installation 50 is dimensioned as a braided structure, a woven fabric, or a warp-/weft-knitted fabric having a fine mesh, for example, and having a pore or mesh width of 500 m.

(10) The air guiding installation 44 between the intake air portion 42 and the exhaust air portion 48 has an air driving installation 52. The air driving installation 52 is formed by at least one cross-flow fan 54 which is connected to a drive motor 56.

(11) The at least one cross-flow fan 54 in fluidic terms is connected to an associated diffusor 58 which forms a part-portion of the intake air portion 42 of the air guiding installation 44.

(12) As can be seen from FIG. 1, the intake air portion 42 of the air guiding installation 44 and the exhaust air portion 48 of the latter are in each case configured so as to be bent. Sheet-metal plate shaped air directing elements 62 are provided in the region of the bend 60 of the intake air portion 42. Sheet-metal plate shaped air directing elements 66 are provided in the region of the bend 64 of the exhaust air portion 48 of the air guiding installation 44.

(13) The air guiding elements 62, 66 are provided for deflecting in a guided manner the hot air in the region of the bends 60, 64 and, on account thereof, for avoiding as best as possible undesirable turbulences of the hot air.

(14) An air exchange installation 68 which has a fresh air inlet 70 and an exhaust air outlet 72 is provided in the exhaust air portion 48 of the air guiding installation 44. The fresh air inlet 70 and the exhaust air outlet 72 are in each case connected to a fan 74. The respective fan 74 is assigned a flap installation 76. The flap installations 76 are connected to the air exchange installation 68.

(15) A gas sensor 78 is operatively connected to the fans 74 and to the flap installations 76. The gas sensor 78 is provided in the exhaust air portion 48, the operative connection of said gas sensor 78 to the fans 74 and to the flap installations 76 being indicated by dash-dotted lines 80. The flap installations 76 and the associated fans 74 are suitably actuated with the aid of the gas sensor 78, so as to introduce fresh air in a defined manner into the exhaust air portion 48 and/or to discharge exhaust air that contains pollutants from the exhaust air portion 48.

(16) A flow rate sensor which is disposed in the exhaust air portion 48 and is operatively connected to the fans 74 and to the flap installations 76 is identified by the reference sign 82. This operative connection is indicated by the dash-dotted line 84 (cf. FIG. 1).

(17) As can be seen from FIGS. 1 and 3, a heating installation 86 is provided in the intake air portion 42 of the air guiding installation 44, in order for hot air to be generated. As can be seen from FIG. 3, the heating installation 86 is configured as a zonal heating installation 88 having heating elements 90i=90a, 90b, and 90c, which are provided vertically on top of one another so as to be mutually spaced apart. The heating elements 90i are operatively linked to temperature sensors 92i=92a, 92b, and 92c, in order for an isotherm to be achieved in the furnace space 24 of the rectangular-block shaped furnace chamber 14 by suitably impinging the heating elements 90i with energy.

(18) FIG. 3 moreover highlights planar air directing elements 94 which are provided in the diffusor 58 and by means of which an isobaric air stream is achieved through the diffusor 58 and undesirable air turbulences are avoided.

(19) The modular furnace 10 is provided with a thermal insulation 96 which is indicated only in portions in the figures.

(20) All details in FIGS. 1 to 3 are in each case provided with the same reference signs such that a respective detailed description of all details in conjunction with all figures can be dispensed with.

LIST OF REFERENCE SIGNS

(21) 10 Modular furnace (for 12) 12 Carbon thread starting material 14 Rectangular-block shaped furnace chamber (of 10 for 12) 16 Upper side (of 14) 18 First deflection rollers (on 16 for 12) 20 Lower side (of 14) 22 Second deflection rollers (on 20 for 12) 24 Furnace space (of 14) 26 Lid space (on 16 for 18) 28 Base space (on 20 for 22) 30 Carbon thread entry lock installation (for 12 on 26) 32 Carbon thread exit lock installation (for 12 on 26) 34 First drive installation (for 18) 36 Second drive installation (for 22) 38 Arrow/hot air stream (in 24) 40 Vertical air entry side (of 14) 42 Intake air portion (of 44) 44 Air guiding installation (of 10) 46 Vertical air exit side (of 14) 48 Exhaust air portion (of 44) 50 Screen installation (on 40, 46) 52 Air driving installation (in 44 between 42 and 48) 54 Cross-flow fan (of 52) 56 Drive motor (for 54) 58 Diffusor (of 44 on 52) 60 Bend (of 42) 62 Air directing elements (at 60) 64 Bend (of 48) 66 Air directing elements (at 64) 68 Air exchange installation (in 48) 70 Fresh air inlet (of 68) 72 Exhaust air outlet (of 68) 74 Fan (of 70, 72) 76 Flap installation (for 70, 72) 78 Gas sensor (for 68) 80 Dashed line/operative connection (of 78 to 74, 76) 82 Flow rate sensor (in 68) 84 Dashed line/operative connection (of 82 to 74, 76) 86 Heating installation (of 10 in 44) 88 Zonal heating installation (of 86) 90i Heating elements (of 88) 92i Temperature sensors (for 90i) 94 Air directing elements (in 58) 96 Thermal insulation (of 10)