Draft:Charging machine

A charging machine is a machine used to supply industrial furnaces and other process plants with the materials required for their operation. The term charging refers to introducing these materials into a furnace or process plant. Depending on the application, this may involve preparing a batch of material, transporting it to the furnace, and feeding it into the furnace. Furnace charging machines vary in design according to the type of furnace, the material being processed, and the layout of the plant.

History

The history of charging machines dates back to the late 19th century. One of the earliest known devices of this type was a mobile charging buggy patented in the United States in 1898, designed for loading and unloading annealing furnaces.

Brosius was one of the early developers of mechanical furnace-charging devices. His patent, Furnace-charging device, published in 1918, describes a device for charging industrial furnaces. In the following decades, Brosius continued to develop this concept. The patent Charging Machine, published in 1946, describes a furnace charging machine for loose charge material in which the material is fed from a charging container by means of a pusher.

Charging machines were also developed in Germany during the first half of the 20th century. According to Dango & Dienenthal, the company developed its first furnace charging machine in 1933.

The further development of charging technology is illustrated, among other things, by the patent Trough Charging Machine for Electric Furnaces, filed by HUEMA Hüttenwerks Maschinenbau GmbH in 1969 and published in 1971. It describes a charging machine for electric melting furnaces. In 1979, Dango & Dienenthal also obtained a patent for a furnace charging machine, titled Charging Machine.

Types

Charging machines differ in their mobility and in the mechanisms used to feed and handle charge materials. Two general types can be distinguished: rail-bound charging machines, which move along permanently installed tracks, and mobile charging machines, which travel on wheels.

Rail-bound charging machines move along permanently installed tracks. Their design and charging mechanisms vary depending on the application. For induction crucible furnaces, charging vehicles equipped with a bunker, vibrating chute and separate container for additives are used. They are loaded in the batch preparation hall and transported by rail to the furnace platform, where the charge materials are fed into the furnace as required.

In furnaces used for melting aluminium scrap, by contrast, charging is carried out via a charging chute inserted into the furnace, through which a pusher feeds the charge material.

Another design runs on a monorail installed above the furnace platform. It is secured in position at the operating point and inserts a movable working tool into the furnace to distribute the charge material or move it into the reaction zone. Such systems are used, among other applications, in electric arc furnaces for the production of ferroalloys. Appropriately arranged tracks allow several furnaces to be served.

Mobile charging machines move on wheels and do not require permanently installed rails. They can be operated manually or equipped with automated navigation and control systems. Automated versions can independently travel to predefined operating positions. Depending on their design, their working tools can be used not only for charging but also for distributing and working through the charge material inside the furnace.