Immersible probe

Abstract: An immersion sampler probe for a metal bath in a basic oxygen furnace vessel. The sampler is weighted to penetrate the slag and position a heat sensor or oxygen sensor at the appropriate depth. A counterweight with a float ensures proper immersion depth. The float keeps connecting leads for the sensor from the melt.

Description: In the manufacture of steel in basic oxygen type furnaces, measurements of bath temperature are desirably taken during the refining period so that adjustments can be made in the oxygen blowing time, rate and volume for the final bath chemistry and temperature. During the oxygen blowing process the molten metal bath is very agitated by the blowing of oxygen beneath and onto the surface of the slag and metal. In order to obtain accurate and reliable temperature readings, temperature probes must be immersed well below the surface of the steel bath and steel/slag layer interface. A deep penetration into the steel bath prevents the temperature sensor from being blown around by the high volume high force oxygen discharge from the oxygen lance. Ideally sensors should be immersed 6 inches (15.24 cm) or more into the bath below the interface. Oxygen readings are desirable and possible after a controlled blow is finished or interrupted. Carbon content can be accurately calculated from metal bath oxygen content at levels below the 15% carbon range. Temperature is obtained by the thermocouple of the oxygen probe. The oxygen reading for free oxygen can be used for accurate and precise addition of deoxidation agents. Using a reliable accurate in-blow temperature probe and oxygen temperature carbon and sample probe, through the BOF furnace aperture results in saving steel making time and furnace wear resulting in more production and better or equivalent quality at lower costs. Because of the high density of the molten metal it is difficult to push the probe beyond the slag layer and into the metal to sufficient depth because of the buoyancy afforded by the dense metal displaced by the probe. The most reliable method at present involves use of a very expensive sublance with motorised assembly to lower a pipe into the BOF vessel. Because of the expense of several million U.S. dollars assembling and installing this sub-lance equipment in a steel mill, it is not a desirable choice. It also is not a desirable choice because of new steel making procedures using ladle furnaces and ladle metallurgical stations. Accordingly, free falling bomb lances have been devised to weight a probe for immersion purposes. The United States Patent No. 3,374,122 shows an example of a weighted probe. The United States Patent No. 3,497,398 shows a further development of the bomb type probe. United States Patent No. 3,505,871 shows as additional type of immersion vehicle intended to be inserted in a BOF vessel. These types of drop-in sensors have not provided consistent and reliable results because of ineffective and inconsistent immersion depths below the slag layer especially while blowing oxygen. Typically there is not enough weight provided to overcome the buoyant force to obtain sufficient penetration for accurate and reliable "in blow" temperature readings and accurate "after blow" oxygen, carbon and temperature readings. GB-A 1 096 499 discloses a temperature measuring device for molten metal which has a measuring head provided at its tip with a weight which is connected by a length of cardboard tube containing a thermocouple. A measuring cable connects the thermocouple to a temperature recorder and there is a device for projecting the measuring head into the molten metal bath, the length of the cardboard tube determining the distance by which the thermocouple will drop into the bath, the weight at the tip acting with the tube as a buoy. According to the present invention, there is provided a free-fall probe according to claim 1. The invention thus provides an immersible drop-in sensor which is provided with a counterweight partially above the metal or slag to overcome the buoyancy of the submerged probe portions to achieve the proper penetration and depth beyond the slag and into the metal for reliable readings. To accomplish this, the submersible weight or bomb weight has the fewest and smallest possible cavities for the sensor and for the lead wires to minimise the volume of displaced molten metal which is caused by voids rather than high density metal. More specifically, the problem caused by the prior art drop-in probes is the failure to recognise that if the displaced volume of molten metal steel is significantly greater than the volume of the high density weight metal in the bomb it will float rather than become immersed. This is because of the well-known principle that the buoyant force on a body immersed in a fluid is equal to the weight of the fluid displaced by that object. If the buoyant force acting upward has a magnitude greater than the downward force exerted by gravity and ferrostatic pressure on the top of the submerged weight it will float at the surface of the molten metal. The invention attempts to overcome a large part of this buoyancy be reducing the size of cavities used for sensors and wires. Because reducing the cavity size to minimise the volume of the displaced metal alone cannot overcome the buoyant upward force on the bomb, it is necessary to provide a counterweight above the surface of the molten metal and preferably the slag to accomplish and counter-balance the upward buoyant forces with a downward force. This counterweight can be in the form of a thick-walled pipe. Throughout the construction of both the counterweight and the submersible weight, an effort is made to minimise the non-metallic spaces or voids including the internal diameter of the counterweight pipe to maximise the weight-to-volume displacement ratio of the counterweight. Accordingly, the smallest diameter thick-walled metal pipe is used. The length of the counterweight pipe is selected to balance the weight of the displaced volume of metal due to the volume of the cavities in the submersed weight. The counterweight is kept above the slag where it is possible to minimise the weight of the displaced slag; approximately one quarter the weight of molten steel. To ensure that the counterweight and probe are maintained in a vertical position an adjustable float is provided adjacent the upper end of the pipe which will provide a buoyant force on the upper end of the pipe to maintain the probe in the essentially vertical position in the vessel and also act as a floatation stop to limit vertical downward movement of the probe to a selected depth in the steel below the slag. In addition, the probe can include a sample pod which is fastened to the submersible weight which contains a sample cavity and deoxidant for retrieving a sample of the bath. The sample pod can be in accordance with the "piggyback" samplers illustrated in U.S. Patent No. 4,069,715. The sample pod can be constructed of a refractory fibre such as Babcock & Wilcox's "Kaowool" 2600 bulk fibre, which is 55% alumina and 44.9% silica. A fine braided wire made of stainless steel or the like, and protected by a paper tube or wrapping from the slag and steel is fastened to the vertical counterweight by paper tape and connected to the interior of the sample cartridge and formed into the steel sample. The paper tube provides venting for the sample receiving chamber. The wire enables retrieval of the sample when it is released in a few seconds by fusible clamp and tape holding its refractory fibre protection pod and paper protection tube to the weight. For a better understanding of the invention and to show how the same may be carried into effect, reference will now be made, by way of example, to the accompanying drawings, in which:- Figure 1 is a side elevational view and fragmentary section of a probe insertable in a molten metal bath for analysis thereof, Figure 2 is an enlarged view of the probe shown in Figure 1 in fragmentary section; Figure 3 is an enlarged sectional view of a sampler portion shown in Figure 2; and Figure 4 is an enlarged view of the sampler portion along line 4--4 of Figure 2. In the drawings, Figure 1 shows a probe or lance 10 which includes at its lower end a weight 12 made of steel or iron and a cavity between four spaced ribs 16 which are arranged at 90° with respect to each other. The ribs protect the measurement devices located in the cavity. The cavity can be provided with a thermocouple assembly 18 or an oxygen sensor 18. The thermocouple assembly can be made in accordance with the disclosures in our U.S. Patent Nos. 4,778,281 and 4,358,630. The oxygen sensor can be made in accordance with U.S. Patent No. 3,723,279. The first weight 12 is connected to a metal pipe 20 which desirably has a thick wall and very small diameter for purposes hereinafter described. A second pipe 27 can be telescoped over the first pipe to add weight for purposes herein described. The electrical conductors or leads 22, 24 for the thermocouple extend through the pipe 20 and exit from the open end of the pipe at 26. The free ends of the leads 28 are suitably connected to appropriate instrumentation for either the thermocouple or oxygen sensor as is well known in the art. The probe can be provided with an immersion sampler pod 30 which contains an outer protective coating of refractory fibre material as described above or other material as described in my U.S. Patent No. 4,659,679 and can be provided with two spaced clam shell mould halves 32 with a fill tube 34 as shown in U.S. Patent No. 4,326,426. A small diameter vent tube 40 extends onto the sample body to communicate with the interior 37 of the mould to provide a vent for the sample cavity 37 to promote filling of the sampler when the probe is immersed. A fusible cap 38 on the fill tube 34 is typically employed to prevent entry of molten metal while the probe is lowered through the slag. The tube 40 extends up above the surface 42 of the melt to ensure release of the air in the sample cavity as molten metal fills the cavity 37. The tube 40 is connected to a cardboard float tube 46 which is adjustably positioned adjacent the upper end of the pipe 20 by the clamp 48 for purposes hereinafter described. The sampler pod 30 can be releasably clamped to the weight 12 with a fusible clamp 52, such as a standard hose clamp. A fine braided stainless steel wire 54 with a knot 56 located inside of the sampler between the two mould halves anchors the wire 51 to the mould halves which are clamped together with a slight gap therebetween. The wire 54 extends through the interior 41 of the tube 40 to provide recovery of the sample mould 30. The molten steel fuses to wire to provide a secure connection to the sampler. The tube 40 can be made of a small diameter paperboard tube with the internal passage 41. A tube having a diameter three sixteenths of an inch (4.76 mm) can be formed or bent to conform somewhat to the shape of the handle or pipe 20. Paper tape 4 can be used to releasably secure the tube to the pipe 20. The tube 40 also protects the wire. The tube 40 can be used with or without the wire to vent any sampler to a position above the molten metal. The vent tube 40 can be used with other immersion samplers such as that shown in U.S. Patent No. 4,069,715. The vent tube 40 would be used instead of the vents shown in Figure 4 of that patent. In use the entire assembly is dropped by free fall into the steel with the lead wires and stainless wires connected or secured for retrieval. An ocean fishing reel 56 with built in drag and cable can be employed. The tension on the stainless wire of about 1/2 lb (0.23 kg) will cause the sampler pod to be jerked up when the fusible clamp releases. The reel 56 can be pre-set to go to 4 lbs (1.81 kg) tension after four second immersion to aid in quick removal of the pod from the melt. Four second immersion is adequate time for taking measurements and forming a sample. In use, the probe will be lowered manually into the BOF furnace through the aperture at the top into a suitable position with the weight 12 below the surface of the slag to provide an accurate reading. This is accomplished by manually manipulating the wires 28. The weight of the pipe 20 above the surface acts as a counterweight to balance the buoyancy caused by the metal displaced by the voids in the weight 12. The float 46 is adjustable along the length of the pipe 20 to ensure that the proper immersion depth will be obtained with the sensor and the float will maintain the probe in a generally erect position to avoid having the lead wires 28 touch the surface of the molten metal which can damage the wires. The float keeps the pipe 20 from tipping. As soon as the float hits the melt or slag it will tend to "right" the pipe. During immersion the fusible link 52 will melt and release the pod 30 which will float up to the surface with the wire affording retrieval of the sample mould. The wire 54 can be contained on a spool mounted on a fishing reel 56 with a bail to clutch and declutch the wire from the spool.

Claims: A free-fall probe (10) insertable in a molten metal bath for analysis thereof comprising a sensor (18) with connecting leads (22, 24), a first, lower weight (12) constituting a submersible portion of the probe and a float in the form of a paperboard tube (46), characterised by a second, upper weight (20, 27) remote from and connected to said first weight and acting in use as a counterweight with a portion of the counterweight above the upper surface of the melt, said float (46) being adjustably positioned on said second weight, said first weight having a first cavity for housing said sensor (18) and a second cavity for said connecting leads (22, 24) the cavities in said first weight provide in use a buoyant force (F1) and said second weight being of metal of a weight and density providing a downward force (F2) and being in the form of an elongate metal tube (20) through which the leads (22, 24) for said sensor (18) extend, thereby to overcome said buoyant force (F1), said forces (F1, F2) being balanced to position the sensor in use at a selected depth in the molten metal beneath the surface in a generally erect position. A probe according to claim 1 and including a sampler pod (30) releasably connected to said first weight with a fusible coupling means (52). A probe according to claim 2, characterised in that said pod is provided with a retrieval wire ( 54) and a small diameter paperboard tube (40) connected to said second weight (20) to protect said pod wire and vent the sample cavity in the pod and said fusible connection between said pod and said weight and said paperboard tube is such as to release said pod to float up to the surface of said molten metal bath after a sample has been obtained. A probe according to claim 1, 2 or 3 wherein said cavities in said first weight provide the first weight with a high weight-to-volume displacement and said second weight is of a length to provide a counterforce approximately equal to the buoyant force differential caused by the lesser specific gravity or density of the first weight caused by the cavities, to ensure immersion of the first weight below the molten metal at the selected depth. A method of performing an analysis in a molten metal bath using a free-fall probe according to any one of the preceding claims.

Inventors: COLZANI JAMES, FALK RICHARD A, COLZANI, JAMES, FALK, RICHARD A.
Applicants: MIDWEST INSTR CO INC A WISCONS, MIDWEST INSTRUMENT CO., INC. (A WISCONSIN CORPORATION)
Application year: 1989
Main classification: G01K13
IPC codes: G01N1, G01N33, G01K13, G01K7