Improvements in apparatus for regulating heat-treatment furnaces

摘要

1,095,611. Fluid-pressure servomotor systems; automatic control of furnaces. BAILEY METER CO. Feb. 26, 1965 [Feb. 28, 1964], No. 8300/65. Headings G3P and G3R. [Also in Division F4] Apparatus for temperature and atmosphere regulation for a heat treatment furnace comprises control means influenced by means measuring temperatures in respective zones of the furnace and acting to increase or reduce together the air and fuel flow rates to the burner serving that zone. Further control means are influenced by means analyzing the furnace atmosphere and are adapted upon furnace atmosphere changes to increase or reduce the ratio between the combustion air and fuel flow rates to the respective burners serving all the zones on the embodiment shown, a furnace 10 has three zones 1-3, each zone having a temperature sensitive element in the form of a thermocouple which, via control means described below, actuates the combustion air valve 50, 86 or 106 and the corresponding gas valve 74, 98 or 116 serving that zone. In addition, zone 1 is provided with a sensor 34 which admits samples of the furnace atmosphere to an analyzer 36 which, via control means described below, actuates all three of the gas valves simultaneously to modify the air/fuel ratio entering each zone. Since each of the three temperature control systems is identical, only that serving zone 1 will be described in detail. The thermocouple 16 transmits a signal to a device 18 which compares it in an electric network and operates a motor M which in turn operates a cam controlling a valve which determines the pneumatic pressure in an outlet 40. The pressure signal passes to a proportional and integrating relay 42, e.g. of the kind disclosed in Specification 739, 501, and the output signal therefrom passes via line 46 and a manual/ automatic selector 44 to a diaphragm 50 controlling the air valve to zone 1, the selector 44 providing an adjustable pressure to relay 42 via line 43 to thereby determine the set-point of the relay. The output signal from relay 42 also passes, via line 46b to an averaging relay 68 the output signal from which passes, via line 69 and selector 70, to a diaphragm 74 actuating the gas valve to zone 1. When the analyzer 36, e.g. of the kind disclosed in Specification 698, 456, detects errors in the furnace atmosphere, a pressure signal is received in a line 52 from a device 38 similar to device 18 above and this signal passes to a proportional and integrating relay 54. The output signal from this relay passes via selector 56 and lines 60a, 62a and 64a to proportional relays 60, 62, 64 the output signals from which pass to averaging relays 68, 90, 114 respectively, thereby causing an output signal from these latter relays to actuate the three gas valves. The selector 56 provides an adjustable pressure via line 53 for determining the set point of relays 54. By virtue of the integrating action of relays 42, 54, the output signals therefrom continue to change until the thermocouple or the sensor 34 sense the required temperature and atmosphere. The output from relay 42 also passes via line 46a to relay 60 and thereby serves as means for changing the proportional band of the latter relay. The various selectors may be used to over-ride the automatic control, in which case manual adjustment of the selectors positions the associated valves. In a modification, the atmosphere control may actuate the combustion air valves instead of the fuel valves.