Fluidized bed for quenching steel wire and process thereof
AssigneeNV Bekaert SA
InventorsJozef Weedaeghe, Marcel Corteville
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A fluidized bed is disclosed for the continuous quenching of steel wires. The fluidized bed is provided with an air convection cooler with high cooling capacity. The temperature of the fluidized bed is regulated by means of a cooling air flow. Such a bed is applicable in the patenting operation, in which the carrying gas for a fluidized bed is taken from the exhaust gases of the austenitizing furnace.
Claims17
An apparatus for continuously quenching steel wires to a temperature of no less than 250.degree. C., comprising:
- (A) a fluidized bed having a surface;
- (B) an air source;
- and
- (C) a convection cooler using a stream of air as a cooling fluid, said convection cooler having an outlet and having an inlet connected to said air source, said convection cooler thermally contacting said fluidized bed and having a cooling surface of at least 0.4 m.sup.2 per square meter of said fluidized bed surface, the specific heat flow H of the air stream being variable, wherein H is the air flow multiplied by the specific heat of the air flowing through the convection cooler, said convection cooler further having a regulating system for maintaining the temperature of said fluidized bed at a constant value by varying said specific heat air flow.
An installation for the continuous patenting of a row of steel wires running side by side in parallel with one another in the axial direction of said wires, said installation comprising:
- (A) a furnace for austenitizing said wires;
- and
- (B) a fluidized bed installation for quenching said wires and for effecting a sorbitic transformation of said wires, fluidized bed installation comprising:
- (i) a plurality of contiguous fluidized bed chambers arranged in series, the first one of said fluidized bed chambers comprising a fluidized bed having a surface,
- (ii) an air source;
- and
- (iii) a convection cooler using a stream of air as a cooling fluid, said convection cooler having an outlet and having an inlet connected to said air source, said convection cooler thermally contacting said fluidized bed and having a cooling surface of at least 0.4 m.sup.2 per square meter of said fluidized bed surface, the specific heat flow H of the air stream being variable, wherein H is the air flow multiplied by the specific heat of the air flowing through the convection cooler, said convection cooler further having a regulating system for maintaining the temperature of said fluidized bed at a constant value by varying said specific heat air flow.
A process for continuously quenching steel wires to a temperature of no less than 250.degree. C., said process comprising the steps of:
- (A) guiding said wires through a bed which is fluidized by a carrying gas and which has a convention cooler immersed therein;
- (B) sending an air stream through said convection cooler which drains away at least three times the heat drained away by said carrying gas;
- and
- (C) maintaining the temperature of said fluidized bed constant by controlling the specific heat flow H of cooling air flowing through said fluidized bed.
A process for continuously patenting steel wires comprising the steps of:
- (A) passing said wires through an austenitizing furnace;
- and then
- (B) quenching said wires in a fluidized bed wherein said wires undergo a sorbitic transformation, said quenching step comprising the steps of
- (i) fluidizing a bed with a carrying gas comprising exhaust gas taken form a furnace, said bed having a convection cooler immersed therein,
- (ii) guiding said wires through said fluidized bed,
- (iii) sending an air stream through said convection cooler which drains away at least three times the heat drained away by said carrying gas, and
- (iv) maintaining the temperature of said fluidized bed constant by controlling the specific heat flow H of cooling air flowing through said fluidized bed.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.