JP7516994B2 - Sample melting device for dry assay analysis - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a sample melting device for melting samples when quantitatively analyzing the metal components of ores by dry metallurgical analysis.

Traditionally, dry metallurgy analysis has been used as a method for quantitatively analyzing the metal components of ores. In dry metallurgy analysis, a sample of ore mixed with lead oxide and a flux is melted in a crucible to dissolve precious metals such as gold and silver into the lead and separate them from other metals, and the precious metals are extracted from the alloy of the precious metals and lead using the cupellation method, and then quantified.

Conventionally, the dry assay analysis involves inserting a crucible containing a sample into a melting furnace, heating the sample to, for example, 1200°C, and maintaining this state for a predetermined time, then removing the crucible containing the sample again and pouring the molten sample in the crucible into a mold. This work is performed by an operator using crucible tongs. The dry assay analysis requires the operator to perform the work in close proximity to the melting furnace, which is a high-temperature environment, which places a heavy burden on the operator and makes it difficult to ensure safety. For this reason, there is a demand for automation of the dry assay analysis work in order to reduce the burden on the operator and improve the safety of the work.

A sample melting device for dry assay analysis that can reduce the workload of the operator is known to include a melting furnace for heating the sample in a crucible, and an arm device for moving the crucible into the melting furnace and removing the crucible containing the sample that has been heated in the melting furnace from the melting furnace (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

JP 2012-132676 A

The sample melting device is equipped with a circular melting furnace and an arm device that is located near the melting furnace and has a rotation range that includes the entrance and exit of the melting furnace. As a result, the sample melting device does not sufficiently reduce the workload of the operator, as the arm device only repeats the operation of inserting a crucible containing a sample into the melting furnace from the entrance of the melting furnace and removing the crucible containing the molten sample from the exit of the melting furnace.

The object of the present invention is to provide a sample melting device for dry assay analysis that can reduce the workload of the operator and improve the safety of the operation.

The sample melting device for dry assay analysis of the present invention is a sample melting device for dry assay analysis, comprising a melting furnace having a main body portion provided with a crucible inlet and outlet, a loading crucible installation portion in which the crucible to be loaded into the main body portion is installed on the loading inlet side of the main body portion, an exit crucible installation portion in which the crucible that has exited from the main body portion is installed on the exit outlet side of the main body portion, and a crucible transport portion that transports the crucible from the loading crucible installation portion to the exit crucible installation portion through the inside of the main body portion, a loading crucible accommodation portion that accommodates the crucible to be installed in the loading crucible installation portion of the melting furnace, and a mold into which the sample melted in the melting furnace is introduced. The crucible comprises a mold placement section where the crucible is placed, a crucible disposal section that discards the crucible after the sample is poured into the mold in the mold placement section, and an arm device that is movable between the loading crucible installation section and the exit crucible installation section of the melting furnace in a section adjacent to the melting furnace and grips and handles the crucible, and the melting furnace, the loading crucible accommodation section, the mold placement section, and the crucible disposal section are arranged to surround the range in which the arm device moves, and the arm device performs operations related to handling the crucible in each of the loading crucible installation section and the exit crucible installation section of the melting furnace, the loading crucible accommodation section, the mold placement section, and the crucible disposal section.

In addition, in the sample melting device for dry assay analysis of the present invention, the loading crucible storage section is arranged on the first end side, which is the end of the movement range of the arm device on the loading crucible installation section side, and the mold placement section and the crucible disposal section are arranged on the second end side, which is the end of the movement range of the arm device on the exit crucible installation section side.

The sample melting device for dry assay analysis of the present invention also includes a control unit that controls the operation of the arm device, and the control unit moves the arm device to the first end side, grips the crucible with the arm member in the loading crucible housing section, places the crucible gripped in the loading crucible housing section in the loading crucible installation section, moves the arm device to the second end side, grips the crucible with the arm device in the exit crucible installation section, pours the sample contained in the crucible gripped in the exit crucible installation section into the mold in the mold placement section, and discards the crucible after the sample has been poured into the mold in the mold placement section into the crucible disposal section.

In addition, in the sample melting device for dry assay analysis of the present invention, the crucible transport section has a pushing device that pushes the crucible installed in the loading crucible installation section into the main body section, or a roller-type conveyor device that sends the crucible installed in the loading crucible installation section to the exit crucible installation section.

The sample melting device for dry assay analysis of the present invention also includes a crucible holding member that holds the crucible that is transported from the loading crucible installation section to the exit crucible installation section by the crucible transport section, and the crucible holding member is a sack, a setter, or a base plate.

According to the present invention, the arm device can be used to load a crucible containing a sample into a melting furnace and remove the crucible after it has been removed from the melting furnace, as well as to cast the molten sample into a mold and to discard the empty crucible after the sample has been cast into the mold, thereby reducing the workload of the worker and improving work safety.

1 is a schematic plan view of a sample melting device showing one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a plan view of a melting furnace showing one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a side view of a melting furnace showing one embodiment of the present invention.

Figures 1 to 3 show one embodiment of the present invention, where Figure 1 is a schematic plan view of a sample melting device, Figure 2 is a plan view of a melting furnace, and Figure 3 is a side view of the melting furnace.

The sample melting device 1 of the present invention is used, for example, in dry metallurgical analysis as a method for quantifying gold and silver in ore, and is used to melt a sample consisting of a mixture of ore to which a flux and lead oxide have been added.

As shown in FIG. 1, the sample melting device 1 of this embodiment includes a melting furnace 10 for melting the sample, a loading crucible storage section 20 for storing a crucible C to be loaded into the melting furnace 10, a mold placement section 30 for placing a mold 31 into which the melted sample is loaded in the melting furnace 10, a crucible disposal section 40 for disposing of the crucible C after the sample has been loaded in the mold placement section 30, and an arm device 50 for gripping and handling the crucible C.

The melting furnace 10 is an electrically heated continuous furnace that heats the sample while moving the crucible C containing the sample. The melting furnace 10 has a main body 11 with a loading inlet 11b and an outlet 11c, a loading crucible installation section 12 on the loading inlet 11b side of the main body 11 where the crucible C to be loaded into the main body 11 is installed, an outlet crucible installation section 13 on the outlet 11c side of the main body 11 where the crucible C that has been outlet from the main body 11 is installed, and a crucible transport section 14 that transports the crucible C from the loading crucible installation section 12 to the outlet crucible installation section 13 through the inside of the main body 11.

Here, the crucible C transported by the crucible transport unit 14 is transported while being held by the crucible holding member 15. The crucible holding member 15 has multiple recesses into which the bottom side of the crucible C can fit, and simultaneously holds multiple crucibles C. In this embodiment, as shown in Figures 1 and 2, four crucibles C are held by one crucible holding member 15. A sack, a setter, or a base plate is used as the crucible holding member 15.

The main body 11 is formed in a rectangular parallelepiped shape from a refractory material such as firebricks or firebrick mortar. Inside the main body 11, a passage 11a is formed so as to extend horizontally in a straight line, through which a crucible holding member 15 holding a plurality of crucibles C can pass. A loading port 11b is provided on the side wall of the main body 11 where one end of the passage 11a is located, for loading the crucible holding member 15 holding the crucible C into the passage 11a. In addition, a discharge port 11c is provided on the side wall of the main body 11 where the other end of the passage 11a is located, for discharging the crucible holding member 15 holding the crucible C from the passage 11a.

As shown in FIG. 3, the passage 11a is composed of, in order from the loading port 11b side, a waiting zone 11a1 for waiting the crucible C containing the sample, a first heating zone 11a2 for heating the sample in the crucible C to the melting temperature at which the sample melts, a first temperature holding zone 11a3 for holding the temperature of the sample heated to the melting temperature in the first heating zone 11a2, a second heating zone 11a4 for heating the sample to the complete melting temperature at which the sample held at the melting temperature completely melts, and a second temperature holding zone 11a5 for holding the temperature of the sample heated to the complete melting temperature in the second heating zone 11a4.

The loading entrance 11b is provided with a loading door 11b1. The exit entrance 11c is provided with an exit door 11c1.

The loading crucible installation section 12 is provided outside the loading port 11b of the main body 11. The loading crucible installation section 12 forms a horizontal surface at approximately the same height as the road surface of the passage 11a, and has a mounting surface 12a for placing the crucible holding member 15.

The exit crucible installation section 13 is provided outside the exit port 11c of the main body section 11. The exit crucible installation section 13 forms a horizontal surface at approximately the same height as the road surface of the passage 11a, and has a mounting surface 13a for mounting the crucible holding member 15.

The crucible transport section 14 is a so-called pusher device for pushing the crucible holding member installed in the loading crucible installation section 12 into the main body section 11. The crucible transport section 14 has a pushing device 14a for pushing the crucible holding member 15 installed in the loading crucible installation section 12 from the loading inlet 11b of the main body section 11 into the waiting zone 11a1 of the passage 11a, and a drawing device 14b for drawing the crucible holding member 15 located in the second temperature holding zone 11a5 of the passage 11a from the exit outlet 11c of the main body section 11 to the exit crucible installation section 13.

The pushing device 14a, for example, pushes the crucible holding member 15 installed in the loading crucible installation section 12 into the waiting zone 11a1 of the passage 11a by moving the push rod horizontally using the driving force of an electric motor or the like. At this time, the crucible holding member 15 pushed by the pushing device 14a from the loading crucible installation section 12 into the waiting zone 11a1 of the passage 11a pushes the crucible holding member 15 located in the passage 11a toward the exit 11c.

The drawing device 14b, for example, has claws on the outer peripheral surface of a rod that moves horizontally by the driving force of an electric motor or the like, which can engage with the crucible holding member 15, and by moving the rod with the claws engaged with the crucible holding member 15, the crucible holding member 15 is drawn out from the second temperature holding zone 11a5 of the passage 11a to the exit crucible installation section 13.

The loading crucible storage section 20 has a container 21 on which multiple crucibles C are placed side by side, and a container support stand 22 for supporting the multiple containers 21.

The container 21 is a rectangular plate-like member with multiple recesses formed therein into which the bottom side of the crucibles C can fit. As shown in FIG. 1, the container 21 of this embodiment has five rows of recesses formed in the longitudinal direction and three rows of recesses formed in the lateral direction, allowing a total of 15 crucibles C to be placed therein.

The container support stand 22 supports multiple containers 21 in a line on its upper surface. On the upper surface of the container support stand 22, container guides 22a for positioning the container 21 placed on it in the horizontal direction and supports 22b for positioning it in the vertical direction are provided. The containers 21 are attached and detached from the container support stand 22 by an operator.

The mold placement section 30 has a mold 31 into which the molten sample is poured, and a mold support stand 32 for supporting the mold 31.

The mold 31 is formed in a rectangular shape and has multiple recesses for pouring molten material into each of the multiple crucibles C. As shown in FIG. 1, the mold 31 of this embodiment has five rows of recesses in the longitudinal direction and three rows of recesses in the lateral direction, resulting in a total of 15 recesses.

The mold support table 32 supports a number of molds 31 arranged on its upper surface. A mold guide 32a is provided on the upper surface of the mold support table 32 to position the mold 31 placed on it in the horizontal direction. The mold 31 is attached to and detached from the mold support table 32 by an operator.

The crucible disposal section 40 is a box-shaped member with an open top, into which the crucible C is inserted from above after the sample has been placed in the mold 31.

The arm device 50 includes a base portion 51, a vertical link (not shown) that is provided on the upper surface of the base portion 51 so as to be freely rotatable horizontally, a horizontal link (not shown) that is connected to the tip of the vertical link so as to be freely rotatable in the vertical direction, and a gripping portion (not shown) that is connected to the tip of the horizontal link so as to be freely rotatable. The arm device 50 grips the crucible C with the gripping portion, and can change the orientation of the crucible C while gripping the crucible C. The base portion 51 of the arm device 50 is supported by a guide rail 52 provided on the installation surface of the arm device 50, and is freely movable horizontally within the range in which the guide rail 52 is laid. The guide rail 52 extends parallel to the extension direction of the passage 11a of the main body portion 11 of the melting furnace 10 in the portion adjacent to the melting furnace 10, and is laid in the range between the loading crucible installation portion 12 and the exit crucible installation portion 13.

Here, the melting furnace 10, the loading crucible accommodation section 20, the mold placement section 30, and the crucible disposal section 40 are arranged to surround the range in which the arm device 50 can move horizontally. This allows the arm device 50 to perform operations related to handling the crucible C in each of the melting furnace 10, the loading crucible accommodation section 20, the mold placement section 30, and the crucible disposal section 40.

The loading crucible accommodation section 20 is disposed on the first end 52a side, which is the end of the horizontal movement range of the arm device 50 on the loading crucible installation section 12 side. Furthermore, the mold placement section 30 and the crucible disposal section 40 are disposed on the second end 52b side, which is the end of the horizontal movement range of the arm device 50 on the exit crucible installation section 13 side. This allows the arm device 50 to perform each of the operations at the loading crucible installation section 12, the exit crucible installation section 13, the loading crucible accommodation section 20, the mold placement section 30, and the crucible disposal section 40 with a minimum of horizontal movement.

Furthermore, the sample melting device 1 is equipped with a control unit 60 for controlling the operation of the melting furnace 10 and the arm device 50.

The control unit 60 has an arithmetic processing unit such as a CPU, and a storage unit such as a ROM or RAM. When an input signal is received from a device connected to the input side, the control unit 60 reads out a program stored in the storage unit based on the input signal, stores the state detected by the input signal in the storage unit, and transmits an output signal to a device connected to the output side.

The control unit 60 is connected to the main body 11 of the melting furnace 10, the crucible transport unit 14 (pushing device 14a, pulling device 14b), and the arm device 50.

The memory section of the control section 60 stores information regarding the heater output of the main body section 11 of the melting furnace 10, information regarding the operation timing of the loading door 11b1, the exit door 11c1, and the crucible transport section 14 (pushing device 14a, withdrawal device 14b), information required to operate the arm device 50 regarding the positions of the crucible C in the loading crucible installation section 12 and the exit crucible installation section 13, the loading crucible storage section 20, the mold placement section 30, and the crucible disposal section 40 of the melting furnace 10, and the like.

The operation of the control unit 60 in the sample melting device 1 configured as above during the sample melting operation will now be described.

First, the control unit 60 moves the arm device 50 to the first end 52a side in the horizontal movement range, and the gripping part of the arm device 50 removes the crucible C containing the sample housed in the container 21 of the loading crucible housing part 20 from the container 21, and places the crucible C in the recess of the crucible holding member 15 of the loading crucible installation part 12. Here, the control unit 60 repeats the operation of placing the crucible C housed in the container 21 in the recess of the crucible holding member 15 until four crucibles C are held by the crucible holding member 15.

The control unit 60 also continuously controls the temperature of the passage 11a of the main body 11 of the melting furnace 10 for each of the zones 11a1, 11a2, 11a3, 11a4, and 11a5, and opens and closes the loading door 11b1 and the exit door 11c1 at predetermined intervals.

The control unit 60 opens the loading door 11b1 and drives the pushing device 14a of the crucible transport unit 14 to push the crucible holding member 15 containing the crucible C into the passage 11a of the main body unit 11. The control unit 60 also opens the exit door 11c1 and drives the drawing device 14b of the crucible transport unit 14 to draw the crucible holding member 15 containing the crucible C from the passage 11a of the main body unit 11 to the exit crucible installation unit 13.

Next, the control unit 60 moves the arm device 50 to the second end 52b side in its horizontal movement range, and causes the gripping portion of the arm device 50 to remove the crucible C containing the sample held by the crucible holding member 15 located in the exit crucible installation section 13 from the crucible holding member 15, and deposits the sample in the crucible C into the mold 31 in the mold placement section 30. After depositing the sample into the mold 31 in the mold placement section 30, the control unit 60 discards the empty crucible C held by the gripping portion of the arm device 50 in the crucible disposal section 40. Here, the control unit 60 repeats the operation of removing all four crucibles C housed in the crucible holding member 15 using the arm device 50, pouring the sample into the mold, and disposing of the crucible C in the crucible disposal unit 40.

Next, the control unit 60 uses the arm device 50 to remove the empty crucible holding member 15 located at the exit crucible installation section 13 from the exit crucible installation section 13, moves the arm device 50 to the first end 52a side in the horizontal movement range, and installs the empty crucible holding member 15 at the loading crucible installation section 12.

The control unit 60 places an empty crucible holding member 15 in the loading crucible installation unit 12, then removes the crucible C housed in the loading crucible storage unit 20 and places it in the crucible holding member 15 of the loading crucible installation unit 12, and continues the operation of melting the sample.

Thus, according to the sample melting apparatus 1 of this embodiment, the melting furnace 10, the loading crucible accommodation section 20, the mold placement section 30, and the crucible disposal section 40 are arranged to surround the range in which the arm device 50 moves, and the arm device 50 performs operations related to handling the crucible C in each of the loading crucible installation section 12 and the exit crucible installation section 13 of the melting furnace 10, the loading crucible accommodation section 20, the mold placement section 30, and the crucible disposal section 40.

As a result, the arm device 50 can be used to load the crucible C containing the sample into the main body 11 of the melting furnace 10 and remove the crucible C after it has left the main body 11, as well as to pour the molten sample into the mold and to discard the empty crucible C after the sample has been poured into the mold 31, thereby reducing the workload on the worker and improving work safety.

The loading crucible storage section 20 is disposed on the first end 52a side of the movement range of the arm device 50, and the mold placement section 30 and the crucible disposal section 40 are disposed on the second end 52b side of the movement range of the arm device 50.

This allows the arm device 50 to perform work at the loading crucible installation section 12 and the loading crucible accommodation section 20 of the melting furnace 10 without moving at the first end 52a side in the horizontal movement range. Also, the arm device 50 can perform work at the exit crucible installation section 13, the mold placement section 30, and the crucible disposal section 40 of the melting furnace 10 without moving at the second end 52b side in the horizontal movement range. This allows the arm device 50 to perform each task with a minimum of horizontal movement, making it possible to improve work efficiency.

The control unit 60 also moves the arm device 50 to the first end 52a side, grips the crucible C with the arm device 50 in the loading crucible housing unit 20, places the crucible C gripped in the loading crucible housing unit 20 in the loading crucible installation unit 12, moves the arm device 50 to the second end 52b side, grips the crucible C with the arm device 50 in the exit crucible installation unit 13, pours the sample contained in the crucible C gripped in the exit crucible installation unit 13 into the mold 31 in the mold placement unit 30, and discards the crucible C after the sample has been poured into the mold 31 in the mold placement unit 30 into the crucible disposal unit 40.

As a result, the arm device 50 can automatically perform the tasks at the loading crucible installation section 12, the exit crucible installation section 13, the loading crucible storage section 20, the mold placement section 30, and the crucible disposal section 40 of the melting furnace 10, thereby reducing the amount of work that is directly performed by the worker, further reducing the worker's workload and improving work safety.

In addition, the crucible transport section 14 has a pushing device 14a that pushes the crucible C installed in the loading crucible installation section 12 into the main body section 11.

This allows the crucible C to be pushed into the main body 11 using a simple structure outside the main body 11, making it possible to stably move the crucible C through the passage 11a of the main body 11.

The crucible holding member 15 is provided to hold the crucible C that is transported from the loading crucible installation section 12 to the exit crucible installation section 13 by the crucible transport section 14, and the crucible holding member 15 is a sack, a setter, or a base plate.

As a result, the crucible C can be transported by transporting the crucible holding member 15 with the crucible transport section 14, so that the crucible C can be transported stably in the melting furnace 10. In addition, by using a sack, setter, or table as the crucible holding member 15, the crucible holding member 15 can be easily gripped by the gripping section of the arm device 50, so that the empty crucible holding member 15 located in the exit crucible installation section 13 can be moved to the loading crucible installation section 12 by a simple operation of the arm device 50.

In the above embodiment, the crucible transport section 14 is shown as a pushing device 14a that pushes the crucible C installed in the loading crucible installation section 12 into the main body section 11, but this is not limited to this. As long as it is possible to move the crucible C along the passage of the main body section of the melting furnace, for example, a roller-type conveyor device in which rollers are provided throughout the entire passage of the melting furnace may be used.

In the above embodiment, the operation of the arm device 50 is controlled based on information stored in the memory of the control unit 60 regarding the position of the crucible C in each of the loading crucible installation unit 12 and the exit crucible installation unit 13, the loading crucible storage unit 20, the mold placement unit 30, and the crucible disposal unit 40 of the melting furnace 10, but this is not limited to the above. If the arm device 50 grasps the crucible C and the crucible holding member 15 and moves them to the desired position, it may detect the presence or absence of the crucible C in the container 21 of the loading crucible installation unit 12, the exit crucible installation unit 13, and the loading crucible storage unit 20, and detect the presence or absence of a sample in the mold 31 of the mold placement unit 30, and move the arm device 50 based on the detection results.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 Sample melting device 10 Melting furnace 11 Main body 11b Charging inlet 11c Exit outlet 12 Loading crucible installation section 13 Exiting crucible installation section 14 Crucible transport section 14a Pushing device 14b Pulling device 15 Crucible holding member 20 Loading crucible storage section 30 Mold placement section 40 Crucible disposal section 50 Arm device 60 Control section C Crucible

Claims (5)

A sample melting apparatus for dry assay analysis, comprising:
a melting furnace having a main body provided with a crucible inlet and outlet, a loading crucible installation section in which the crucible to be loaded into the main body is installed on the loading inlet side of the main body, a leaving crucible installation section in which the crucible that has left the main body is installed on the leaving outlet side of the main body, and a crucible transport section that transports the crucible from the loading crucible installation section to the leaving crucible installation section through the inside of the main body;
a loading crucible accommodating section for accommodating the crucible to be installed in the loading crucible installation section of the melting furnace;
a mold placement section in which a mold into which the melted sample is introduced in the melting furnace is placed;
a crucible disposal unit that discards the crucible after a sample is poured into the mold in the mold placement unit;
an arm device that is movable between the loading crucible installation section and the exit crucible installation section of the melting furnace in a section adjacent to the melting furnace and that grasps and handles the crucible;
the melting furnace, the charging crucible accommodation section, the mold placement section, and the crucible disposal section are arranged to surround a range in which the arm device moves;
The arm device performs operations related to handling of the crucible in each of the loading crucible installation section, the exit crucible installation section, the loading crucible storage section, the mold placement section, and the crucible disposal section of the melting furnace. The loading crucible accommodation section is disposed on a first end side which is an end on the loading crucible installation section side in the movement range of the arm device,
2. The sample melting apparatus for dry assay analysis according to claim 1, wherein the mold placement section and the crucible disposal section are disposed on a second end side, which is an end on the side of the exit crucible installation section in the movement range of the arm device. A control unit for controlling an operation of the arm device,
The control unit is
The arm device is moved toward the first end side to grip the crucible in the loading crucible accommodation section by the arm device, and the crucible gripped in the loading crucible accommodation section is placed in the loading crucible placement section;
3. A sample melting apparatus for dry assay analysis according to claim 2, wherein the arm device is moved toward the second end side to grip the crucible at the exit crucible placement section, the sample contained in the crucible gripped at the exit crucible placement section is poured into the mold at the mold placement section, and the crucible after the sample has been poured into the mold at the mold placement section is discarded in the crucible disposal section. 4. The sample melting apparatus for dry assay analysis according to claim 1, wherein the crucible transport section has a pushing device for pushing the crucible installed in the loading crucible installation section into the main body section, or a roller-type conveyor device for sending the crucible installed in the loading crucible installation section to the exit crucible installation section. a crucible holding member that holds the crucible that is transported from the loading crucible placement section to the exit crucible placement section by the crucible transport section,
The sample melting apparatus for dry assay analysis according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the crucible holding member is a sagger, a setter or a base plate.

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