# US 11,898,216 B2 · Seamless steel pipe heat-treatment-finishing-treatment continuous facility > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,898,216 B2 - Document ID: US11898216B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 16/981,435 - Filed: 2019-03-26 - Published: 2021-01-28 - Granted: 2024-02-13 - Earliest claimed: 2018-03-28 - Assignees: Nippon Steel Corporation - Applicants: Nippon Steel Corporation - Inventors: Hiroki Kamitani; Takanori Tanaka; Atsushi Soma; Keiichi Kondo; Hideki Mitsunari; Seiya Okada; Takuya Matsumoto; Shinji Yoshida; Yuji Arai - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11898216B2 ## CPC - C21D 9/085: {Cooling or quenching} - B21D 41/04: Reducing; Closing - C21D 1/56: characterised by the quenching agents - C21D 8/10: during manufacturing of tubular bodies - C21D 9/08: for tubular bodies or pipes - B21C 51/00: Measuring, gauging, indicating, counting, or marking devices specially adapted for use in the production or manipulation of material in accordance with subclasses B21B - B21F - C21D: MODIFYING THE PHYSICAL STRUCTURE OF FERROUS METALS; GENERAL DEVICES FOR HEAT TREATMENT OF FERROUS OR NON-FERROUS METALS OR ALLOYS; MAKING METAL MALLEABLE, e.g. BY DECARBURISATION OR TEMPERING (surface treatment of metallic material involving at least one process provided for in class C23 and at least one process covered by this subclass C23F17/00; unidirectional solidification of eutectic materials or unidirectional demixing of eutectoid materials C30B) - B21D: WORKING OR PROCESSING OF SHEET METAL OR METAL TUBES, RODS OR PROFILES WITHOUT ESSENTIALLY REMOVING MATERIAL; PUNCHING METAL (working or processing of wire B21F) - B21C: MANUFACTURE OF METAL SHEETS, WIRE, RODS, TUBES, PROFILES OR LIKE SEMI-MANUFACTURED PRODUCTS OTHERWISE THAN BY ROLLING; AUXILIARY OPERATIONS USED IN CONNECTION WITH METAL-WORKING WITHOUT ESSENTIALLY REMOVING MATERIAL ## Abstract A seamless steel pipe heat-treatment-finishing-treatment continuous facility includes: a heat treatment apparatus; a steel pipe inspection apparatus which performs a test for a surface defect and/or an inner defect of the seamless steel pipe, the steel pipe inspection apparatus being disposed downstream of the heat treatment apparatus; a main transfer mechanism which forms a main transfer path MT for transferring the seamless steel pipe, discharged from the heat treatment apparatus, to the steel pipe inspection apparatus disposed downstream of the heat treatment apparatus; and a first forced steel pipe-temperature reduction apparatus which forcibly reduces a temperature of the seamless steel pipe on the main transfer path MT, the first forced steel pipe-temperature reduction apparatus being disposed on the main transfer path MT at a position downstream of the heat treatment apparatus and upstream of the steel pipe inspection apparatus. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A seamless steel pipe heat-treatment-finishing-treatment continuous facility comprising: a heat treatment apparatus configured to allow a seamless steel pipe to be inserted therein, the heat treatment apparatus performing tempering on the seamless steel pipe inserted into the heat treatment apparatus; a steel pipe inspection apparatus configured to perform a test for a surface defect and/or an inner defect of the seamless steel pipe discharged and transferred from the heat treatment apparatus, the steel pipe inspection apparatus being disposed downstream of the heat treatment apparatus; a main transfer mechanism forming a main transfer path for transferring the seamless steel pipe, which is discharged from the heat treatment apparatus, to the steel pipe inspection apparatus disposed downstream of the heat treatment apparatus, the main transfer mechanism including a plurality of transfer members for transferring the seamless steel pipe; and a first forced steel pipe-temperature reduction apparatus configured to forcibly reduce a temperature of the seamless steel pipe on the main transfer path, wherein the first forced steel pipe-temperature reduction apparatus reduces the temperature of the seamless steel pipe at a cooling rate higher than a cooling rate of cooling in air, the first forced steel pipe-temperature reduction apparatus being disposed on the main transfer path at a position downstream of the heat treatment apparatus, and upstream of the steel pipe inspection apparatus, wherein the first forced steel pipe-temperature reduction apparatus is, via the main transfer mechanism, connected to the heat treatment apparatus disposed upstream of the first forced steel pipe-temperature reduction apparatus, and the first forced steel pipe-temperature reduction apparatus is, via the main transfer mechanism, also connected to the steel pipe inspection apparatus disposed downstream of the first forced steel pipe-temperature reduction apparatus. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The seamless steel pipe heat-treatment-finishing-treatment continuous facility according to claim 1 further comprising a steel pipe-bending straightening apparatus configured to straighten bending in the seamless steel pipe, the steel pipe-bending straightening apparatus being disposed on the main transfer path at a position downstream of the heat treatment apparatus, and upstream of the first forced steel pipe-temperature reduction apparatus. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The seamless steel pipe heat-treatment-finishing-treatment continuous facility according to claim 1 further comprising a steel pipe-bending straightening apparatus configured to straighten bending in the seamless steel pipe, the steel pipe-bending straightening apparatus being disposed on the main transfer path at a position downstream of the first forced steel pipe-temperature reduction apparatus, and upstream of the steel pipe inspection apparatus. ### Claim 4 (depends on 2) The seamless steel pipe heat-treatment-finishing-treatment continuous facility according to claim 2 further comprising a second forced steel pipe-temperature reduction apparatus configured to forcibly reduce a temperature of the seamless steel pipe on the main transfer path, the second forced steel pipe-temperature reduction apparatus being disposed on the main transfer path at a position downstream of the heat treatment apparatus, and upstream of the steel pipe-bending straightening apparatus. ### Claim 5 (depends on 2) The seamless steel pipe heat-treatment-finishing-treatment continuous facility according to claim 2 further comprising: a sub-transfer mechanism disposed at a position downstream of the heat treatment apparatus and upstream of the steel pipe-bending straightening apparatus, connected to the heat treatment apparatus or to the main transfer mechanism, forming a sub-transfer path which is a transfer path different from the main transfer path, and including a plurality of transfer members for transferring the seamless steel pipe; and a second forced steel pipe-temperature reduction apparatus configured to forcibly reduce a temperature of the seamless steel pipe on the sub-transfer path, the second forced steel pipe-temperature reduction apparatus being disposed on the sub-transfer path. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The seamless steel pipe heat-treatment-finishing-treatment continuous facility according to claim 5, wherein the sub-transfer mechanism is connected to the main transfer mechanism, and the sub-transfer path is formed by branching from the main transfer path, and the sub-transfer mechanism transfers, through the sub-transfer path, the seamless steel pipe transferred through the main transfer path. ### Claim 7 (depends on 5) The seamless steel pipe heat-treatment-finishing-treatment continuous facility according to claim 5, wherein the sub-transfer mechanism is connected to the heat treatment apparatus, and transfers, through the sub-transfer path, the seamless steel pipe which is discharged from the heat treatment apparatus but which is not transferred to the main transfer path. ### Claim 8 (depends on 2) The seamless steel pipe heat-treatment-finishing-treatment continuous facility according to claim 2 further comprising a sizing mill disposed on the main transfer path at a position upstream or downstream of and adjacent to the steel pipe-bending straightening apparatus. ### Claim 9 (depends on 3) The seamless steel pipe heat-treatment-finishing-treatment continuous facility according to claim 3 further comprising a sizing mill disposed on the main transfer path at a position upstream or downstream of and adjacent to the steel pipe-bending straightening apparatus. ### Claim 10 (depends on 4) The seamless steel pipe heat-treatment-finishing-treatment continuous facility according to claim 4 further comprising a sizing mill disposed on the main transfer path at a position upstream or downstream of and adjacent to the steel pipe-bending straightening apparatus. ### Claim 11 (depends on 5) The seamless steel pipe heat-treatment-finishing-treatment continuous facility according to claim 5 further comprising a sizing mill disposed on the main transfer path at a position upstream or downstream of and adjacent to the steel pipe-bending straightening apparatus. ### Claim 12 (depends on 6) The seamless steel pipe heat-treatment-finishing-treatment continuous facility according to claim 6 further comprising a sizing mill disposed on the main transfer path at a position upstream or downstream of and adjacent to the steel pipe-bending straightening apparatus. ### Claim 13 (depends on 7) The seamless steel pipe heat-treatment-finishing-treatment continuous facility according to claim 7 further comprising a sizing mill disposed on the main transfer path at a position upstream or downstream of and adjacent to the steel pipe-bending straightening apparatus.