Sampler for taking samples from melts having a melting point higher than 600 ° C. and method for taking samples

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9128013-B2
Application number	US-201213464019-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 4, 2012
Priority date	May 18, 2011
Publication date	Sep 8, 2015
Grant date	Sep 8, 2015

Abstract

A sampler is provided for taking samples from melts having a melting point higher than 600° C., in particular for metal or cryolite melts. The sampler includes a carrier tube having an immersion end and having a sample chamber assembly arranged on the immersion end of the carrier tube. The assembly has an inlet opening and a sample cavity for the melt and is arranged at least partly inside the carrier tube. The sample chamber assembly has on a part of its outer surface a coupling device, arranged inside the carrier tube, for coupling a carrier lance. A method is also provided for taking samples using such a sampler.

First claim

I/we claim:

1. A sampler for taking samples from a melt having a melting point higher than 600° C., particularly a metal or cryolite melt, the sampler comprising:
a carrier tube having an immersion end;
a sample chamber assembly arranged on the immersion end of the carrier tube and at least partially inside the carrier tube, the sample chamber assembly having:
an inlet opening;
an inner wall forming a sample cavity for receiving the melt, and
an outer wall which surrounds the inner wall at least partially at a distance therefrom, such that a hollow space is arranged between the outer wall and the inner wall; and

a coupling device arranged on a part of an outer surface of the sample chamber assembly, the coupling device being arranged inside the carrier tube for coupling a carrier lance thereto,
wherein, when the sample cavity is filled with a sample of the melt, a ratio of a mass of the melt accommodated in the sample cavity to a mass of the sample chamber assembly without the melt is less than 0.8.

2. The sampler according to claim 1 , wherein the sample chamber assembly has a plurality of parts that directly surround the sample cavity and are detachable from one another, and wherein at least one of the parts is arranged inside the carrier tube.

3. The sampler according to claim 2 , wherein the sample chamber assembly has a first part and a second part that together surround the sample cavity, wherein the carrier tube has a main part containing the coupling device and an end part arranged at the immersion end of the carrier tube and detachable from the main part, and wherein the first part of the sample chamber assembly is fixed on the main part and the second part of the sample chamber assembly is fixed on the end part of the carrier tube.

4. The sampler according to claim 3 , wherein the end part is connected to the main part by a press-fit connection or screwed connection.

5. The sampler according to claim 3 , wherein the end part is connected to the main part by clamps or staples.

6. The sampler according to claim 1 , wherein the sample chamber assembly or the part of the outer surface of the sample chamber assembly having the coupling device is arranged on the immersion end of the carrier tube, such that the sample chamber assembly or the part of the outer surface having the coupling device is movable through an interior of the carrier tube to an end of the carrier tube opposite the immersion end and is there movable out of the carrier tube.

7. The sampler according to claim 6 , wherein the sample chamber assembly or the part of the outer surface of the sample chamber assembly having the coupling device has a cross-section perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the carrier tube, which cross-section is no larger than a cross-section of the interior of the carrier tube perpendicular to its longitudinal axis.

8. The sampler according to claim 1 , wherein the coupling device is constructed as at least one of a snap coupling, a bayonet coupling, and a screw coupling.

9. The sampler according to claim 1 , wherein the ratio of the mass of the melt accommodated in the sample cavity to the mass of the sample chamber assembly without the melt is at most 0.1.

10. The sampler according to claim 1 , wherein the coupling device has at least one gas flow channel which runs through the outer wall of the sample chamber assembly or leads up to the outer wall.

11. A sample chamber assembly for a sampler according to claim 1 ,
wherein the sample cavity is directly surrounded by the inner wall, the inner wall being formed of a plurality of parts,
wherein an inlet tube is connected to the sample cavity for accommodating a sample of a metal melt or cryolite melt in the sample cavity,
wherein the inlet tube opens into the sample cavity with the inlet opening, and
wherein, when the sample cavity is filled with the sample of a metal melt or cryolite melt, a ratio V between mass M of the sample and mass m of material of the inner wall is represented by the following equation:

V
=

M
×
24000

m
×
c
×
λ

<
0.15

where m is the mass of the inner wall, c is the specific heat capacity of the material of the inner wall, and λ is the thermal conductivity of the material of the inner wall.

12. The sample chamber assembly according to claim 11 , wherein V<0.05.

13. The sample chamber assembly according to claim 11 , wherein a volume of the sample cavity divided by an overall cross-sectional area of openings serving for ventilation is less than 500 mm.

14. The sample chamber assembly according to claim 13 , wherein the volume of the sample cavity divided by the overall cross-sectional of the openings serving for ventilation is less than 100 mm.

15. The sample chamber assembly according to claim 11 , wherein the sample chamber assembly has at least two parts immediately surrounding the sample cavity and detachable from one another.

16. The sample chamber assembly according to claim 11 , wherein the inlet tube has a reduced cross-section at the inlet opening.

17. A method for taking samples from a melt having a melt temperature greater than 600° C., particularly a metal or cryolite melt, using a sampler comprising a carrier tube having an immersion end, a sample chamber assembly arranged on the immersion end of the carrier tube and at least partially inside the carrier tube, and a coupling device arranged on a part of an outer surface of the sample chamber assembly, the coupling device being arranged inside the carrier tube for coupling a carrier lance thereto, the sample chamber assembly having an inlet opening, an inner wall forming a sample cavity for receiving the melt, and an outer wall which surrounds the inner wall at least partially at a distance therefrom, such that a hollow space is arranged between the outer wall and the inner wall the sample chamber assembly;
the method comprising pushing a carrier lance into the carrier tube through an end opposite the immersion end of the carrier tube, coupling the carrier lance to the coupling device of the sample chamber assembly, subsequently immersing the immersion end of the carrier tube in the melt, such that the sample cavity of the sample chamber assembly is filled with the melt, then pulling the sample chamber assembly or the part of the sample chamber assembly having the coupling device through the carrier tube using the carrier lance, withdrawing the sample chamber assembly or the part of the sample chamber assembly having the coupling device from the end of the carrier tube opposite the immersion end, wherein after the withdrawal a part of a surface of the sample situated in the sample chamber assembly enters into immediate contact with a surrounding environment of the sample chamber assembly, pushing a lance having a spectrometer into the carrier tube, and analyzing the surface of the sample with the aid of the spectrometer.

18. The method according to claim 17 , wherein during and/or after the taking of the sample, an inert gas is conducted to the sample chamber assembly or into a hollow space of the sample chamber assembly.

19. A

Assignees

• Song Lihuan
• Broekmans Gerrit
• Neyens Guido Jacobus
• Beyens Dries
• Heraeus Electro Nite Int

Inventors

• Song Lihuan
• Broekmans Gerrit
• Neyens Guido Jacobus
• Beyens Dries

Classifications

• G01N1/125 Primary

  adapted for sampling molten metals · CPC title

• G01N33/205

  in liquid state, e.g. molten metals · CPC title

• G01N33/206

  Physics · mapped topic

• C21C1/00

  Refining of pig-iron; Cast iron · CPC title