1. Product Overview

This 15-ton vertical ladle heater is specifically designed for online baking, drying preheating, and holding of steel ladles (iron ladles). Featuring a steel-structure welded frame with winch tilting mechanism and proportional mixing combustion system using natural gas as fuel, it can achieve a wide baking temperature range from ambient to 1100℃. Typical applications include online baking and offline drying preheating of steel ladles/iron ladles in steelmaking plants and foundries.

2. Industry Challenges & Root Cause Analysis

Non-uniform baking temperature reduces lining life:Localized overheating or excessive temperature differentials cause refractory material spalling and cracking. Root cause: insufficient flame length and low combustion efficiency.

Gas leakage and flashback pose safety hazards:Natural gas leakage or flashback may cause explosions. Root cause: lack of multi-level gas pressure monitoring, leakage detection, and interlock cut-off protection.

Lack of automated process control:Ignition, temperature measurement, and control rely on manual operation – high energy consumption and poor consistency. Root cause: lack of PLC automatic control system and temperature curve management.

Cumbersome ladle cover tilting and positioning:Manual operation of cover tilting and positioning presents misoperation risks. Root cause: lack of electrical interlocks and self-locking protection.

3. Solution

3.1 High-Efficiency Combustion with Long Flame Design:Proportional mixing burner – nozzle made of 1Gr28Ni48W5 high-temperature pure metal oxidation-resistant material – service life ≥36 months. Flame length ＞2 meters – combustion rate ~98% – thermal efficiency ＞80% – ensures uniform temperature distribution inside the ladle.

3.2 Multi-Level Gas Safety Protection System:Gas pressure transmitter for digital pressure display and high/low pressure alarm (set point 2-3kPa) – automatically cuts off gas supply on low/high pressure. Flame monitor continuously detects combustion status – automatically cuts gas and triggers audible/visual alarm on flame failure. Fixed gas detector – 24PPM pre-alarm, 50PPM automatic gas cut-off with alarm.

3.3 Fully Automatic PLC Control System:Programmable logic controller core – automatically controls entire baking process. Local control cabinet with touchscreen displays temperature, set parameters, heating curves, and valve status. Multiple protection programs – gas pressure abnormality, gas leakage, flame failure, blower over-current trigger PLC signals to close gas quick-cut valve and delay blower shutdown with audible/visual alarm. On power failure – control system automatically locks – gas quick-cut valve closes automatically.

3.4 Safety Interlocks & Self-Locking Structure:Winch with braking device – self-protecting steel wire rope (safety factor 8x). Ladle cover rotation with self-locking and interlock functions – prevents equipment self-damage. Circuit-level short circuit, overload, and power failure protections. Equipment interlocks cover fan start/stop, gas cut-off, ignition sequence, and more.

3.5 Local Centralized Control & Data Recording:Control cabinet integrates pressure transmitters, gas leak alarms, flame monitors, and other detection components. Touchscreen displays baking temperature, valve status, and alarm information in real-time. Calendar display and baking time recording for process traceability and batch management.

4. Technical Specifications

5. Selection Guide

5.1 Recommended Scenarios

• Online baking and holding of steel ladles in steelmaking plants

• Drying preheating of iron ladles in foundries

• Baking stations requiring gas safety interlocks and temperature process control

5.2 Key Selection Considerations

1. Ladle specification: Confirm ladle capacity is 15-ton class – ladle mouth dimensions must match cover design

2. Fuel conditions: User to supply 50-100KPa natural gas with calorific value ≥8000 kcal/Nm³

3. Power supply: User to supply 3-phase 380V/13kW to control cabinet – cables installed by user

4. Site foundation: User responsible for equipment foundation and embedded plate installation

5. Gas safety: User to ensure gas pipeline with shut-off valves, drain devices, etc.

6. FAQ

Q1: How is baking temperature uniformity ensured?

A: High-speed swirl burner (BRO2000) with flame length ＞2 meters – combustion rate ~98%. Burner nozzle made of 1Gr28Ni48W5 high-temperature alloy for oxidation resistance – wide flame coverage ensures uniform temperature distribution.

Q2: How is gas leakage handled?

A: Fixed gas detector – 24PPM audible/visual pre-alarm – 50PPM automatically closes DN50 electromagnetic shut-off valve via PLC – cuts gas supply with audible/visual alarm – ensures site safety.

Q3: How is safety ensured during power outages?

A: On power failure – PLC control system automatically locks – DN50 gas quick-cut valve closes automatically. Winch braking device simultaneously engages – prevents accidental cover drop.

Q4: Can the equipment achieve automatic baking?

A: Programmable logic controller automatically controls the entire baking process – touchscreen displays temperature, heating curves, and valve status. Multiple protection programs for gas pressure, flame failure, and blower over-current – safe automatic operation. Set parameters manually, then execute automatically.

Q5: What is the burner service life?

A: Burner nozzle made of 1Gr28Ni48W5 high-temperature metal with surface oxidation treatment – service life ≥36 months – reduced maintenance and replacement frequency.