COOLING DEVICE FOR COOLING BULK MATERIAL

Abstract

A cooling device (2; 50) for cooling bulk goods (4), which has a cooling shaft (8) and at least one supply chute (14) for introducing the bulk goods (4) into the cooling shaft (8). To achieve uniform cooling of the bulk goods (4), the supply chute (14) has a first wall (30) and a second wall (32) arranged opposite the first wall (30). At least part of the first wall (30) is arranged at a different angle of inclination (34) with respect to a vertical line (36) than the second wall (32).

Claims

1. A cooling device for cooling bulk material, comprising: a cooling shaft; at least one supply chute located and configured for introducing the bulk material into the cooling shaft; the supply chute is comprised of a first wall and a second wall arranged opposite the first wall, the first wall is arranged at least partially at a first inclination angle with respect to a vertical and the second wall, is at a different inclination angle with respect to the vertical; and the supply chute is mounted in a rotatable manner above the cooling shaft.

2. The cooling device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first wall is arranged at an inclination angle of between 27 and 47 with respect to the vertical and the second wall is arranged at an inclination angle of between 7 and 27 with respect to the vertical.

3. The cooling device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the second wall is arranged at an inclination angle of between 35 and 55 with respect to the vertical; the first wall has a first, lower wall portion and a second, upper wall portion; wherein the first wall portion is arranged at an inclination angle of between 35 and 55 with respect to the vertical and the second wall portion is arranged at an inclination angle of between 5 and 25, with respect to the vertical.

4. The cooling device as claimed in claim 3, the first wall portion of the first wall is arranged at the same inclination angle with respect to the vertical as the second wall.

5. The cooling device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the supply chute comprises at least two further walls arranged opposite one another and each further wall is connected to the first and the second wall.

6. The cooling device as claimed in claim 5, wherein the two further walls are arranged parallel to one another.

7. The cooling device as claimed in claim 5, wherein the two further walls are arranged obliquely with respect to one another, such that a distance between the two further walls decreases in a downward direction, and each of the two further walls is arranged at the same inclination angle with respect to the vertical.

8. The cooling device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the supply chute has a bulk-material outlet and at least two horizontally arranged ledges located toward the outlet and extending into the supply chute.

9. The cooling device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the supply chute has a rectangular cross-sectional shape in a horizontal cross section.

10. The cooling device as claimed in claim 1, further comprising the cooling shaft comprises a shaft portion configured as a hollow cylinder having a vertically oriented cylinder axis about which the supply chute is mounted in a rotatable manner.

11. The cooling device as claimed in claim 1, further comprising: a collecting hopper having an input side and the supply chute is connected on the input side of the hopper.

12. The cooling device as claimed in claim 1, further comprising at least one fan located and operable for blowing cooling air into the cooling shaft.

13. The cooling device as claimed in claim 11, further comprising a comminuting machine, arranged on the input side of the supply chute, for comminuting bulk material grains, wherein the comminuting machine is configured as a jaw crusher.

14. The cooling device as claimed in claim 1, further comprising at least one output device located and configured for discharging the bulk material from the cooling shaft, the output device being arranged beneath the cooling shaft.

Description

[0042] In the drawings:

[0043] FIG. 1 shows a longitudinal section through a cooling device for cooling bulk material, which has, inter alia, a cooling shaft and a supply chute;

[0044] FIG. 2 shows an enlarged subregion of FIG. 1, in which the supply chute is depicted;

[0045] FIG. 3 shows another longitudinal section through the cooling device from FIG. 1 from a different perspective;

[0046] FIG. 4 shows an enlarged subregion of FIG. 3, in which the supply chute is depicted;

[0047] FIG. 5 shows a cross section through the cooling shaft of the cooling device;

[0048] FIG. 6 shows a longitudinal section through a further cooling device for cooling bulk material, which has, inter alia, a cooling shaft and an alternative supply chute;

[0049] FIG. 7 shows an enlarged subregion of FIG. 6, in which the alternative supply chute is depicted; and

[0050] FIG. 8 shows a subregion of another longitudinal section through the further cooling device in FIG. 6 from a different perspective.

[0051] FIG. 1 shows a longitudinal section through an air-cooled cooling device 2 for cooling bulk material 4. The bulk material 4 consists of a multiplicity of bulk material grains. In the present exemplary embodiment, the bulk material 4 is sintered iron ore, also known as sinter. This means that the cooling device 2 is what is known as a sinter cooler.

[0052] The cooling device 2 comprises, inter alia, a construction 6 and also a cooling shaft 8 which rests on the construction 6. The cooling shaft 8 in turn comprises a shaft portion 10, configured in a hollow-cylindrical manner, with a vertically oriented cylinder axis 12 and is configured as a countercurrent heat exchanger.

[0053] Furthermore, the cooling device 2 comprises a supply chute 14 for introducing the bulk material 4 into the cooling shaft 8, said supply chute 14 being arranged in an upper portion of the cooling shaft 8. The supply chute 14 is mounted so as to be rotatable about the cylinder axis 12, wherein the cylinder axis 12 is arranged outside the supply chute 14, or does not extend through the supply chute 14.

[0054] Furthermore, the cooling device 2 comprises a collecting hopper 16 to which the supply chute 14 is connected on the input side. Moreover, the cooling device 2 has a comminuting machine 18, arranged above the collecting hopper 16, for comminuting or crushing bulk material grains, said comminuting machine 18 being configured as a jaw crusher.

[0055] The cooling device 2 additionally comprises an output device 20 for discharging the bulk material 4 from the cooling shaft 8, said output device 20 being arranged beneath the cooling shaft 8.

[0056] Moreover, the cooling device 2 is equipped with a fan 22 for blowing cooling air into the cooling shaft 8. The fan 22 has a cooling air outlet 24 which leads into a chamber 26 of the construction 6, the output device 20 and a lower portion of the cooling shaft 8 being arranged in said chamber 26.

[0057] Furthermore, a vertically oriented section plane III-III, parallel to the cylinder axis 12, to which FIG. 3 refers, and a horizontally oriented section plane V-V, to which FIG. 5 refers, are illustrated in FIG. 1. Furthermore, a subregion of the cooling device 2 is identified by a dot-dashed rectangle in FIG. 1, the following figure referring thereto.

[0058] FIG. 2 shows the subregion 28 from FIG. 1 in an enlarged illustration. The depicted subregion of the cooling device 2 shows the supply chute 14, the collecting hopper 16 and a part of the cooling shaft 8, in particular a part of the shaft portion 10 configured in a hollow-cylindrical manner.

[0059] It is apparent from FIG. 2 that the supply chute 14 has a first wall 30 and a second wall 32 arranged opposite the first wall 30, wherein the two walls 30, 32 are arranged at different inclination angles 34 with respect to a vertical 36. The first wall 30 is arranged at an angle of 37 with respect to a vertical 36, whereas the second wall 32 is arranged at an angle of 16.5 with respect to a vertical 36.

[0060] FIG. 3 shows a longitudinal section through the cooling device 2 along the section plane III-III in FIG. 1.

[0061] It is clear from the perspective in FIG. 3 that the cooling device 2 has, in addition to the above-described elements, a conveyor belt 38, in particular an apron conveyor, for conveying the bulk material 4 to the supply chute 14.

[0062] Furthermore, a subregion 40 of the cooling device 2 is identified by a dot-dashed rectangle in FIG. 3, the following figure referring thereto.

[0063] FIG. 4 shows the subregion 40 from FIG. 3 in an enlarged illustration. The depicted subregion of the cooling device 2 shows the supply chute 14 and a part of the collecting hopper 16.

[0064] It is apparent from FIG. 4 that the supply chute 14 comprises two further walls 42 which are arranged vertically and parallel to one another, wherein the two further walls 42 are arranged opposite one another and are connected to the two first-mentioned walls 30, 32.

[0065] It is also apparent from FIG. 4 that the supply chute 14 has a bulk material outlet 44 having two horizontal ledges 46. During operation of the cooling device 2, an accumulation of bulk material 48 forms on each of the two ledges 46. The accumulations of bulk material 48 deflect some of the bulk material emerging from the supply chute 14 as it emerges from the supply chute 14 and additionally reduce wear to the supply chute 14.

[0066] One of the two ledges 46 is arranged on one of the two further walls 42, while the other of the two ledges 46 is arranged on the other of the two further walls 42. Furthermore, the ledges 46 are arranged at different heights.

[0067] The hot bulk material 4 is conveyed with the aid of the conveyor belt 38 from a sinter plant (not illustrated in the figures) to the supply chute 14. Before the bulk material 4 passes into the supply chute 14, the bulk material grains are comminuted with the aid of the comminuting machine 18.

[0068] The comminuted bulk material 4 is guided into the collecting hopper 16, from where the bulk material 4 passes into the supply chute 14. By way of the supply chute 14, which rotates about the cylinder axis 12 at a constant rotation speed, the bulk material 4 is introduced into the cooling shaft 8.

[0069] On account of the shape of the supply chute 14, the bulk material grains pass into the cooling shaft 8 such that they are distributed in a spatially homogeneous manner (with regard to their grain diameter). In addition, a level bulk material surface in the cooling shaft 8 is achieved through the rotation of the supply chute 14.

[0070] With the aid of the fan 22, cooling air is blown into the abovementioned chamber 26 of the construction 6. The cooling air flows through the output device 20 and into the cooling shaft 8 and flows through the cooling shaft 8 from bottom to top. In the process, the cooling air absorbs thermal energy from the bulk material 4 such that the cooling air is heated up and at the same time the bulk material 4 is cooled down.

[0071] By means of the output device 20, the cooled bulk material 4 is discharged from the cooling shaft 8 in batches (portions).

[0072] Furthermore, the heated cooling air is evacuated from the cooling shaft 8 in an upper region of the cooling shaft 8 by means of pumps that are not illustrated in the figures, and is fed as a heat source to the sinter plant.

[0073] FIG. 5 shows a cross section through the cooling shaft 8, in particular through the shaft portion 10 configured in a hollow-cylindrical manner, along the section plane V-V in FIG. 1. The cross section illustrated is thus a horizontal cross section through the cooling shaft 8.

[0074] It is apparent from FIG. 5 that the supply chute 14 has a rectangular cross-sectional shape. In order to illustrate how the supply chute 14 rotates in the cooling shaft 8, a direction of rotation 50 of the supply chute 14 is depicted in FIG. 5, and the supply chute 14 is also depicted in three different, temporally successive positions.

[0075] The description of the following exemplary embodiment is limited substantially to the differences with regard to the above-described exemplary embodiment described in connection with FIG. 1 to FIG. 5, to which reference is made as far as features and functions that remain the same are concerned. Elements that are substantially identical or correspond to one another are denoted basically by the same reference signs and features that are not mentioned have been taken over to the following exemplary embodiment without being described again.

[0076] FIG. 6 shows a longitudinal section through a further air-cooled cooling device 50 for cooling bulk material 4. The present cooling device 50 has an alternative supply chute 14. Moreover, the further cooling device 50 has a cooling shaft 8 having a shaft portion 10 configured in a cylindrical manner.

[0077] The supply chute 14 of the further cooling device 50 is mounted so as to be rotatable about the cylinder axis 12 of the cylindrically configured shaft portion 10. However, the cylinder axis 12 is arranged inside the supply chute 14 in the present exemplary embodiment. This means that the cylinder axis 12 extends through the supply chute 14.

[0078] Furthermore, a subregion 52 of the cooling device 50 is identified by a dot-dashed rectangle in FIG. 6, the following figure referring thereto.

[0079] FIG. 7 shows the subregion 52 identified in FIG. 6 in an enlarged illustration.

[0080] It is apparent from FIG. 7 that the supply chute 14 of the further cooling device 50 comprises a first wall 30 and a second wall 32. These two walls 30, 32 are arranged opposite one another.

[0081] Furthermore, the first wall 30 has a first, lower wall portion 54 and a second, upper wall portion 56, wherein the first wall portion 54 is arranged at an inclination angle of 45 with respect to a vertical 36 and the second wall portion 56 is arranged at an inclination angle of 11 with respect to a vertical 36. Furthermore, the second wall 32 is arranged at an inclination angle of 45 with respect to a vertical 36. Consequently, the first wall portion 54 of the first wall 30 is arranged at the same inclination angle 34 with respect to a vertical 36 as the second wall 32. This means that the second wall 32 and the first wall portion 54 of the first wall 30 are arranged parallel to one another.

[0082] Furthermore, in the present exemplary embodiment, as a result of the rotation of the supply chute 14, rather than a level bulk material surface, a bulk material surface which is M-shaped (in the longitudinal section illustrated) is achieved.

[0083] Furthermore, FIG. 7 illustrates a vertically oriented section plane VIII-VIII that is parallel to the cylinder axis 12, the following figure referring thereto.

[0084] FIG. 8 shows a longitudinal section through the further cooling device 50 along the section plane VIII-VIII in FIG. 7.

[0085] In FIG. 8, it is apparent that the supply chute 14 of the further cooling device 50 has two further walls 42. The further walls 42 are arranged obliquely with respect to one another, wherein their distance apart decreases in a downward direction. Furthermore, the two further walls 42 are arranged at the same inclination angle 34, namely at an inclination angle of 15, with respect to a vertical 36.

[0086] In contrast to the preceding exemplary embodiment, the supply chute 14 of the further cooling device 50 has a bulk material outlet 44 without ledges. In principle, such ledges (as described in connection with FIG. 4) would also be conceivable at the bulk material outlet 44 of the further cooling device 50.

[0087] Although the invention has been described and illustrated in more detail by way of the preferred exemplary embodiments, the invention is not limited by the disclosed example and other variations can be derived therefrom without departing from the scope of protection of the invention.

LIST OF REFERENCE SIGNS

[0088] 2 Cooling device

[0089] 4 Bulk material

[0090] 6 Construction

[0091] 8 Cooling shaft

[0092] 10 Shaft portion

[0093] 12 Cylinder axis

[0094] 14 Supply chute

[0095] 16 Collecting hopper

[0096] 18 Comminuting machine

[0097] 20 Output device

[0098] 22 Fan

[0099] 24 Cooling air outlet

[0100] 26 Chamber

[0101] 28 Subregion

[0102] 30 Wall

[0103] 32 Wall

[0104] 34 Inclination angle

[0105] 36 Vertical

[0106] 38 Conveyor belt

[0107] 40 Subregion

[0108] 42 Wall

[0109] 44 Bulk material outlet

[0110] 46 Ledge

[0111] 48 Accumulation of bulk material

[0112] 50 Cooling device

[0113] 52 Subregion

[0114] 54 Wall portion

[0115] 56 Wall portion