Catalytic agitators for the modification of furnace atmospheres

Abstract: The present invention relates to a constant atmosphere furnace provided with an atmosphere agitator, the agitator comprising a shaft (2) rotatably mounted in an exposed portion of the furnace, preferably through an upper wall (7), the shaft being provided with vanes (1) adapted to create a negative pressure in the vicinity of their centre when the shaft (2) is rotated, supply means (12) being located, preferably within said shaft, to provide additive gases to the vicinity of the centre of the vanes, and wherein gases brought into said vicinity are expelled radially, in operation, by the action of the vanes (1) through a catalyst (11), there being no supply line between the catalyst (11) and vanes (1), thus ensuring that the maximum possible amount of gas goes through the catalyst (11), so that there is effectively no unreacted gas in the furnace atmosphere.

Description: The present invention relates to agitator means for use in a continuous atmosphere furnace for the modification of the specific atmosphere. The invention is of particular use in a continuous atmosphere furnace employed for the heat treatment of metallic articles. Until now, the modification of a furnace atmosphere to give a desired composition has generally been effected by mixing an additive gas into the furnace atmosphere. The additive gas is introduced into the furnace alone or together with the furnace atmosphere, and modifies the furnace atmosphere by reaction with the atmosphere and by the incidental inter-reaction of furnace atmosphere gas constituents, but only when the additive gas is heated and mixed well with the furnace atmosphere. Therefore, if the additive gas, with or without the atmosphere gas, is not properly introduced into the furnace, such as without due consideration of its relation with articles to be treated in the furnace, the atmosphere will come into contact with the articles before it has been modified substantially completely. Poor modification of the atmosphere gases can often result in poor or inadequate heat treatment of the articles in the furnace. US-A-4,294,436 discloses a furnace for the heat-treatment of metallic articles with a protective atmosphere, wherein gases are introduced in the vicinity of fans so as to agitate the raw gases radially before they make contact with the metallic articles. However, a substantial part of the raw gases supplied into the furnace disadvantageously make contact with the articles to be heat-treated before they make contact with the catalytic and heating means intended to modify them into the desired composition. Japanese Preliminary Patent Publication No. 54-64633 discloses a carburising furnace, into which liquid atmosphere constituents are supplied dropwise. In this furnace a gas agitator is rotated within a space, lateral sides of which are encircled by wire gauze containing a catalyst, the bottom being closed by the upper plate of a muffle. Although this muffle prevents the liquid atmosphere constituents droping directly onto the article to be heat-treated, it also disadvantageously prevents the furnace atmosphere entering upwardly into the agitator space. Thus, it cannot be expected that the liquid atmosphere constituents fed dropwise into the space will be adequately mixed there with the furnace atmosphere and reacted by the gas agitator. The gas agitator effectively acts primarily as an atomiser which is vigorously rotated so as to atomise the liquid atmosphere constituents, radially and forcibly dispersing them as they are dropped into the agitator space, and does not really act as an agitator. A further disadvantage of this carburising furnace is that, since a dropper pipe must be provided which opens between the circular catalyst surrounding the agitator and adjacent to the rotary path of the agitator vanes, to allow the liquid atmosphere drops to be atomised instantaneously by the wind current of the agitator, it is impossible to locate the circular catalyst very close to the agitator, with the interposition of the dropper. Thus there is provided a constant atmosphere furnace provided with an atmosphere agitator, as given in claim 1. The catalyst is preferably located in a permeable structure in the form of a cylinder. Further preferred embodiments are given in claims 2 and 4. An advantage is that there is no supply line between the catalyst and vanes, thus ensuring that the maximum possible amount of gas goes through the catalyst, so that there is effectively no unreacted gas in the furnace atmosphere. The catalysts are preferably operable at a comparatively low temperature. Thus, in a preferred embodiment, there is provided a catalytic agitator for reforming a furnace atmosphere in a continuous heat treatment furnace, rotary vanes of which induce the furnace atmosphere toward the centre of rotation of the vanes, due to a negative pressure produced by the rotation of vanes. Additive gas for reforming the atmosphere is also introduced to said centre. The atmosphere and additive gases are mixed to each other at once when the additive gas is introduced into the furnace, and radially ejected to contact with an annular catalyst agent. The annular inner surface of catalyst agent is located closely to rotary locus of the vanes, so that the mixed atmosphere and additive gases can contact with the catalyst without any intervention therebetween. The catalyst agent has no bottom so that the furnace atmosphere is freely induced to the centre of rotation of vanes, on account of the aforementioned negative pressure exerting at and about said centre. The invention will now be further illustrated with reference to the accompanying drawing, which shows a preferred embodiment of the present invention. The drawing shows an explanatory cross sectional view of a furnace atmosphere modifying agitator in accordance with the present invention, the lower part of the drawing being within a continuous atmosphere furnace, downwardly from and upwardly to which a furnace atmosphere is sucked by the rotation of vanes 1 of the agitator means. The furnace atmosphere sucked up is flung out by the rotating vanes in a direction transverse to a rotary shaft 2 of the agitator means. It is an advantage of this invention, that almost all of the thus sucked furnace atmosphere forcibly contacts a catalyst retained within a mesh cage 10. In order to achieve this, said mesh cage has a bottom-opened annular shape, the inner annular surface of which is extremely closely located to a rotary radius of the vanes 1, and the axis of which is coaxial with the rotary shaft 2. The illustrated agitator works as follows. When an additive gas is supplied from the direction of a rotary joint 8 into the furnace through a supply tube 12 which coaxially penetrates through the rotary shaft 2, said additive gas is sucked to an outlet 9 and directed toward the centre of rotary movement of the vanes 1, owing to a negative pressure being exerted at and about the gas outlet 9. At the same time, the furnace atmosphere is also drawn toward the gas outlet 9 or the centre of rotary radius of the vanes 1, and the additive gas and the furnace atmosphere are mixed well by the rotation of vanes as soon as the additive gas is introduced into the furnace, and before it contacts any other substance. The mixing of the gases by such a process is very effective for thoroughly mixing them. It is additionally advantageous for the amount of additive gas to be kept small, compared to an amount of the furnace atmosphere sucked to the centre of the rotation of vanes 1, so that the mixed gas scarcely suffers from a lowering of temperature, and so their reaction speed is consequently quick. The furnace atmosphere and the additive gas thus mixed together pass through a catalyst 11, whereby their reaction is accelerated to produce a gas atmosphere of a desired composition. This gas then circulates within the furnace to perform a predetermined heat treatment. Example A specific embodiment of this invention is as follows, with reference to the accompanying drawing. The drawing shows an agitator made in accordance with this invention, which is employed in reforming a furnace atmosphere in a gas carburising furnace. The vanes are made of heat-resistant steel, meshed gauges 10 are made of inconel wires, and catalysts 11 work at a comparatively low temperature such as 900-940°C, corresponding to a carburising temperature. The outer diameter of rotation of the vanes 1 is about 400mm, their heights are about 200mm, and rotary velocity 1,200rpm. The gas transmission of the catalysts 11 contained in the wire meshes 10 was about 50%. A furnace atmosphere for carburising an endothermic gas (consisting of CO, H₂, CO₂, H₂O, CH₄, N₂) made by the conversion of butane gas was employed, while the additive gas was a city gas, the principle constituent of which is methane. Amounts of CO and CO₂ of the furnace atmosphere were measured by infrared analysis to establish the carbon concentration thereof, while the temperature was also measured. Control of the additive gas was automated according to the concentration and temperature. More specifically, the amount of furnace atmosphere was 10m³/h, additive gas was 0-0,04m³/h, temperature was 910°C, and carbon concentration was constant at 7.9%. In the continuous furnace in which the agitators of this invention are employed, its atmosphere gas passes through different temperature zones from the time when the gas is introduced into the furnace till it is exhausted from the furnace. Accordingly, it is necessary that irrespective of difference of temperatures at each zone, gas constituents of the furnace atmosphere, viz. carbon concentration in this Example are to be modified and kept precisely in accordance with the purpose of heat treatment. As numerically shown above, on account of the employment of agitators made in accordance with is invention, the furnace atmosphere was effectively and quickly reformed by the additive gas, making the carburising operation stable. In the drawing, 3 is a frame, 4 pulley, 5 bearings, 6 insulators and 7 a part of upper furnace wall.

Claims: A constant atmosphere furnace provided with an atmosphere agitator, the agitator comprising a shaft (2) rotatably mounted in an exposed portion of the furnace, the shaft being provided with vanes (1), supply means (12) to provide additive gases to the vicinity of the vanes (1) to distribute the gases about the furnace and to come into contact with a catalyst (11), characterised in that the vanes (1) are adapted to create a negative pressure in the vicinity of their centre (9) when the shaft (2) is rotated, the supply means (12) being located within said shaft (2) so as to provide the gases to the vicinity of the centre (9) of said vanes (1), and wherein the gases brought into said vicinity (9) are expelled radially, in operation, by the action of the vanes (1), through a catalyst (11), the catalyst (11) being located in a permeable structure (10) formed such that the catalytic surfaces are located as close as practicably possible to the vanes (1). A furnace according to claim 1, wherein the shaft (2) is mounted through an upper wall (7). A furnace according to claim 1, wherein the permeable structure (10) is in the form of a cylinder. A furnace according to Claim 1 or 2, in which the catalyst is operable at a comparatively low temperature.

Inventors: TAKAHASHI SUSUMU, TAKAHASHI, SUSUMU
Applicants: KANTO YAKIN KOGYO, KANTO YAKIN KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
Application year: 1990
Main classification: C21D1
IPC codes: F27B5, F27D7, B63B35, C21D1