At the iron tapping site of a blast furnace in a steel plant, high-temperature molten iron flows continuously. The timely and tight plugging of the iron taphole is directly related to production safety and efficiency. The equipment that undertakes this crucial task is the hydraulic clay gun commonly used in the blast furnace iron tapping process. As one of the important pieces of equipment in modern steel production, it plays a significant role in ensuring the stable operation of blast furnaces with its own characteristics.
How Has the Hydraulic Clay Gun Been Optimized from "Manual Plugging" to "Automated Operation"?
In the past, the plugging of blast furnace iron tapholes relied on manual operation of mechanical clay guns. This not only resulted in high labor intensity but also might lead to problems such as "mud running and iron leakage" due to insufficient thrust and inaccurate alignment, which not only affected production efficiency but also posed safety risks. With the development of the steel industry towards large-scale and automated production, hydraulic clay guns have gradually replaced traditional equipment and become a widely used choice.
Compared with pneumatic clay guns and mechanical clay guns, the core feature of hydraulic clay guns lies in the "hydraulic transmission" technology. It transmits power through the pressure of hydraulic oil, enabling performance effects that are difficult for traditional equipment to achieve. For example, the mud-injecting thrust can reach several thousand kilonewtons, which can compact the gun clay tightly into the depth of the iron taphole and effectively block the molten iron channel.
Three Key Performances Adapting to the Harsh Working Conditions of Blast Furnaces
The working environment at the blast furnace iron tapping site is relatively harsh: the temperature exceeds 100°C, there is a lot of dust, and iron slag splatters. Ordinary equipment can hardly operate stably for a long time. However, hydraulic clay guns can adapt to such challenges with their three key performances.
First, the thrust is stable. The incompressibility of hydraulic oil ensures that the thrust remains uniform during the mud-injecting process, unlike pneumatic clay guns where the thrust is unstable due to air pressure changes. This helps to ensure consistent compaction density of each plugging, which is beneficial for extending the service life of the iron taphole and reducing frequent maintenance.
Second, the movement is flexible and accurate. Through the precise control of hydraulic cylinders, hydraulic clay guns can realize multi-dimensional flexible adjustments such as the rotation, pitching of the gun body and the alignment of the gun nozzle. Even if the iron taphole is worn and deviated due to long-term use, it can quickly find the correct position. The alignment time is significantly shorter than that of traditional equipment, which helps to improve work efficiency. Nowadays, many steel plants also link it with the blast furnace control system to realize "one-click plugging" without manual operation, which not only reduces labor intensity but also minimizes human errors.
Third, it has good durability. The sealing structure of the hydraulic system can isolate dust and iron slag to a certain extent, reducing the wear of internal components; the key components are made of high-temperature and wear-resistant materials, which have outstanding impact resistance and vibration resistance. Data shows that the average service life of hydraulic clay guns can reach 5-8 years, which is longer than that of pneumatic clay guns, helping to reduce equipment replacement costs.
Convenient Maintenance and Controllable Costs to Support Steel Plant Operations
For steel enterprises, equipment maintenance costs are an important consideration. Hydraulic clay guns also perform well in this aspect: the core vulnerable parts are only small components such as seals and hydraulic filters. When replacing them, there is no need to disassemble large structures such as the gun body. The single maintenance time is usually only 1-2 hours, which is much shorter than the 4-6 hours of mechanical clay guns.
At the same time, through instruments such as pressure gauges and oil temperature gauges, workers can quickly judge the operating status of the hydraulic system, facilitating the identification of faults such as "oil cylinder leakage" and "valve jamming" and reducing the downtime for troubleshooting. Relevant personnel from a steel plant said that after using hydraulic clay guns, the equipment failure rate has decreased, and maintenance costs have been effectively controlled.
Nowadays, with the accelerated green and intelligent transformation of China's steel industry, hydraulic clay guns are still being continuously optimized - such as integrating Internet of Things technology to realize remote monitoring and using environmentally friendly hydraulic oil to reduce pollution. This important equipment in the blast furnace iron tapping process is providing guarantees for the safety, efficiency and low carbon of steel production with more improved performance.
