Method and apparatus for recycling magnesium alloy cuttings

Abstract

A method and an apparatus for recycling magnesium alloy cuttings are provided. A structure of the apparatus includes: a smelting furnace, configured to hold molten magnesium, where the smelting furnace is segmented into a refining chamber and a molten metal tapping chamber in communication with each other; a mixing unit, rotatably disposed in the refining chamber, and configured to generate a sinking whirlpool toward a bottom of the smelting furnace during rotation; and a waste material treatment unit, including a feeding module, where the feeding module includes a material rod capable of continuously rotating and a material channel in communication with the refining chamber, the material rod is configured to drive magnesium cuttings to enter the refining chamber through the material channel, and the material channel is configured to feed a protective gas.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . An apparatus for recycling magnesium alloy cuttings, wherein a structure thereof comprises:
 a smelting furnace, configured to hold molten magnesium, wherein the smelting furnace is segmented into a refining chamber and a molten metal tapping chamber in communication with each other;   a mixing unit, rotatably disposed in the refining chamber, and configured to generate a sinking whirlpool toward a bottom of the smelting furnace during rotation; and   a waste material treatment unit, comprising a feeding module, wherein the feeding module comprises a material rod capable of continuously rotating and a material channel in communication with the refining chamber, the material rod is configured to drive magnesium cuttings to enter the refining chamber through the material channel, and the material channel is configured to feed a protective gas.   
     
     
         2 . The apparatus for recycling magnesium alloy cuttings according to  claim 1 , wherein the waste material treatment unit further comprises a heating module and an air intake and dust collection module, wherein the heating module heats the feeding module, so as to preheat the magnesium alloy cuttings, and the air intake and dust collection module is disposed on the material channel and configured to recycle moisture and oil fume generated by the heated magnesium alloy cuttings. 
     
     
         3 . The apparatus for recycling magnesium alloy cuttings according to  claim 2 , wherein a heat energy source of the heating module is introduced from waste heat generated by the smelting furnace. 
     
     
         4 . The apparatus for recycling magnesium alloy cuttings according to  claim 1 , wherein the refining chamber is a cylindrical space. 
     
     
         5 . The apparatus for recycling magnesium alloy cuttings according to  claim 1 , wherein the refining chamber comprises a sloping bottom, having an end distal to the molten metal tapping chamber higher than an end proximal to the molten metal tapping chamber. 
     
     
         6 . The apparatus for recycling magnesium alloy cuttings according to  claim 1 , wherein the material rod is a screw mechanism. 
     
     
         7 . The apparatus for recycling magnesium alloy cuttings according to  claim 1 , wherein the protective gas is a gas mixture of nitrogen and carbon dioxide, wherein a proportion of nitrogen to carbon dioxide is 1:1. 
     
     
         8 . A method for recycling magnesium alloy cuttings, applied to the apparatus according to  claim 1 , comprising the following steps:
 feeding a protective gas into the smelting furnace holding molten magnesium, and adding a rare earth refining agent into the molten magnesium;   feeding the protective gas into the material channel, and rotating, by the material rod, to drive magnesium cuttings to enter the refining chamber through the material channel; and   rotating, by the mixing unit, to generate a sinking whirlpool, to drive the magnesium cuttings toward a bottom of the smelting furnace, and mixing and dissolving the magnesium cuttings into the molten magnesium, so that magnesium in the magnesium cuttings is separated from slag and magnesium floats upward to the molten metal tapping chamber.   
     
     
         9 . The method for recycling magnesium alloy cuttings according to  claim 8 , wherein the waste material treatment unit further comprises a heating module and an air intake and dust collection module, wherein while feeding the magnesium alloy cuttings into the refining chamber, waste heat of the smelting furnace is introduced to the waste material treatment unit to heat the magnesium alloy cuttings, and oil fume generated after heating the magnesium alloy cuttings is discharged into the air intake and dust collection module for waste gas treatment. 
     
     
         10 . The method for recycling magnesium alloy cuttings according to  claim 8 , wherein the protective gas fed into the smelting furnace is a gas mixture of sulfur hexafluoride and air, wherein a flow rate of sulfur hexafluoride is 25 cc/min, and a flow rate of air is 5 L/min. 
     
     
         11 . The method for recycling magnesium alloy cuttings according to  claim 8 , wherein the protective gas fed into the material channel is a gas mixture of nitrogen and carbon dioxide, wherein a flow rate of nitrogen is 1 L/min, and a flow rate of carbon dioxide is 1 L/min. 
     
     
         12 . The method for recycling magnesium alloy cuttings according to  claim 8 , wherein the rare earth refining agent may be rare earth, rare earth chloride, or rare earth oxide. 
     
     
         13 . The method for recycling magnesium alloy cuttings according to  claim 8 , wherein composition of the rare earth refining agent is 10% cerium oxide mixed with a DOW230 solvent, and an addition amount thereof is 1% of an addition quantity of the magnesium alloy cuttings.