Powder manufacturing apparatus and powder forming method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016279712-A1
Application number	US-201315035110-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Dec 24, 2013
Priority date	Dec 20, 2013
Publication date	Sep 29, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

The present invention provides a power manufacturing apparatus capable of preventing particle growth when fine powder is formed through a fluid, the apparatus comprising: a molten steel providing part for providing molten steel; and a cooling fluid spraying part which is arranged at a lower part of the molten steel providing part and sprays a cooling fluid on the molten steel in order to pulverize the molten steel provided by the molten steel providing part, wherein the cooling fluid spraying part forms a first flow for cooling the molten steel so as to pulverize the molten steel and a second flow for forming a descending air current in the molten steel.

First claim

1 . A powder manufacturing apparatus comprising:
a molten steel supply unit supplying molten steel; and a cooling fluid ejection unit disposed below the molten steel supply unit and ejecting a cooling fluid to the molten steel supplied from the molten steel supply unit so as to atomize the molten steel, wherein the cooling fluid ejection unit forms a first stream to cool and atomize the molten steel and a second stream to create a descending air current for the molten steel.

2 . The powder manufacturing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the cooling fluid ejection unit comprises:
a guide comprising a truncated cone part pointed downward so that the molten steel flowing downward from the molten steel supply unit passes through a center region of the truncated cone part; and a jet nozzle ejecting the cooling fluid onto the guide.

3 . The powder manufacturing apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the second stream swirls downward around the molten steel flowing downward.

4 . The powder manufacturing apparatus of claim 2 , wherein a spiral is formed on the guide to induce the second stream.

5 . The powder manufacturing apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the spiral is a groove formed in a surface of the guide.

6 . The powder manufacturing apparatus of claim 4 , wherein a plurality of spirals are symmetrically formed on the guide.

7 . The powder manufacturing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the cooling fluid ejection unit is configured so that the first stream flows at a rate greater than a rate at which the second stream flows.

8 . The powder manufacturing apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the jet nozzle is a straight jet nozzle pointed so that the cooling fluid is ejected toward the truncated cone part of the guide.

9 . The powder manufacturing apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the jet nozzle is located above the truncated cone part of the guide, and an angle between the jet nozzle and a vertical line is greater than an angle between a slope of the truncated cone part and the vertical line.

10 . The powder manufacturing apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the spiral induces the descending air current at a point at which extension lines drawn from the slope of the truncated cone part intersect each other.

11 . The powder manufacturing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the cooling fluid is water.

12 . A powder forming method comprising:
supplying molten steel; forming powder by atomizing the molten steel using a cooling fluid; and during the forming of the powder, creating a descending air current using the cooling fluid at a point at which the cooling fluid strikes the molten steel so as to prevent the powder from becoming coarse.

13 . The powder forming method of claim 12 , wherein in the forming of the powder, a cooling fluid barrier is formed around the point at which the cooling fluid strikes molten steel, so as to prevent introduction of external gas.

14 . The powder forming method of claim 13 , wherein the creating of the descending air current comprises swirling the cooling fluid downward so as to create the descending air current by a swirling stream of the cooling fluid.

Assignees

• Posco

Inventors

• Ha Tae-Jong
• Yoon Si-Won
• Jeong Hae-Kwon

Classifications

• B22F1/00

  Metallic powder; Treatment of metallic powder, e.g. to facilitate working or to improve properties · CPC title

• B22F9/082 Primary

  atomising using a fluid (using centrifugal force B22F9/10) · CPC title

• B22F2009/0848

  Melting process before atomisation · CPC title

• B22F2009/0884

  Spiral fluid · CPC title

• B22F2009/0832

  Handling of atomising fluid, e.g. heating, cooling, cleaning, recirculating · CPC title